AFGRI Equipment acquires Ratten & Slater in Western Australia
AFGRI Equipment are delighted to announce the acquisition of Ratten & Slater.
The acquisition took effect on the 4th April 2017 with AFGRI having acquired all three locations at Gnowangerup, Albany and Esperance. Ratten & Slater commenced operations in Esperance in 1964 and have since grown to service a large area in the south east and south west of WA. As AFGRI continues in its growth phase, we acquired Ratten & Slater to further expand our footprint and customer base in WA echoing our vision to be the market leader in our field with a strong and reputable brand. Whilst being John Deere dealers, we also have various other franchises including Manitou, Bourgault, Kuhn, Trufab and Croplands.
AFGRI made this acquisition to further our well-established mission, to be the preferred supplier of premium agricultural equipment, services and solutions. With the constant improvements in technology, additional experts in different fields are required. This further expansion will allow us to better cater to the needs of our customers, and meet their need for premium new and used equipment, competitive parts and reliable servicing.
AFGRI, a private company started over 90 years ago in South Africa, is a leading agricultural services and processing company. In 2004, AFGRI holdings acquired T & H Walton Stores and changed the name of their operations to AFGRI Equipment Pty Ltd in 2013. This current acquisition follows on from our previous acquisitions of Jolly & Sons in 2015 and Greenline in August 2016. The acquisition now means AFGRI will operate out of 14 dealerships across WA including our previous 11 branches of Boyup Brook, Carnamah, Dalwallinu, Geraldton, Perth-Guildford, Lake Grace, Moora, Pingelly, Wagin, Witchcliffe and Wongan Hills. Throughout our operations, our employees are from a mix of different cultures with a strong Australian backbone. From senior management through to our branches, we strongly believe in being engaged in our local community.
AFGRI Operations Director Gollie Coetzee said the management team have implemented the best practices to ensure AFGRI is ready to supply the market with premium products and service excellence at our newly-acquired locations. “This whole acquisition process has been absolutely positive. It was a willing-buyer, willing-seller scenario so there was no push from anybody and the way that the whole transition has gone has been tremendous,” he said. Mr Coetzee said an important aspect was making the transition for our new employees and customers smooth and comfortable. “The main message from this transition is to comfort our new employees and customers and let them know to not be alarmed,” he said. “We had opportunity to talk to our new staff and our staff had the opportunity to put their concerns forward. “Our employees are our business and we have a strong employee culture based on our values.” Mr Coetzee said he anticipates a great relationship moving forward. “With our mission and values being very similar to Ratten and Slater, we believe everything will continue to run smoothly and we are looking forward to what the future may bring,” he said.
