J Bates and Sons are a 5th generation farming family who offer agricultural, contracting and groundwork services in and the East of England and also run an agricultural and construction training compa
Small Orange Arrow Home Small Orange Arrow Latest News Small Orange Arrow INVESTING IN NEW MACHINERY TO SAVE ON DOWNTIME

INVESTING IN NEW MACHINERY TO SAVE ON DOWNTIME

INVESTING IN NEW MACHINERY TO SAVE ON DOWNTIME

J Bates and Sons are a 5th generation farming family who offer agricultural, contracting and groundwork services in and the East of England and also run an agricultural and construction training company. Over the years they have used JCB Finance to help grow their operations with funding for several JCBs including 4220 and 8300 Series Fastracs, a JCB 525-60 Loadall and a SAM Vision 4000 Self Propelled Sprayer.

Due to expansion, J Bates and Sons needed to invest in new machinery, the most recent being the JCB Fastrac 4220. Partner in the business, Callum Bates explains the need for new machinery to minimise the risk of downtime.

“We’ve expanded quite a bit recently with some big jobs coming on board and we needed some new equipment to be able to run those jobs more efficiently and without any breakdowns. We can run less equipment and save money on fuel if we run newer equipment. Downtime for us is a real problem so the newer and cleaner we can keep the equipment the better.”

Conscious that staff members will be spending a lot of time in the machines, the business wanted to make sure they have the right machines for the job and for their employees.

“A happy workforce is important to us and we want to keep them in good machines. I know I wouldn’t want to be driving around in an old machine all day without any radio or air con. We want to make sure we’ve got it right.”

HP Fixed and HP Plus was used to finance the range of JCB and non JCB purchases for the business, helping them to invest and grow whilst preserving working capital and budgeting for cashflow. Callum explains that the ability to have tailored seasonal payment plans to meet the needs of their business has helped with their cashflow and due to how the interest is calculated on HP Plus, Callum also opts for this finance facility as he saves on interest in the event of settling the agreement, compared to standard HP Fixed.

“The ability to work out cashflow and manage that effectively has been a benefit. With the farm, we have 3 or 4 months where we have large amounts of incoming cash, so we’d rather use it then to help pay off the machine and reduce the interest charges.”

Callum works with his local JCB Finance field representative, Karen when organising funding for machines. Having a dedicated contact has helped to make the process of organising finance quick and easy.

“We’ve met a couple of times now but as we are always very busy here, 90% of the business I do with Karen is over the phone or over email and it’s fast and done, which is what I’m looking for. You can have a conversation with her about what it is you need and why you need it, and whether there are flexibilities within what we’re doing – so she is very helpful.”

Callum used JCB Finance Sign Online to sign the agreements for the machines. Accessible 24/7 – this has proven to suit his needs when he is out working most of the day.

“The process is simple, I’m not always sat in an office, so it makes things easier -  if we stop for lunch I can jump online and login when it suits me. Such convenience does make my life that bit easier “

If your farm is looking to purchase a new or used JCB or other farm equipment including cars or vehicles, get in touch with your local JCB Finance representaitve.