Claydon have appointed well-known industry figure Guy Leversha in a consultancy role to investigate the options for taking the business forward, both in the UK and the 21 other countries in which it operates.
Currently selling direct to farmers in the UK from its factory in Suffolk, and through agents overseas, the specialist crop establishment company will be working closely with Mr Leversha over the next three months to evaluate its route to market, including the opportunities for dealer distribution.
Mr Leversha was with Simba International Ltd for 26 years, latterly as Managing Director, before selling the business to Great Plains in 2010 and then went on to manage the family business and property interests. Now an independent Sales and Marketing Consultant, he will be on the Claydon stand at LAMMA (Hall 6 - Stand 651).
“We are delighted to be working with Guy, who has tremendous knowledge of the sector in which we operate. Initially, he will be undertaking a three-month appraisal of the market and evaluating opportunities to help us take the business to the next level,” states Jeff Claydon, the company’s founder. “His brief includes evaluating the potential of introducing a dealer distribution model in the UK and helping us to capitalise on the enormous overseas interest generated by the Claydon product range at the recent Agritechnica exhibition in Germany.
“Our business has grown very strongly during the last few years and we have a very well-respected brand, but we believe that there is significant potential to expand both the business and product range even further. A key to achieving that will be to work closely with strategic partners who share our enthusiasm. Part of Guy’s role will be to identify high-quality, innovative dealers to expand our geographical coverage, stock the Claydon range and demonstrate our products. We would welcome potential dealers to talk to us on the Claydon stand at LAMMA, which will be our largest-ever at this key event.”
Guy Leversha adds: “Wheat at around £150 per tonne is increasingly focusing farmers’ minds on reducing their establishment costs, providing a tremendous opportunity for Claydon. I will be talking to both existing customers and potential dealers to help Jeff and his team build on the considerable success which they have already achieved.”
Now used all over the world, the Claydon System has become the most sustainable one-pass seeding technique in Europe and can be used year-on-year to attain above-average yields, avoiding unnecessary and expensive pre-cultivations. The cost of establishing crops with the Claydon system is approximately one-third that of using a full cultivations programme and half that of conventional minimum tillage. A further significant benefit is that the Claydon drill’s simple, yet effective two-tine system encourages very deep, complex rooting structures to develop, which leads to stronger, healthier crops with improved yield prospects. With minimal moving and wearing parts, Claydon drills also provide easy, low-cost operation and servicing.
