Farmhand, the well-known Irish distributor of Krone, Amazone, Quicke, Zuidberg and APV, is turning 60-years-old.
Denis Scrivener and Bernard Krone II founded the firm in 1962 as a 50:50 partnership.
It later became a wholly Scrivener-owned company in the early 1990s, and the firm has passed through two generations since then, from Denis to his son, John, and then to John’s children Paul, Sinead, and Stephen, who run it today with the assistance of 50 full-time staff.
Farmhand has distributed for many different brands and has been through four premises moves before settling in their purpose-built Damastown facility in 2008.
However, the company ethos has not changed, which is something Paul Scrivener is strong on.
Paul, managing director, commented: “We see ourselves as specialist distributors of farm machinery. We do not get involved in retail business, and we only sell machinery from suppliers who are very focused on what they do.”
“Along with this, we see the family business structure as critical to our success; like us, all our dealers and most of our suppliers are family businesses.”
Expansion
Although Farmhand is 60-years-old, it is not standing still and has recently completed the expansion of its facility to double its indoor capacity.
This brings the entire facility to over 7-acres with a warehouse/ office area of 6,300 square meters.
Scrivener, sales and marketing director, commented: “We are constantly looking at ways that we can improve our premises so that we can be more efficient in serving our customers.”
“Stock is all-important in farm machinery, and it is vital that we have the right machines and parts in stock to keep our customers working.”
“Along with that, we see investing in our premises as a key component in attracting the best staff.”
Parts director, Sinead Scrivener, remarked that the firm is “keen” to drive on with its success.
“We have had a good few years and have invested heavily in IT systems and facilities to allow us to grow further.”
“I think longevity is our most important business goal. We hope to be able to sustainably grow the business over the next 60 years and hopefully leave it in a good place for the next generation.”
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