Successful first Open Day for Border Plant Sales

On show: Jane and Stephen Lowe (centre) with workshop technicians Lee McNamara (left) and George Bottomley at the Border Plant Sales open day.
On show: Jane and Stephen Lowe (centre) with workshop technicians Lee McNamara (left) and George Bottomley at the Border Plant Sales open day.

Time and effort spent tidying up the premises and arranging displays of machinery paid off for farm equipment dealer Border Plant Sales when the company staged its first Open Day.

The event marked 10 years of trading and the official opening of a new parts department and shop area at Border Plant’s premises in Smallwood, between Congleton and Sandbach in Cheshire. The new features will enable Stephen Lowe and his colleagues to provide an enhanced service to local farmers.

“We moved the workshops to improve that facility about 18 months ago and now we’ve invested in the new parts and shop, which includes a showroom area for displaying tractors,” Mr Lowe explains. “Farmers like to buy things like filters, batteries, tools, lights and fuses, that sort of thing, from just down the road – and now we can supply a bigger range of items in a pleasant environment.”

The new showroom area is big enough to display tractors – such as the three refurbished ‘classics’ that occupied the space during the Open Day. Outside, an impressive line-up of Landini tractors emphasised highlighted the new models and technological improvements currently being introduced to the range.

New Landini 6C and 6L tractors on display at Border Plant’s revamped premises inat Smallwood between Congleton and Sandbach in Cheshire.
New Landini 6C and 6L tractors on display at Border Plant’s revamped premises inat Smallwood between Congleton and Sandbach in Cheshire.

“The Landini products are going through a major upgrade with new models of a type we’ve not had before incorporating new features for improved efficiency and a better driving experience,” says Phil Maw, Landini area sales manager.

The line-up at Border Plant included the new 90-107hp 4 Series stockman’s tractor, multiple spec choice 111-131hp 6C Series, and a four-cylinder replacement for the popular Landpower in the shape of the 143-176hp Landini 6L Series.

Stephen Lowe says: “The new tractors got a lot of attention; people don’t always realise what a comprehensive range is offered by Landini, and how well equipped they are. In our experience over the past three years as a Landini dealer, we’ve also found them to be very reliable.”

A line-up of just of the tractor models that form the Landini tractor range.
A line-up of just of the tractor models that form the Landini tractor range.

As for staging his first Open Day, he promises it will not be the last: “I’m delighted that we had a lot of people come who aren’t existing customers, often travelling quite a distance,” he says. “It took a lot of preparation but with good support from our suppliers, including Dieci, Shelbourne Reynolds, Walter Watson, IAE, Major Equipment, Tama UAT and Dalecrete, as well as Landini and Granit, it was worth the effort so I think we’ll have to do it again next year.”