Holding the Massey Ferguson agency in the Lydenburg, Mpumalanga area for over 60 years, Lybasol is proudly one of the oldest MF dealerships in South Africa. It was established in Lydenburg in 1958 and has since transformed into a major distributor of vehicles, tractors and agricultural equipment.
Lybasol acquired the Massey Ferguson franchise in 1961 and has been actively promoting and selling the brand ever since. In 2009, it relocated to expansive new premises in the industrial area of Lydenburg to accommodate its large parts stockholding and upgraded, state-of-the-art workshop.
Francois Potgieter has been working at Lybasol since 1975, which equates to over 40 years’ experience in the agricultural industry. He became sole owner of the business in 1995 following a successful buyout. Reflecting on the rich heritage of Lybasol, Francois says the company was established when South Africa’s agricultural industry was in its prime and investing extensively in new farming operations, which all required the latest equipment.
“That gave Massey Ferguson the necessary traction in the market to build a solid reputation,” says Francois. Since then, the brand has become a leader in precision farming technology, but at the same time it has not neglected the smaller tractor segment.
This is evidenced by the development of the MF Global series. Massey Ferguson has taken the concept of the sub 130 hp tractor and re-engineered it from the ground up to meet the needs of present and future farming. The MF Global series consists of the MF 4700 series (82 hp to 92 hp), the MF 5700 series (92 hp to 102 hp) and the MF 6700 series (112 hp to 132 hp).
Francois highlights that the lower kilowatt segment is the backbone of Lybasol as a successful Massey Ferguson tractor dealership. “The Mpumalanga region has a limited harvesting window, which means no farmer can afford to have a tractor down during this critical period. It calls for dependable machines, which Massey Ferguson excels at.”
This is complemented by Lybasol’s superior customer service. “If a farmer picks up the phone to us, we immediately jump into action. The farmers here rely on us as a dealer to respond immediately to any issues, as this ensures their fleet is up and running at all times,” says Francois. “We do not have customers per se as we have business partners. We enter long term partnerships with our customers, who have to come trust us for our supply chain excellence and repair, service and maintenance capability.”
Francois’s son Theo Potgieter explains he started out sweeping the store area at Lybasol while still a boy and is now following in the footsteps of his esteemed father. “My father began the business many years ago. However, I still have a lot to learn from him. Indeed, you can never learn enough, and I certainly learn something new every day.”
Francois adds: “Agriculture is a very interesting industry with a fascinating community. You get to meet somebody new every day. I think the market is quite buoyant now, and Massey Ferguson is definitely a high quality, dependable yet cost-effective brand, which makes for a perfect combination.”
The MF Global series of smaller tractors has found favour in the Lydenburg area because many farms have fairly hilly areas and a general lack of large open spaces. This calls for nimble and rugged tractors with a high lifting capacity and excellent fuel consumption.
Theo ascribes the longevity of the dealership to the fact that his father’s founding principle was to provide complete solutions to farmers. “Our winning recipe is the high quality of service we provide and our loyalty to our customers. We always make time for them and go out of our way to ascertain their specific requirements, which allows us to provide the best service.”
Theo concludes: “We do not make sales simply for the sake of generating business. We strive to match a specific product to your needs and applications. This is why we like to say that we are a solutions provider to the farming community – and the MF Global series is an integral part of that solutions approach.”
Would you like to partner with a world-leading agricultural company like Massey Ferguson and grow your offering to farmers around South Africa? Get in touch with us at africasales@agcocorp.com.
Last year Massey Ferguson, a worldwide brand of AGCO (NYSE:AGCO), was excited to announce a fresh look for its iconic Triple Triangle logo and its new ‘Born to Farm’ brand identity in celebration of its 175th anniversary. MF has offered farmers around the world straightforward and dependable machines since its inception. Few global brands can claim such a lasting impact in the agricultural industry.
In support of the farming community, Massey Ferguson has an extensive network of over 35 dealers covering the whole of South Africa, catering for parts, service, aftersales and new sales. Potential customers interested in the MF range can obtain all information from www.masseyferguson.co.za. Upon completing the contact form, potential customers will have the video, brochure and dealer contact details sent to their WhatsApp and email within 30 seconds.
About Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson has built up 175 years of global experience in manufacturing for the agricultural industry. It produces a full line of both high and low horsepower tractors, and has factories in China, Brazil, India, Europe, and North America. Massey Ferguson also has a wide range of implements and combine harvesters. It has an extensive and established dealer network in South Africa and an extensive distributor network in Africa.
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®, Precision Planting® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services help farmers sustainably feed our world. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of approximately $12.7 billion in 2022. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information, and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.
AGCO Africa Contact
Robert Keir
Brand Marketing Communications Specialist
082 349 7441
Robert.Keir@agcocorp.com
www.agcocorp.com