Business View Oceania | January 2020

43 44 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA JANUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA JANUARY 2020 Quality &Service, you can rely on. AUTOMOTIVE IS IN OUR DNA From humble beginnings CoolDrive Auto Parts has grown to become one of Australasia’s largest and most well respected automotive component suppliers. We’re proud of our heritage and motorsport association. Share our passion and discover more about CoolDrive Auto Parts, visit www.cooldrive.com.au We supply to the trade: Air Conditioning & Cooling Automotive Training Courses Brake & Clutch Electrical Accessories Engine Management Filtration & Lubricants Rotating Electrical Tools & Equipment Underbody & Suspension Workshop Consumables ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ AGG-TECH MACHINERY business partner in 1997– that’s when Agg-Tech Machinery started. After a while, my wife Gayle and I ended up taking control of the whole show. Gayle is now our Administration Manager and an expert at looking after that side of the business. We’ve been here 22 years and seen a lot of changes. Technology is growing rapidly. When we first started there was a change from open tractors into tractors with cabins on them. And nowadays, that’s a critical must-have.” Employee numbers fluctuate with the season. Currently, Agg-Tech has a staff of 24 based at the main dealership in Mildura, Victoria, while mechanics also work out of a workshop facility in Woomelang. Operation-wise, Agg-Tech is a machinery dealership with three departments: sales, service and spare parts. Rod notes, “For all our machinery that we sell, we’re able to provide multiple financing options for our customers to best suit their needs. It’s done through AGCO Finance, part of AGCO – our main supplier for name-brand tractors and other farm machinery. AGCO is a global company and their main Australian facility is in Melbourne. They import from their factories in Germany, France, India, or North America, depending on the machine, bring it into Melbourne and we purchase it there to put to our market here. The majority of our customers finance their purchase – it’s a big investment.” The Agg-Tech premises in Mildura has a yard, but is running out of room for inventory. Due to the nature of the business, they have a good amount of used machinery to sell from trade- ins when customers buy a new machine. Along with selling used tractors and equipment, they also stock new products. Giving buyers the opportunity to see what’s available; sit in it, look at it, touch it. A major focus of the business is on backup service for customers because having a machine out of action costs them time and money. Agg-Tech has trained technicians to diagnose and repair any equipment issues, generally within a territorial region that covers