No, you have to sell Fendt, but you may sell Fendt.

Mark Roelofs - Director Fendt, Mechan

Anyone who wants to compete at the top of the premier league cannot do without a quality product, innovations, and ambition. This is exactly what Director of Fendt, Mark Roelofs, along with his team at Mechan BV, stands for. And let's not forget: passion for tractors and agriculture.

Mark Roelofs - Director of Fendt at Mechan BV

Tire sizes, horsepower, stability control… At Mechan in Achterveld, they can talk about tractors all day. "Sometimes about soccer too," Mark Roelofs admits with a laugh, "But it quickly goes back to tractors. Almost everyone is crazy about the agricultural sector. When the first cut of grass is mown, half the office empties out and the next day everyone looks at each other's photos." 

That sounds more like a passion than a job.

"You could almost say that. To work in agricultural machinery, you need to have a natural interest and enthusiasm for the target group. A farmer doesn't stop working at 5 p.m. When we stand for three days at Agrotechnica in Hannover, everyone is eagerly looking forward to it and knows exactly which companies and people they want to see and talk to. In the evening, I don't flip through VI, but through Trekker or Boerderij, because that's where my interest lies." 

Is that what keeps you at Mechan, because you've been Director of Fendt for almost a year now and have been working there for nearly 13 years in total?

Mechan is a distributor for Massey Ferguson, Valtra, and Fendt. Are you ultimately responsible for Fendt in the Netherlands?

"That's right, my team of five is the importer of Fendt in the Netherlands. One in three tractors is a Fendt, MF, or Valtra tractor supplied by Mechan. That makes us the market leader. We do this through a traditional dealer network consisting of 90 dealer companies, 30 of which are Fendt dealers. Out of the 90 dealers, seven are owned by Mechan. In recent years, Fendt has introduced a wide range of machinery in addition to tractors. To be more successful in that, we are now going out into the field more ourselves. That means a change in strategy."

What does this change in strategy entail?

"As part of the Zweegers Equipment Group, a clear growth ambition has been set: to become twice as big within ten years and become a major player worldwide. To achieve this, there is a significant investment in teams, acquisitions, and possibly even the sale of other brands and products. It's an exciting time with a lot happening, providing stability and opportunities for advancement." 

What kind of things are happening then?

"Those who join now can grow from the start with electric tractors, as the Fendt-E will be added to the sales program in 2024. In addition to this premium product, the development of new combustion engines and additional technologies continues. Much more will come from this because besides innovations, mechanics need to be trained, the right tools need to be available, and charging stations need to be built." 

Innovation comes with challenges. What are those for you?

"Internally, we are working on professionalizing. No more carbon copy forms, but an advanced CRM system. There will be more focus on selling maintenance packages, insurance, and leases. As a sales manager, you need to be able to sell those too. Furthermore, we are often at the table with government entities; then you deal with tenders and legal frameworks. And yes, sometimes you have to read through a 50-page document. This requires more depth, background knowledge, calculations, and automation from our employees. It is important that you are open to that."

Has the mechanization industry become less traditional?

"Certainly with us. Our CEO is a woman; that is quite unusual in this world. Another example is that we give our salespeople as much freedom as possible. It's about commercial results. Mechan embraces change and encourages employees to come up with ideas. We are also open to people outside the mechanization industry. They in particular have a fresh perspective on things. Of course, you need to know how a farmer thinks, how he makes money, and what he pays attention to, but we will teach you the technical aspects."

The pride in the brand and Mechan is tangible. Does that also reflect in the culture?

"We are very down-to-earth. Calling the meeting room the boardroom is the only pretentious thing you will find here. Mechan is a flat organization where every door is open; from the CEO to the mechanic. And it is also expected that you walk over when needed. Every quarter, employees get insight into the company's status, sales expectations, and new colleagues in an employee meeting. Everyone can ask anything then, and they do. And the pride is that my team doesn't have to sell Fendt, but they get to sell it. They do it with passion, experience, and pride."

Photographer: Menno Bausch

[Published: October 2023]