Incheon, South Korea – When they boarded their recent flight at Chicagos
OHare Airport, few of the sixteen KIOTI dealers – some with their wives – had a
clue as to what their first trip to South Korea had in store for them.
The winners and runners-up in a recent KIOTI sales contest were excited about
the opportunity to learn something new about the company and the products they were marketing as well as their country of origin. This trip would afford them the chance to do all of the above.
Once in South Korea and settled in, the group went off to visit one of Daedongs suppliers, then began the tour of the huge Daedong campus in Daegu. The first days visits to the Daedong Gear Company and Daedongs huge Research and Development Center provided their first wake-up call.
We were in awe, claims Jake Weldon of Weldon Equipment Company of Julian, PA. If any of us had any concerns of what Daedong was all about, the size and scope of this operation, the quality and cleanliness of their production lines and their employees attitudes and willingness to help surely would have eliminated those preconceptions in one broad stroke.
According to KIOTIs Mike Boucher, Daedong is a huge network of companies supplying various industries. They designed and built their first diesel engine back in the 1940s and now turn out over 50,000 engines a year. These quality engines are used in all of the products we make. We wanted our dealers to see this first hand, not only the tractor and UTV lines, but also the size, scope and quality of our parent organization.
Daedong and their subsidiary, KIOTI Tractor, pride themselves on running a real tight ship. The company offers a four-year, full-fleet, unrestricted warranty on their tractor’s power trains. One look at the Daedong Industrial facility will show you how they can afford to offer such a substantial warranty. The entire facility has this eat off the floor look to it that would do any OEM, anywhere, proud, says Weldon. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we were totally impressed.
Overwhelmed would be a better word for Dan Ison, owner of Kenton Equipment, Independence, KY. Dan grew up working on tractors when he was a kid and understands why and how every part in a tractor functions. Prior to taking on the KIOTI line, he spent much time under these machines checking out their construction and quality. To say the least, I was amazed, claims Ison, especially by the mechanical fit and finish of these machines and their components.
When he got out on the floor at Daedong Industrial, where the tractors and UTVs are made, he could see why. Daedong manufactures all of the primary components of their machines in house, so there are no excuses for not having a perfect fit. Ive been a big fan of KIOTI for the past five years we have been working together. Seeing these being built first hand has opened my eyes even wider. These are really great products and I am very pleased to represent them back home in Kentucky.
It wasnt just the production facilities and great machines that got Ison pumped up. My wife Julie and I had never been to South Korea before. The South Koreans are a very warm and wonderful people who are very proud of their country and their culture. And rightly so. It is an absolutely beautiful place. And all the people we met made us feel right at home.
In between well-designed production lines and products, the group had the opportunity to play tourist for a bit, visiting ancient palaces, museums and popular restaurants. Weldon and Ison both agreed that Boucher and KIOTI had more than met their goals: This was a wonderful opportunity for us to increase our knowledge of the KIOTI products, absorb the total scope of this organization and most important, to better appreciate the people that make this company so successful.
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KIOTI Tractor is located in Wendell, North Carolina. They continually strive to develop new tractor, implement and attachment designs. KIOTI is a member of AEM in addition to being involved with several other trade associations serving the farm equipment, landscaping and related industries. KIOTI has tractor models ranging from 22 to 90 hp. KIOTI is now celebrating more than twenty years in North America. For more information on KIOTI products, please call 1-877-GO-KIOTI or visit them on the web at www.KIOTI.com.
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2009 Korea Dealer Trip
