There are some big changes to the CNH Industrial dealership footprint in Queensland with Brown and Hurley now controlling six Case IH dealerships
Family-owned machinery dealership Brown and Hurley has turned into a Super dealer for CNH Industrial Group badges as it begins a push to expand its agriculture and farming retail presence.
When Brown and Hurley opened a farm equipment retail division in Roma in 2019 and then added Emerald and Rockhampton in late 2021, the additions didn’t give an immediate impression that the CNH franchisee would go onto Super dealership status with six retail yards now under its control.
At the time it was all low-key and explained as being part of the company’s shift to re-establish its former presence in agriculture, a connection that dates back to 1946, even before Brown and Hurley transitioned into trucking.
The chronology runs something like this, Brown and Hurley started out in servicing farm machines in 1946 before extending into the trucking industry in 1948. And while its farm equipment sales pedigree ran strongly right up 1968 selling David Brown farm tractors it was most likely the end of David Brown that pushed the Group to concentrate more on its highly successful trucking business. A division that now employs over 400 staff across 11 locations.
And it wasn’t until 2019 that the company made the re-connection with agriculture and farming and began to grow that side of the business once again through acquisitions and investments. Starting with Roma and then adding Emerald and Rockhampton in 2021 after taking over from Farm and Construction.
With a dedicated agricultural team, it wasn’t long before Brown and Hurley were in a position to provide a top-notch service for agricultural machinery.
With dealership yards in Roma, Emerald and Rockhampton QLD, the Brown and Hurley Group agriculture division saw an opportunity to build value within the organisation and to target a market they believed had significant growth potential.
At this stage of their thrust into agriculture, Brown and Hurley were content with offering equipment sales and backup service with New Holland as their main badge.
By early 2023, things appeared to change, backing their instinct Brown and Hurley acquired AG North based in Ayr North Queensland selling Case IH, New Holland, Can-Am and many other associated agricultural equipment lines. That deal was sealed on 30 January 2023.
Then followed barely a month later, the acquisition of McDonald Murphy Machinery, a dealer with a 32-year run. This added two more yards, Mackay and Proserpine QLD. The signwriters stepped in to make it all official on 27 February 2023 when the yards were re-branded Brown and Hurley.
With this acquisition, the Brown and Hurley business now represented more brands including Case IH, CASE Construction, K-Line, Silvan and several other associated farm equipment lines.
Now the dealership count had reached six, with dealership yards in Roma, Emerald, Rockhampton, Ayr, Mackay and Proserpine QLD.
Brown and Hurley’s entry into farm machinery through already establishing dealerships in Queensland comes with the added bonus of representing dual CNH Industrial badges Case IH and New Holland. In the past, dual franchises were something that CNH Industrial was careful not to emulate up until these more volatile times when it takes a bit of extra effort and financial backing to run a farm machinery dealership
Brown and Hurley appeared content to run a two-yard operation out of Mackay and Proserpine until the chance came to snap up long-time dealer Ag North, and with that acquisition, onlookers started to see some significant changes to the machinery ranges at a number of locations.
Alongside the Case IH line-up of farm machinery, the Brown and Hurley dealerships also started stocking some specialty tractors from New Holland and New Holland Construction, Case IH’s stablemates under the CNH Industrial brand.
Brown and Hurley CEO Paul Hurley said it was a gratifying continuation of the company’s expansion into the agricultural machinery sector, after its purchase of a Case IH dealership in Roma in 2019.
“Our business started with ag dealers and machinery in the 1940s before moving into the truck section of the market, so we’re enjoying being back in the ag machinery sector and this further expansion into Queensland represents an exciting new chapter,” Paul said.
Brown and Hurley are already one of Australia’s largest truck and trailer dealers and its expansion into agricultural machinery was simply too good to pass on when the chance to take over six Case IH machinery.
“Customers of these six North Queensland dealerships can be assured their machinery and servicing requirements will continue to be top priority, and we look forward to working with them to identify new opportunities for their businesses,” Paul added.
Brandon Stannett, CNH Industrial Managing Director, Australia/New Zealand, congratulated Brown and Hurley on the deal and welcomed the addition of the company’s skills and expertise to the CNH Industrial dealer network.
“Brown and Hurley have been a leader in their field for many years, so we know our customers are the big winners here, benefitting from the knowledge and vast experience of the Brown and Hurley team, as well as the changes to the product line-up, which present fresh options for farming businesses in these Queensland locations,” Brandon said.
“Case IH customers in these areas have always enjoyed exceptional support and after-sales service from their local dealership, and that will continue to be the case, with Brown and Hurley renowned for its focus on the customer and their business priorities,” Brandon concluded.
Bruce Healy, General Manager for New Holland Agriculture, Australia/New Zealand, said the addition of New Holland machinery to a number of these Brown and Hurley dealerships was a great move for local farmers, who would now have access to a wider range of machinery.
“These changes to the product line-up are also a recognition of the agricultural diversity of this wider region. Now, as the approved local reseller of New Holland specialty tractors, there’s greater choice for local farming operations, and the option for parts and service for existing New Holland customers,” Bruce added.
