KIRKWALL-based AC Agri Sales is going from strength-to-strength after becoming the official Wacker Neuson dealer for Orkney and Shetland.
Owner/director Aiden Cursiter has ambitious plans for the business after completing a management buyout of Derek Ryrie last June and changing the company’s name. Derek Ryrie had traditionally been best known for agricultural spares and hydraulic hose manufacturing, before making inroads into the construction sector after joining the Rototilt dealer network and working with attachments specialist Titus Solutions.
Rototilt and Titus remain a key focus for Aiden, and the brands have now been joined by the full Wacker Neuson portfolio. In time, Aiden hopes AC will become a true one-stop-shop for all construction and agricultural equipment needs.
“The Wacker Neuson agency is going really well,” Aiden told Project Plant. “Another two dumpers just arrived in Stafford today, which makes seven dumpers, two diggers, and 12 pieces of small plant since August.”
Aiden had his eye on the Wacker Neuson dealership for a while and spoke to representatives from the brand at ScotPlant 2024 last April to get the ball rolling. Things spiralled from there and AC was named official dealer for the region later in the year.
“You never hear a bad word about Wacker Neuson equipment,” Aiden added. “It’s a premium brand. The new EZ26 (tracked zero tail excavator) comes as standard in the UK with piston rod protection, additional counterweight, and a longer dipper arm – all the things people want.
“In the construction and agricultural industries, things get damaged or broken but the Wacker Neuson machines have good precautions on them and safety is obviously very high on the list.”
Aiden sees potential to significantly increase the presence of Wacker Neuson machines in Orkney and Shetland. He cites local service and backup as being key selling points, with service and warranty support provided by another local business in S Sinclair Engineering.
“In Orkney, if a machine goes down, you’re looking at ferry journeys and could be waiting days for a repair. Having engineers on the island makes a huge difference. Steven (Sinclair) is no more than 30 minutes from anywhere on the island. I want to make people realise that buying local benefits the local community and makes life easier for them too.”
Aiden believes being a smaller business also benefits customers as they can pick up the phone and get straight through to him. There is also great pride in supporting a local business.
“Andrew Sinclair (an Orkney-based contractor and plant hire firm) has bought six Wacker Neuson dumpers – two DW60s, two DV90s, and two DV125s that have just landed today. He previously used dumpers from a different manufacturer but saw what we were doing and decided to go for Wacker Neuson. The Dual View dumpers are incomparable to anything else on the market.”
Aiden described the construction market in his part of the word as being a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. He revealed there are lots of projects happening but, like many places, the construction sector has suffered in the last six months. His main focus for 2025 is to strengthen AC’s existing offering, including putting a bigger stamp on the construction side as well as bolstering the company’s agricultural links.
The early sales success of the Wacker Neuson products has given Aiden huge confidence. He is currently in the process of renovating the upstairs of the firm’s HQ into a proper shop and has his sights set on further dealerships in the future.
“Wacker Neuson is a very big company and we’re quite small,” he added. “For them to believe in making the jump to us – and it looks like it’s paid off for both of us – is reassuring. We can sell tiltrotators for Rototilt, and buckets/attachments through Titus. Now we can supply a digger, put a Rototilt on it, and offer a full bucket package. What I’m trying to get sorted now is trailers. I want to be a one-stop-shop.”
