The market needs specialists

Agro Sznajder WKP is the largest agricultural machinery dealer in Poland. The company offers services at the highest level. Therefore, only manufacturers whose focus is entirely on the requirements of farmers are considered as partners.

"Under the name Agroma Olsztyn Grupa Sznajder, we were already running a number of shops for spare parts and technical accessories. More than 15 years ago, we started selling agricultural machinery," Managing Director Robert Kukuła, one of the company's founders, explains. “However, as we used to have quite a few brands on offer, our salesmen and especially the service technicians were not able to offer their services at the high level we would have liked. They simply lacked the detailed knowledge of the individual machines. In 2017, we therefore decided to radically reduce the number of our partners and focus on just two leading manufacturers.” One of them is HORSCH. Robert Kukuła sees only advantages in this decision: "HORSCH does not only understand the requirements and challenges farmers are facing today, but also has a feel for the direction in which agriculture is developing. The machines are designed with this in mind." 
Initially, Agro Sznajder WKP worked in Warmia and Masuria. “Changes in the dealer network structure and our desire to be as close to the customer as possible led us to expand our activities to the Greater Poland region two years later and to the central Polish provinces two years after that,” the Managing Director recalls.

Successful experiment

For Robert Kukuła, the decision to set up a branch of the company specialising exclusively in the sale and maintenance of HORSCH machines initially was more of an experiment. However, it quickly became apparent that despite the specialisation, both the sales staff and the service technicians were more than busy. The trend towards more and more customised machines for an ever wider range of customers means that a dealer who wants to operate professionally has to focus more and more on one brand.

"Due to HORSCH's strategy of always offering farmers new machines and innovations, we as a dealer organise several dozen individual field presentations every year. And the opening of the branch in Oborniki which is exclusively tailored to the HORSCH brand, in 2018 was an important step towards this specialisation." Due to the rapid development, the headquarters of the branch was relocated from Oborniki to Niepruszewo in 2020. As the following years showed, this was a good decision. The company was able to focus more intensively on the brand and thus improve the quality of the product range and customer service. “I am absolutely convinced that this will bring positive results for everyone,” Robert Kukuła emphasises. The branch in Niepruszewo is located in one of the country's most important agricultural areas. At the same time, the transport connections are favourable. These two factors turned the branch not only into a centre for professional support for farmers, but also into an important storage location for spare parts. These often are parts that are not part of everyday business due to their size, for example. "To make sure that our customers will get these parts quickly, we prepared the appropriate range together with HORSCH. This is particularly important for machines that have to work in narrow time windows, e.g. field sprayers or seed drills. The parts are available almost immediately. This is also important for customers of other HORSCH trading partners in Poland as we supply the entire country from there."

The right decision

Robert Kukuła confirms: "Based on our experience of working with HORSCH, we are still convinced that specialising in one manufacturer is the best solution for us as a machine dealer, including the associated services. HORSCH's wide product range is ideal for large Polish farms, but also for professional medium-sized and small farms."

As HORSCH constantly adds new products to its portfolio, e.g. the Leeb AX sprayer or the Maestro TX, Agro Sznajder WKP reaches practically every group of ambitious farmers. However, the expansion of the HORSCH range with very specialised machines, e.g. the Focus StripTill drill or hybrid machines, requires intensive training. "By continuously increasing our knowledge and improving our qualifications, we can optimally support our customers with regard to purchasing highly specialised machines such as the Avatar. By the way, the Avatar is the first 12 metre seed drill in Poland for direct seeding. The realisation of such projects is always a highlight and motivates us to raise our level even further."

Constantly expand own knowledge

The Niepruszewo branch has become a central vocational training centre for Agro Sznajder WKP, but also for HORSCH Polska. "We are aware of the situation on the labour market for both salespeople and service technicians. That's why we as a company try to create optimal working conditions so that our customers always have a professional team at their disposal that can advise them and support them after the sale," the Managing Director emphasises. Such an experienced team of service technicians and salespeople for selling machines and spare parts is the basis for professional support for farmers. "That's why we attach major importance to regular training and thorough familiarisation with the possibilities of the machines and new products. From the moment a new machine is launched, we have to be 100% ready for it." The activities of Agro Sznajder WKP do not only include consultation, configuration and evaluation of machines, but also their demonstration on site. Therefore, field events such as the HORSCH Roadshow are organised both independently and in co-operation with HORSCH Polska which are very popular with the farmers. Individual demonstrations are part of the daily routine and allow customers to test the machine they are interested in in practice. Agro Sznajder WKP also takes part in the Agrotech trade fair in Kielce and the Agroshow in Bednary where it also provides active support with the organisation.

Challenges and development directions

Modern agriculture is constantly changing - it is increasingly based on precise planning, the analysis of data and Agriculture 4.0 solutions. Robert Kukuła emphasises: “As a HORSCH specialist, we know that our customers do not only expect efficient and durable technical solutions, but also digital solutions that support them with regard to making decisions based on data and automation.”