A CROWD gathered at Manildra Group's exhibit at AgQuip on Tuesday afternoon to hear CaseIH Australian chief Peter McCann speak to the Farm Writers' Association of NSW Agribuzz networking event.
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Hailing from a farm outside Dubbo still managed by his sister, Mr McCann described his appointment as a change of culture at the giant machinery maker, becoming more focused on face-to-face contact with customers.
Quickly summarising a career that has taken him to the United States and back again, he said:"I like seeing customers, I'm not a numbers man."
Mr McCann said his career began when he elected to seek off-farm work.
He moved to GPS Ag as NSW sales manager in 2001 and over the following six years built a network of 35 distributors with an annual turnover of more than $5 million.
Staff numbers went from zero to 75 in that time.
"in 2001 GPS was just taking off," he said, and the task then was convincing customers it worked and would be an advantage to them.
Zero overlap in a paddock was a strong selling point.
Mr McCann said CaseIH is now on the lookout to build a national training centre in a regional city with an airport, furthering its commitment to Australia.
He said CaseIH also had a good relationship with TafeNSW, sending all of its mechanics to Tafe's Primary Industries Centre at Wagga Wagga, a city fast becoming known as a agricultural training hotspot. .
Mr McCann said the next step was introducing the CaseIH apprenticeship programs into high schools.
