Page 10 - OPE March 2021

MARKETPLACE
Chainsaws & accessories
Servicing dealer insights and opportunities
ARCHER
MINI CHAIN
LOOPS
THESE REPLACEMENT
quarter-inch chain loops fit the STIHL battery range of
chainsaws, pruners and pole pruners. There are four sizes in the Archer range: 28DL to fit the new STIHL GTA26 Battery Pruning Chainsaw, and 56DL, 64DL, 72DL to fit Pole Pruners HT75, HTA65, HTA85 as well as 11 STIHL chainsaw models from MSA120 to MSA200CBQ.
www.camaproducts.co.nz
WHEN I SPOKE with Husqvarna Sales manager, Steve Middleton, he had just experienced a week of
it on the logistics front.
Having had to calm the network around
delays brought about by a short return to Level 3 lockdown in Auckland, little did we know that a week-long lockdown was about to present further headaches.
“At one point we were down by four
or five in the Auckland warehouse with containers arriving on the yard,” he winces. But, with autumn approaching, it’s a case of so far, so good in 2021.
“Chainsaw sales have been quite steady
properties and getting professionals in
to trim, prune and tidy up. That’s seen a spin-off in sales, so both sectors are tracking in the same positive direction.”
And supply is not an issue, insists Steve Middleton: “The way our company’s ordering process is structured has protected us to a large extent.”
He continues: “We need to almost be ordering 12 months in advance and supply is less of a problem than delivery times, which have been very inconsistent because of shipping and container shortages and the backlog of general freight getting to New Zealand.
FROM A SERVICING dealer’s
perspective, Matt Palmer (Shands Outdoor Power, Christchurch) and Ingrid de Graaf (STIHL SHOP Paihiatua) were happy to share their thoughts on chainsaw trends and buyer behaviour.
Matt Palmer confirms that battery sales “are consistently growing every year. Once we have a customer into the Husqvarna battery range, they won’t look at anything else in the store other than the battery equipment, which means incredibly good buying for a commercial-grade product with the battery already in hand.”
As for battery chainsaws, Shands is seeing a lot of demand for the new commercial models which are “flying out the door” to both domestic and professional end users.
Indeed, says Matt Palmer: “There isn’t one professional user that comes through our door without battery gear running through their head, with a lot of our commercial users getting bigger battery inventories for their smaller machines (trimmers, hedge-trimmers, pruning chainsaws etc).
“But our biggest ‘gateway’ into the battery range for our commercial users is through the pole products. Husqvarna offers a 4m pole-saw (5.5m reach) and
a slightly shorter hedge-trimmer, and once we’ve got one in their hands, they’ll continue buying the Husqvarna ‘skins’ in almost every future purchase.”
Issues with battery products? “Most issues we encounter are caused by inadequate servicing or no servicing at all. More awareness of air filter cleaning is definitely required with some of the newer saws being self-tuning. And a key safety message that bears repeating
is ‘don’t buy a chainsaw and skimp on safety equipment’.”
Up north to STIHL SHOP Paihiatua
now, where Ingrid de Graaf says cordless chainsaws are becoming increasingly popular, with a variety of people, “from farmers, fencers and tradespeople to elderly people and ladies who want their own chainsaw that their husband won’t touch!
“Sometimes we need to ascertain their usage, be it pruning, firewood, handywork etc, to steer them in the right direction. And we definitely seem to be converting some of the ‘big-box market’ with the everyday low prices on our smaller models.”
Skins are becoming more common, says Ingrid, alongside good sales of kits, although it’s clear that this will change as more people already have batteries and chargers.
STIHL SHOP Paihiatua also does well by emphasising regular servicing, especially chain sharpening, as well as the importance of safety gear and, if customers aren’t confident using their chainsaw the team will urge them to at least get some training.
Chainsaw sales have been quite steady across the board and the hot, dry weather hasn’t really impacted the saw business at all with both professional and homeowner/landowner ranges travelling consistently well
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across the board and the hot, dry weather hasn’t really impacted the saw business at all with both professional and homeowner/ landowner ranges travelling consistently well,” he says.
“For professional users, it’s their tool
of trade, and there are always some in an upgrade phase, rolling off older machines into new ones.”
With landowners, however, says Steve, “It’s a bit of a new wave of sales. We saw last year with the time spent in lockdown that a lot of people used that time to eradicate or trim trees or cut firewood.
“We’ve also seen strength in the arboriculture industry with a lot of people not being able to travel taking pride in
“But we’ve generally been able to catch up quickly once those containers have been unloaded and product’s been vanned into the warehouse.”
More belief in battery
And while an overall trend towards cordless chainsaw sales continues unabated, Masport Product Manager, Simon Gaunt, acknowledges that COVID-driven supply constraints are nevertheless impacting on the delivery of new product programmes with the increase in worldwide demand placing pressure on the supply of battery cells.
This issue may be less significant for chainsaws than it is for other outdoor power