Nortrax is driven to keep its customers profitable, even through tough times. 

We’re all in this together. That’s the mindset that keeps Nortrax helping their customers stay profitable - good times and bad. 

Supported by the head office in Moline, IL, there are over 60 Nortrax forestry and construction equipment dealerships in eastern and central United States and Canada. All stores benefit from a synergistic relationship with Nortrax’s owner, Deere & Company, but operate independently at the local level. 

“Nortrax was founded by John Deere to have the very best distribution system possible,” says Tim Murphy, Nortrax President and CEO. “We see our dealerships as macro-businesses, empowered and responsible for their operations. They can make the decisions that best serve their customers and solve customer problems at the local level.”

At the core of the Nortrax culture is a close association between the dealerships and the industries they serve, and a genuine understanding of the needs of their customers.

 

“The main advantage we offer is a deeply ingrained desire to know our customers better,” says Murphy. “We then go to any lengths and measures to solve their problems.” 

During a forestry business downturn, that means less focus on selling new equipment and more on component replacement, parts, service and maintenance, to keeping existing equipment up and running.

In this, the relationship with John Deere is a big plus. “We have access to capabilities our competitors don’t have,” Murphy notes. “Major components like pumps, hydraulics, even engines, can be rebuilt or replaced with original specs and OEM parts at John Deere’s dedicated facilities. And if the best choice is to buy new  - there may be advantages to trading multiple units for one new unit to reduce the fleet - we’ll help customers make the best choice. Financing programs to manage cash flow are also part of that option.”

This year, the Canadian dealership group called Ontrac, with 21 branches throughout Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, changed its name to Nortrax. The blending of corporate cultures when Ontrac joined Nortrax was no stretch.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” says Jim Ficzere, Vice-President and General Manager of Nortrax Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. “We can continue to benefit customers with our local knowledge and also have access to more parts, more equipment and improved processes. We’re part of a stronger company more able to support customers in tough times.” 

How that’s done depends on the location. “In many of our branches, forestry is close to half the business,” says Ficzere. “We’re very focused on 24/7 service in those locations. Our employees understand that logging operators often have a short window of opportunity to get the wood cut.”

This means that service technicians are on call and ready to head out to the site, at 4 am if necessary, to make sure repairs are done for the early shift. 

“They live by the logger’s clock,” says Ficzere, “and their dedication is supported by an increase in parts inventory through our network. We’ve also updated the majority of our service trucks and added to the fleet to make sure we’re the most efficient at getting the job done.”