UK SUBSIDIARY TO BE ESTABLISHED FOR FIRST TIME

PICTURED ABOVE: Maschio Gaspardo's chief commercial officer, Alessio Riulini

Maschio Gaspardo has announced that its product portfolio is set to be broadened with a raft of new product lines, due to an agreement with current UK distributor Opico.

The Lincs-based importer and Italian manufacturer say they are pleased to announce plans to establish an independent UK branch to distribute and back-up the full range of Maschio Gaspardo products across the country.

Service Dealer contacted Opico to ask what this move would mean for the current UK dealer network. An official spokesperson told us, "There won’t be any changes to the dealer network. All Maschio dealers will continue dealing with Maschio direct."
 
Maschio Gaspardo's chief commercial officer, Alessio Riulini said, “We are incredibly grateful to the Opico team for the work they have done in growing the Maschio Gaspardo brand in the UK over the last 12 years.
 
“We’re now at a point that we want to widen our offering to include the full range of products we sell across the world including sprayers, fertiliser spreaders, direct-drills and cultivation equipment. To do that we are setting up our own branch in the UK, just as we have in other major European markets.”
 
The two companies are working together to establish the new UK headquarters with all the people and facilities required to support dealers and customers. A dedicated sales team has already been set up by OPICO for the Maschio Gaspardo brand in the UK.

The recently bolstered line-up consists of three territory managers who will be supported by a dedicated technical support team based in the UK. Recruitment is underway for additional staff to provide farmers and dealers with after sales support for the Maschio Gaspardo range as well as assisting with demonstrations.

With its own Midlands-based office and parts storage facility Maschio Gaspardo say the new business is ideally positioned to service the entire UK dealer network.
 
Cereals 2023 will provide visitors with the first opportunity to see a wider range of products exhibited on the Maschio Gaspardo stand. The sales team, supported by staff from the factory in Italy, will be on hand to show farmers and dealers around the existing range of machinery and a host of new products which are to be seen in the UK for the first time.
              
To ensure continuity and a seamless transition as dealers move across to the new business, Opico will continue to oversee distribution of Maschio products and provide back-up until end of the year.
 
“We’re really proud of the job we’ve done in growing the Maschio and Gaspardo brands in the UK over the last 12 years,” says OPICO managing director James Woolway.
 
“It’s really heartening to see such a strong, healthy business ready to take the next step and we’re pleased to be assisting Maschio Gaspardo in that. Having a broader product range and its own dedicated team to back it up can only help in building on the success we’ve had.”

Opico have confirmed to Service Dealer that once establishment of the new business is complete the two companies will go their separate ways. The spokesperson said, "This will be a complete parting of ways. Opico will support the setup and then later in the year Maschio will run on their own."