Farm machinery back in stock in Australia

As record demand for farm machinery continues, dealerships finally see a light at the end of the supply-jam tunnel.

Signs are emerging that the tight farm machinery supply chain is starting to ease.

Some manufacturers and dealers are reporting an improvement in stocks on hand in Australia, allowing for more immediate delivery of some machinery.

The machinery market in Australia has been plagued by supply problems in the past two years due to unprecedented global demand and severe disruptions to factory production and shipping due to the pandemic and war in Ukraine.

Delivery times had blown out up to a year, particularly for customised machines.

Dealers said while floor stock had been severely limited, if not completely lacking, they had been able to manage customers’ needs well by encouraging them to order machines well in advance, particularly when needed for crucial periods such as harvest.

Case IH Australia-New Zealand tractor product manager Seamus McCarthy.

Case IH has announced a return to healthy levels of stock on dealership floors, particularly in the popular, lower horsepower end of the local market.

“There’s no doubt the issue of supply has been a challenge in the past few years, but in the past six months that situation has started to improve and we’re now seeing dealerships with good numbers of our mid-size and compact tractor ranges, and stock is continuing to come into the country,” Case IH Australia-New Zealand tractor product manager Seamus McCarthy said.

Supply of Farmalls, Pumas and Maxxums was strong and customers in the market for a new tractor were being encouraged to act now.

“We appreciate the patience of customers during what’s been a challenging period for everyone, and it’s great to be able to see tractors on the floors of our dealerships, ready for delivery to customers who need them,” Mr McCarthy said.

New Holland agriculture national sales manager David Gibson said the company was in its best stock position in Australia in more than two years.

New Holland agriculture national sales manager David Gibson .

“Probably most encouragingly is that our stock position is continuing to get better in the immediate future,” he said. “We’re prepared to immediately deliver Australian farmers an ongoing supply of machinery throughout the season after overcoming the setbacks we experienced during the pandemic.

“We are in a position to be able to deliver most models for tractors, particularly the utility, orchard and loader spec machines, immediately to customers.

“We also have a good stock of hay tools and balers, as well as compact tractors.

“Fully customised customer forward orders from factory are still a longer lead time than customers are used to, and there are some models in the highest horsepower categories which have less availability, but overall, we are seeing bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

John Deere Managing Director Australia and New Zealand Luke Chandler

John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler said they had been increasing their import capacity to bolster both company and dealer inventory.

“While we are continuing to experience strong demand for equipment, both locally and across the globe, we are focused on providing farmers with support through our dealer network,” he said.

“We also continue to work closely with our freight companies to expedite freight where we can.”

Despite the improvement in stocks, dealers were still urging farmers to order early to avoid disappointment as demand continued to run at a record high.