During the year 2021, the Ukraine-based producer of irrigation equipment, Variant Irrigation, succeeded in increasing its dealer network in Europe. The company now has dealers in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Moldova. Variant Irrigation delivers 60% of its sales to export markets through the dealer network and the remaining is direct sales to customers (Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland).

"Partnering with dealers ensures that we have a permanent presence in another country's market. Moreover, the dealer performs the installation, service and maintenance obligations for the irrigation systems. This approach to foreign operations is the most efficient for both us and the end-user," says Variant Irrigation head of international sales Irakli Imnadze.

The key criteria Variant Irrigation applies when selecting potential dealers are the position of the potential partner in the market, country coverage by region, the number of managers and the company's marketing strategy.

Irakli Imnadze mentioned a consistent rise in the interest of foreign dealers in Variant Irrigation over the last year. The specialist attributes this primarily to the fact that the partner receives a product that is highly competitive in the European market. The major benefits of Variant Irrigation for dealers include:

• integration of high quality with a customer loyalty forming pricing policy;
• advantageous technical solutions in terms of irrigation system design, efficiency and reliability;
• certification to European quality standards (the manufactured products are CE-marked).

"At the moment we are in talks with many companies from the EU countries and I am pleased to confirm that Serbia will soon join our dealer network," comments Irakli Imnadze.

In 2021, Variant Irrigation signed a contract to expand its presence abroad with Titan Machinery, the company that has become the exclusive dealer for the Romanian market.

"Variant Irrigation's collaboration with Titan Machinery means ambitious plans and targets for the next year. So far, we have already planned 7 projects to be implemented by next spring," says Irakli Imnadze.

In addition to expanding into new markets, Variant Irrigation continues to actively develop the existing ones. Thus, the year 2021 ends for the company's export department with the signing of another contract for the delivery of 13 sprinkler machines to Moldova for a large agricultural holding. The contract will be executed through a Moldovan dealer.

"We have formed fruitful and efficient cooperation with our Moldovan partner, Emteh Agro. In two years of work, several dozens of sprinkler machines have been supplied to the Moldovan market," he comments.

The Moldovan agricultural holding already had 30 functioning irrigation systems from European and US manufacturers when the deal was signed. Variant Irrigation was chosen to supply the equipment in 2022.

"At the tender, we were competing with European and US manufacturers whose equipment is already in use by the customer. Nevertheless, the customized approach of our dealers, the availability of advantages such as a permanent presence in the country of sale, as well as the appropriate European quality of our equipment and its efficiency, were our added benefit," adds Irakli Imnadze.

Reportedly, Variant Irrigation expects 2022 to be just as successful in the Moldovan market. The company's goal is to boost sales by at least 50%. Extending the dealer network is one of the key priorities for the company in 2022. At the moment, an expansion of presence in at least three more countries is planned.