At the start of the season, one of the hot topics is the provision of farms with spare parts.
Denis Kovalev, Head of the Spare Parts Department of GRIMME-RUS LLC, tells about how the work is being organized to organize the prompt delivery of necessary parts and assemblies to Russian buyers of GRIMME equipment.
ALWAYS IN STOCK
We can say that our unit lives according to the peasant calendar: on October 31 we sum up the results of the season that has ended, and on November 1 we open a new one.
The work begins with a very in-depth analysis: we study which positions were most in demand by our customers over the past season and the past few years (based on practical data for five to six years). Based on this information, we make forecasts about what will be more popular in the new season. We supplement the list with new items that have appeared over the past year, we take into account demand trends, market changes and the economic situation. We replenish the warehouses with the most demanded positions in advance. During the season, the supply is provided by the program of automatic replenishment of the warehouse, which constantly monitors stock balances and takes into account the demand for certain products.
As soon as the stock of the position decreases to the specified criteria, the program sends an automatic order to Germany to replenish it. In parallel, the delivery of current orders.
TIME TO ORDER
Our customers have two of the most stressful and important stages of the year - planting and harvesting. Preparing for them, farms check and repair equipment, stock up on consumable spare parts. We always recommend ordering spare parts in advance, before the start of field work, since it is always necessary to add additional time for preparing equipment and changing weather conditions.
In addition, when placing an order in advance, the client is not required to pay all of its cost immediately, only a small prepayment is required.
Although the advantage of pre-order over urgent, of course, not only this. Lack of the necessary spare parts can be very expensive. So, several years ago, our experts calculated that one day of downtime of a two-row combine
SE150-60 with average indicators of productivity and productivity can cost the farmer about 1,5-2 million rubles (this is the estimated cost of the volume of the harvest that the combine could harvest in one day of downtime). But this is not all: any farmer understands that a machine that works without downtime receives a relatively uniform load.
If a breakdown occurs, the terms of agricultural work are reduced by the time of its elimination, and the volume of planting / harvesting remains the same. We have to make up for lost time, increase working hours and equipment utilization, often without regard to weather conditions. This, in turn, leads to more intensive operation of equipment and, as a result, to more severe wear of components and assemblies, which means new breakdowns and costs that could have been avoided.
ESTIMATED DELIVERY TIME
Of course, in reality, orders for spare parts are not all and cannot always be made in advance - for various reasons. But the GRIMME company in any situation tries to help its consumers and solve the problem as quickly as possible.
If the necessary part belongs to the category of demand, as a rule, it is in stock in Russia (at the dealer company or at the factory’s warehouse in the village of Detchino). If the necessary goods are not in the country, they are ordered from Germany and delivered as soon as possible.
INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE
Can a farm reduce the likelihood of downtime caused by waiting for spare parts? Yes, if on the eve of the season it purchases spare parts - a well-chosen set of basic spare parts and consumables. The GRIMME company offers its customers different versions of spare parts. The standard set includes parts
for a specific model of equipment, which most often have to be changed during the period of intensive work.
When creating an individual set, our experts ask the owner of the equipment for the serial number of the machine, take into account the operating time, operating conditions (primarily the composition of the soil), the amount of expected work in the season. We all understand, for example, that when working with chernozem or loam, wear of parts occurs faster than on sandy soils. It is also well known that many Russian farms in the "hot season" use the equipment in two shifts with different intensities and workloads. After receiving these data, a recommended list of parts is formed, which (based on practical data) in the next year is more likely to fail. This recommended list of parts is sent to the customer, after which his final approval takes place.
SPARE PARTS FOR RARET TECHNOLOGY
Every year, under the GRIMME brand, new models of equipment are released, as well as new additional options that can be used to equip existing equipment in order to get the maximum effect from its use. Accordingly, the line of spare parts is replenished with new positions, but at the same time the old part numbers are preserved. The company helps to ensure the performance of even very old equipment. It is not uncommon to supply spare parts for equipment manufactured in the 80s or 90s, for such machines as, for example, RF-4, VL20KLZ, LK650, SL800 and other models. My personal record is the supply of spare parts for a 1956 car.
Of course, the selection of such details is not always an easy task. GRIMME specialists approach each request individually. The search for a solution is carried out jointly with representatives of the GRIMME plant in Germany, as a result, the customer promptly receives the necessary assistance.
The company “GRIMME-RUS” carries out a great deal of work to guarantee timely delivery of spare parts to agricultural producers. A lot of effort is being made to ensure a wide selection of components and parts at the warehouse of LLC GRIMME-RUS in a. Detchino (Kaluga region) to the beginning of field work and maintain availability throughout the agricultural year.
By the spring of 2020, we also approached with full responsibility, and we wish all farmers a successful trouble-free season!