Interview with Pascual Galindo, CEO of Vogel & Noot Spain
January 22, 2010
Already there are more than 20 years that Vogel & Noot introduced in our land. In the approach has changed during these two decades?
Vogel & Noot Spain was established in 1987, as you say, more than 20 years ago. In the beginning we were concentrated in the "plough" product, emblem and origin of Vogel & Noot, with more than 137 years old, being the largest manufacturer of ploughs of the European Union to date. On the basis of this product, with over the years, we have been developing a parallel ranges of products, focusing initially on machines for "ground work" - Soil Solutions - as it has been the range of cultivators, shredders, Rotary stands, subsuradores, stands for disk, roller, which subsequently joined "seeders" - Seed Solutions - and "spray" - Solutions - Spray. Currently we offer a wide range of products with quality and service as a flag, to meet each and every one of our customer's needs: the professionals of the field.
Over the past 20 years many things have happened in the parent, the last a change of hands at the beginning of 2009. What has it meant buying of the mark by Agromash Holding?
I, personally I joined Vogel & Noot in 1990, and since then there have been various shareholders, each of them has been his effort and dedication in achieving what is today Vogel & Noot. At the beginning of last year, they have entered into the shareholders the Agromash Holding Company, headquartered in the Netherlands, but whose shareholder is group CTP (Concern Tractor Plants, now called Machinery & Industrial Group N.V.) with more than 35,000 employees and headquartered in Moscow (Russia).
This is one of the major Russian industrial groups, leading on the market of machines for construction, combine harvesters, tractors, railway, military industry and parts for automotive, etc., in the markets of Soviet republics. And that it has taken a strategic position with the purchase of Vogel & Noot.
How have these changes affected the development of the Spanish subsidiary?
For the time being, Vogel & Noot Landmaschinen is an independent company within the Group Machinery & Industrial Group NV, and us as a subsidiary that we depend on our matrix Vogel & Noot Landmaschinen, continue under the same guidelines of independence than hitherto.
It is a subsidiary that can make their own decisions commercially speaking?
We take our own decisions, although always agreed with our head office. We jointly seek synergies and adaptations specific to each market, and certainly the Spanish market has its own idiosyncrasies and peculiarities.
After multiple investments, with the acquisition of the Division of seeders or spraying, what are the next targets of Vogel & Noot?
Certainly in the last few years we have made many investments with the purpose of diversifying, and within a company's strategy, get to be present in all and each one needs you may have a European farmer. In this line acquired the company Mistral, for the development and manufacture of the full range of seeders, and Holder, was purchased for the development and manufacture of the full range of sprayers. We also built a new factory for the manufacture of our entire range of growers and rollers, with which we have not only made acquisitions, but that we have specialized each of the centres of production by product type.
With regard to the immediate future, are not ruled out new acquisitions in market segments where we are not present today.
The plough remains the product with which most identifies Vogel & Noot in our country?
The plough has been and is currently one of our products star, which began many years ago, and that we identified at the level of brand. Although increasingly more us referred by other products such as the crushers, planters, cultivators, Rotary stands, etc., due to the great value for money that we are offering.
In spite of this products have been developed to deal specifically with the Mediterranean land, with a new range of seeders. Was it a product requiring the market?
Of course, each type of product or machine needs adapted to each market. What we are living within the same territory as it is Spain, which in an area uses a machine with specifications, and in another not very far away the same product with completely different specifications. This is due to the weather, types of soils, crops, etc., that gives us added value. And so we have a wide range of machines that are adapted to all and each of the markets, although it requires a very important effort and an excellent connection between the different teams (commercial, technicians and engineers)
A greater number of products, with the consequent after-sales service, means also having to have a better distribution. How are these new distributors achieved?
If a virtue makes us different, is the effort and dedication in our after-sales service, because we consider it essential for the future and the success of any company. This effort, coupled with the dedication offered by our network of distribution, gives us a value brand in the market of agricultural machinery, which helps in the growth of our sales network and good development in the introduction of new and different products in the Spanish market.
One of the hallmarks of Vogel & Noot is precisely its after-sales service. How are different connection to its most direct competitors?
As I have mentioned earlier, our signs of identity are the effort, dedication and good doing, trying to better ourselves every day, and still not compliant with the achieved challenges at any time.
After nearly twenty years at the foot of the Canyon, what his particular vision of how the crisis is affecting the farmer in a foot with which every day is Vogel & Noot?
The ' farmer of a foot ', as you call him, he is the person through whose efforts, we have every day: bread, milk, eggs, meat, ham, etc., as well as having in their hands that food security so much concern to us. Certainly the crisis has come to them, and not just by the side of the decline in loans for your business, but in this so globalized market, the level of prices of raw that so well know produce has been devalued. We have reached levels of minimum prices in commodities such as milk, olive oil, fruit, cereals, etc.
However, I personally predict a future promising sector, since fortunately or unfortunately, human beings have the need to eat every day, and if possible several times a day. Also as I said earlier, in his hands is our food security, or do we want to leave it in the hands of third countries?
How ve year which has just started, after a 2009 that, for the first time after many years it has produced an important adjustment?
We started one year 2008 excellent, and consequently the realignment of the year 2009 has been an important, with a decrease in market in terms of 30% (from the excellent 2008), with which for 2010 which has just begun only we have hope for the best: a good climate, which implies a good harvest, and that the level of prices of the produced products is placed at optimum levels so that we can have an agricultural and livestock sector that can live in dignity.
With all this I am fully in a small recovery in the sector in 2010, and in a significant improvement of face to 2011 and following years.
