Construction machines and equipment, spare parts and services provider Wacker Neuson has appointed its new dealership, AFGRI Equipment - a move that sees the light and compact equipment specialist expanding its agricultural and construction footprint across the Southern African region.

Established in 1963, AFGRI Equipment is a retailer of global agricultural, golf and turf equipment and construction brands in Africa and Australia.

The organisation has branches in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Northern and Western Cape, the North West, and the Free State, as well as in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

“AFGRI Equipment decided to approach us in their quest for a partner to complement their range of premium products and to have a more comprehensive customer offering. AFGRI will complement its product range with Wacker Neuson excavators, wheel loaders and telehandlers.

“Their strong presence and expansive footprint in the agricultural, and recently acquired John Deere Construction & Forestry space, were among the numerous factors that encouraged us to enter into this dealer partnership,” Wacker Neuson sub-Saharan Africa MD Dennis Vietze explains.

“AFGRI Equipment is excited to be a part of the distributorship. This agreement allows us to sell and support world-class products that have built a following in South Africa over the last 40 years.

“Wacker Neuson’s product offering also aligns well with AFGRI Equipment’s current portfolio to specifically focus on compact construction equipment which enables us to enter this segment within the agriculture and construction industry,” comments Wacker Neuson MD Patrick Roux.

He says Wacker Neuson’s engineering design and manufacturing leads to ultra-reliable equipment for the end-user.

The dealership agreement, which became official on April 1, will see the rollout of Wacker Neuson equipment to AFGRI in two phases.

“During the first phase we will be focusing on Wacker Neuson telehandlers, wheeled loaders, and excavators to meet the large need for these machines within the agricultural space,” informs Roux.

AFGRI is responsible for the full service of all Wacker Neuson equipment, including after-market support.

Roux notes that AFGRI Equipment has already embarked on a full training schedule for parts and service professionals to service the market.

According to Roux, the footprint of its current branch network, straddling over 23 locations across South Africa, along with its 175 fully qualified technicians and 93 apprentices, will play a critical role in upholding quality service for customers.

“These highly skilled individuals work mostly on-site and make use of 145 fully kitted service vehicles to achieve this task. We look forward to welcoming existing Wacker Neuson customers to the AFGRI Equipment experience,” he says.

Wacker Neuson is providing all relevant training, including sales and after-sales.

Vietze indicates that initial training was done via its online platform as well as on-site at AFGRI Equipment.

Training will also be available at its new Training Academy, due for completion in June. Wacker Neuson is conducting training every two weeks to ensure that the AFGRI Equipment team is confident with the Wacker Neuson brand and its sales and after-sales processes, Vietze points out.