PARTNER STEINBRENNER
PARTNER STEINBRENNER LANDTECHNIK SERVICE IS OUR STRENGTH Willy Waldmann, head of the agricultural machinery division of Steinbrenner in Wörnitz, believes that it is not a specialist dealer’s size that matters, but the service they provide. For him, the quality of service is key. He explains to us what he means by this. There is a well-known saying among agricultural machinery dealerships: the sales department sells the first machine and the service department sells all the rest. In other words, if the customer service and parts department don’t provide the right level of support and the repair shop is not properly set up, the seller will find it difficult to pitch successfully to customers in the long-term. "And that's precisely our motto: in the new machine business, expert advice is the name of the game, but long-term customer satisfaction is dependent on the quality of the dealer's service provision," explains Willy Waldmann. He manages the agricultural machinery division of Steinbrenner GmbH in Wörnitz, a town in the Franconian region of Bavaria to the south of the tourist hotspot Rothenburg ob der Tauber. "But we take this guiding principle one step further: our service should be so good that it wins us new customers as well and thus the proverbial first machine," he says with a wink. And this strategy appears to be working, judging by the number of contractors in his customer base; after all, they expect exceptional machine performance and service. "That's entirely logical when you consider the pressure they are under throughout the season and the high machine utilisation rates – take green forage harvesting, for example; if the harvesting chain came to a standstill, costs would soon mount up to €800 or even €1000 per hour,” he explains. It's all the more satisfying, then, that he now calls contractors in a radius of 50km, and one even over 100km his customers. "Obviously that's not really ideal because the travel times are so long. But in an emergency we will help out if we can," adds the agricultural machinery dealer. ROCK-SOLID ENGINEERING The "we" refers to the 23-strong Steinbrenner team, including owner Werner Steinbrenner and his wife Susanne, his sister Ruth and her husband Willy Waldmann. The next generation in the form of daughters Verena Strachovsky and Nicole Steinbrenner is already actively involved in the business. The company operates in three core areas: Willy Waldmann is responsible for the company's agricultural machinery sector. Brother-in-law and owner Werner Steinbrenner focuses on car sales along with his daughter Verena Strachovsky (pictured with her daughter Mina). car sales employs five people and agricultural machinery sales employs ten. Each has a dedicated repair shop. Then there is the metal fabrication shop with a workforce of three. Agricultural machinery is by far the strongest sector. "Nevertheless, we are still a traditional family business of modest size. I see this as a strength since size alone is no guarantee of success. Far more important is customer focus, dedication and flexibility – and we are ideally positioned in this respect. And more than anything else, it's the people who make the business," he adds with great conviction. Anyone familiar with Willy Waldmann and the Steinbrenner team knows that this is not just a throwaway remark. The core agricultural machinery brands include Deutz-Fahr, Krone, Amazone and Berti. Willy Waldmann and his colleague Stefan Sarke, who also manages the repair shop, handle agricultural machinery sales 40 41
