WINNIPEG, Man. — The board of directors of Buhler Industries Inc., the manufacturer of Versatile and Farm King brands of farm equipment, announced the appointment of Marat Nogerov as president effective immediately. Nogerov has previous agriculture machinery experience and joins Buhler Industries from Rostselmash Combine Plant LLC where he has worked since 2000 after he graduated from Rostov State University with a major in Economics. During his career Nogerov held positions in Production Planning, Logistics and Sales. In 2008, he was promoted to Deputy Director of Production. In 2012, he was appointed to the position of Director of After Market Sales. 

Concurrently, Dmitry Lyubimov stepped down effective immediately, as Buhler Industries president after 11 years of service and contributions toward building Buhler Industries into a $300 million dollar company.

Versatile dealers began hearing the news ahead of the official announcement made today. Versatile has continued to receive poor ratings in the Equipment Dealers Assn. annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations survey. In the latest survey released earlier this year, Versatile's overall score was 3.86 out of a possible 7. That was down from 2017's score of 4.31 out of 7. Versatile received its lowest marks from its dealers for "Manufacturer Response to Dealer Needs/Concerns" and "Communications with Management."

"We are thankful for Dmitry's passion and strategic guidance and our entire team wishes him well in his future endeavors," stated Yury Ryazanov, chief executive officer and director. "The board is extremely pleased to welcome Marat as our new president. He has demonstrated strong leadership, operational expertise and industry knowledge that will be instrumental in ensuring that Buhler Industries continues to expand its position as a provider of farm machinery."

"I am honored by the board's confidence in me and our leadership team," said Nogerov. "Buhler Industries has an incredible opportunity in the farm machinery market. To realize our considerable potential, we must focus our energy and continue to transform our product offering. A big part of my mandate is to accelerate our ability to bring great reliable products to our customers and profitability to the company. I have the utmost confidence in the capabilities of our team and look forward to working closely with them to drive our success."