A defining moment came at different times for different businesses, but it eventually came to everyone and then it was adopted quickly. I remember that moment at which digital communication started to take the place of phone calls and snail-mail in our contacts between dealers, manufacturers and retail customers.
As a young shortline territory salesman, I remember it as 1989 or 1990, when I walked into a dealership for the first time with my new whiz-bang laptop computer. I use “laptop” loosely, as my Grid Systems unit weighed a little over 12 pounds and it had, I think, less computing power than some of the new waffle irons you can buy today.
Nevertheless, on that machine I was able to dial in to my company’s system to check product availability for my dealers as well as to help them track the paid and unpaid inventory on their lots. Amazingly, a lot of the ERP and CRM packages I worked with in the ensuing decades seemed to have trouble with these tasks … go figure.
The information superhighway may have been just a cow path at that time, but it was key to the business evolution we’ve all played a part in over these last 55 years.
I think Farm Equipment magazine has become the premier source for information and education about our industry… and I think that holds whether you are a retail dealer or a manufacturer/supplier in our farm machinery marketplace. Whether we were building budget forecasts or evaluating new market niches, Farm Equipment was always the trusted source for a manufacturer trying to understand what was going on in our space. On top of that, Farm Equipment is great at introducing us to the people and personalities behind the businesses … and that helps us learn from each other.
I’m happily retired now but I have to admit, the Farm Equipment E-Watch is still one of the first emails I open in each morning. Congratulations on 55 years and best wishes for many more.
Check out other "A Look Back in Farm Equipment History" blogs
Industry commentary on “55 Years of Farm Equipment”
- The ‘5 Greatest Tech Advancements’ in My Career as a Dealer | Leo Johnson, Johnson Tractor
- The Impact of Consolidation & Technology on Agriculture Over Half a Century | Sam Christianson, Titan Machinery
- A Service Manager’s View on the Changing Times | Brent Bazin, Young's Equipment Inc.
- Reflections on Farm Equipment | George Russell, Machinery Advisors Consortium
- Farm Equipment Sales in the 1970s | Charlie Glass, FEMA Dealer Relations Commitee
- Digital Communications Changed the Course of OEMs Working With Dealers | Tom Taylor, retired farm equipment executive
- RDO Equipment’s Take on the Last 55 Years | Daryl Shelton, RDO Equipment
- Reflections from a North American, International & Company-Store Dealer Exec | Stacy Anthony, AgRevolution LLC
- A Lot of Change in Shortline Equipment | Hans Rasmussen, Summers Manufacturing
- Business Acumen, Technology Forever Changed Equipment Sales & Service | Brian R. Carpenter, Champlain Valley Equipment
- Not Your Grandfather’s Farm Equipment Dealership… | Josh Waggener, Hutson Inc
- Left Major OEM Career 55 Years Ago to Become Dealer-Principal | Paul Wallem, Retired International Harvester executive
- Titan Machinery Reflects on Significant Changes to Dealership Environment in 55 Years | David J. Meyer, Titan Machinery
- From 3 Stores Within 50 Miles to 25 Stores Across 8 States | Tom Rosztoczy, Stotz Equipment
- 45 Years of Observations on Ag Equipment Manufacturing & Distribution | Chuck Bellew, retired farm equipment executive
- Today’s Staff Has No Fear Approach to Risk, But It Still Exists | Jeff Morgan, H&R Agri-Power
- A Recent Retiree’s Perspective on Equipment Industry | Lars Paulsson, Laforge Systems
- 60 Years of Equipment Dealer Associations Consolidation Continues | Kim Rominger, NAEDA
- Vast Technology Changes Assisted Dealers’ Computerization | Ed Archambo, Basic Software Systems
- ‘I Didn’t Listen to My Uncle Roy’ | Jon Eis, Eis Implement Co.
- Farm Equipment Manufacturers and the Early 1980s Farm Crisis
- GMO, Autosteer Forever Changed Our Business | Tom Janson, Janson Equipment
- My 35 Years at RME, from Microfiche to Guidance | Jim Wood, Rocky Mountain Equipment
- Export Opportunities Changed Game for Canadian Shortline Manufacturer | Hal Carnago, Schulte Industries Ltd.
- 40 Years with Sunco, Hiniker, Ingersoll, Southern Marketing & Forges de Niaux | Larry Hansen, Forges de Niaux
- From Dreaming Farm Boy to Equipment Dealer | Tim Brannon, B&G Equipment
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