A big question that has been asked the last few harvest seasons is if the parts supply will be sufficient. Danielle Waterworth, the Vice president of the North American ag dealers and customer support for CNH, says yes.
“We are currently at a part availability performance that is like where we were at pre-covid,” says Waterworth. “We have gotten to a place where not only backorders are at an all time low, but with the part availability for critical for function parts where they need to be. As an industry we are in a good place heading into harvest.”
Waterworth explains that the high performance by parts dealers is due to a normalization. This normalization is from a mix of multiple things. One of which is less parts hoarding by consumers and the understanding of when they will get parts. The other end is that dealers know what they need to stock and how much they need to stock as well.
Preparation For Next Season
Waterworth says what helps is, they are able to look at the dealers individually and stock each one based off what was used the previous year. This is so they do not overstock certain parts. They also make sure to stock all critical for function parts. Even if they only sell one or two a year they want to make sure that they have the parts on hand. This is because they want to get the farmers back in the field as quickly as possible.
“The minute last year’s harvest was done, we sat down and looked at how well we did on stocking what we expected to need and where the gaps were so we could prepare for next the next year,” explains Waterworth. It takes the year in advance planning to make sure we do the best we can to provide the parts needed and be prepared for the next season.”
Advancements In The Industry
A new advancement that they are using to help in field technicians is “Tech In Field.” This uses a visualization where they use “Connect Tech.” This allows them to see what is happing in the machine and relay what they see back to the field tech. This helps save time for the field technician and farmer so they can resume harvest.
They also have a connection to the machines, with customers permission, where they can track the machine. This allows them to be able to detect a breakdown before it happens. This allows them to get the parts needed for the farmer before the breakdown happens. This is so the equipment can be fixed in a timely manner.
Danielle Waterworth says that through the research, data, and technological advancements, the parts industry is in a good place to help the farmers in the harvest season.
