sept-2017

288 289 n Woods Construction Equipment www.woodsequipment.com PREFERRED VENDOR CENTRAL MACHINERY SALES INC. door.We’ve got veryhelpful parts people and very good service after the sale.” Going forward,Harp says that the next big thing that will likely increase the company’s foot- print and business aremachine control systems. “They’ve been around for quite awhile,andwe’re getting into it more andmore,”he explains,“trac- tor GPS systems that self-drive the tractor with sub-inch accuracy.They take the guessworkout of planting,and seeding,and fertilizing,and harvest- ing because there’s a computer and GPS satellites involved.So,you get the tractor lined up at one end of the field,and it takes over and drives it to the other end,turns around and comes back, with no guess rows.On the construction side,you have themachine control systems which are 2D or 3DGPS,where a laser controls the blade.You set your different heights or grades you need on a job site,and they take over and keep the grade down to sub-inch accuracy,taking the control out of the customer’s hand.It’s prettyamazing,actu- ally.” Over the long term,Harp reveals that Central MachinerySales’most essential goal will be getting enough trained technicians,mechanics, and parts people in order tomaintain the com- pany’s qualityof service.“There’s a newgeneration coming through and that’s our biggest challenge–to fill that gapwith qualified people,finding the right mechanics that want towork for us and learnwhat we do and have a futurewith us,”he states.“Themechanic is still themost rewarding job there is in this company. There’s nothing quite like that feeling to have fixed a machine and have a customer who,maybe has been working on it for two days,strugglingwith it,and you drive up and tenminutes later it’s off and running and you’re kind of a hero.And you get paid for it.”