Claydon Drills, European market leader in direct strip seeding technology, has added to its rapidly growing UK distribution network by appointing a dealer to handle the full range of Claydon Opti-Till® products in North Yorkshire.
Brockhills of Yorkshire Limited, based in Dalton near Thirsk, will sell, service and support Claydon products throughout an area based along the A1 corridor. Its sales territory borders those of recently appointed Claydon dealer Robert D Webster Limited as well as existing dealers J Wood & Son Limited and Rickerby Limited.
Founded by Eddie Brockhill, the company was purchased by Peter Swales, its Managing Director, in 2007. With extensive experience of service and sales departments within agricultural dealerships, he has progressively expanded the business and diversified its product portfolio, whilst further developing the already high level of customer service. The longest-established UK dealer for the premium-quality range of agricultural machinery manufactured by Fendt, a franchise it has held since 1978, the company regards its association with Claydon as a key part of an ongoing busines development strategy.
To underline its commitment to the brand, Brockhills has added to its demonstration fleet a 7.5m Straw Harrow and 3m Hybrid mounted drill equipped with Claydon’s proven A-shares, together with a range of new LD options which minimise soil disturbance. In line with the company’s goal of offering excellent customer service, the sales and service staff will be fully trained in the Claydon product range at the earliest opportunity.
“We are a very customer-focussed business and operate a 24/7 on-call service from the start of the potato planting season right through to the end of maize harvesting in November. This allows our customers to contact us at any time and be guaranteed of a fast, personal response,” Peter states.
Rob Dunk
“Taking on the Claydon franchise is the culmination of a two-pronged vision. Existing Claydon owners in our area encouraged us to consider it because Claydon was changing from direct sales to a dealer network. Other customers have been encouraging us to offer tine drills since the wet autumn of 2019 when disc-type units proved problematic and the consensus was in favour of the Claydon System. The uncertainty over Brexit and future of the Basic Payment Scheme has also made farmers focus more intently on reducing their production costs. As our customers change and adapt so, as dealers, we must do the same.
“We are proud of our long association with Fendt, a brand renowned for manufacturing high quality products, and believe that Claydon sits well alongside it. The Claydon range will suit the requirements of a wide cross-section of our customers, from those who are considering moving away from existing plough/combi drill and min-till methods to Claydon’s Opti-Till® direct strip seeding system, which includes new low- and very-low disturbance LD options.
“When I visited the Claydon factory and farm to see the products being manufactured and crops which had been produced using them it quickly became clear that this was the right choice. Since then, I and my team have been impressed by every aspect of our dealings with Claydon and the enthusiasm shown by Jeff, Spencer, and Oliver Claydon, together with that of their colleagues. That gives me great confidence in the future success of this relationship.”
