We have a great new video to share with you all today, that I think dealers of grass machinery will find most interesting.

Filmed back at this year's BTME in Harrogate but hot off the editing press by David Comiskey, TAP's Video Wizard (his official title), the short film sees Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, speaking with Husqvarna's Automower specialist, Niklas Broberg.

Many dealer readers will know Niklas, but for those who are unfamiliar he has been based over here from his native Sweden for seven years, but is just about to return home. When he arrived in the UK he came armed with a wealth of knowledge about robotic mowing solutions - plus an important mission. He was tasked by his company with convincing not only the end-user customers, but crucially, the dealer network, that these machines were a viable option for the maintenance of grassed areas. 

He had an extra job to perform for the network, though, on top of simply proving that the machines could be effective - and that was to convince dealers of their profitability.

Niklas tells us, "When I came to the UK, it was almost a challenge to just speak to people about robotic mowers." He goes to on point out that seven years ago Husqvarna were selling around 40,000 robotic units a year in Sweden, compared to just 3,000 units in the UK. Whilst in terms of the network, he recalls how no dealers thought there was any money in doing service work on robotic mowers. He would would tell them about dealers in Sweden doing hundreds of services every year, to incredulous ears!

In the video Niklas speaks of how a shift was needed in the public's perception of the machines. Buyers needed to be aware of how the technology would be beneficial to their needs, and therefore demand that their local dealer were stockists. Once this began to gather momentum a few years ago, things really started to change.

Excitingly for dealers, Niklas today tells us that he views the UK robotic mower market as "the greatest opportunity in Europe." His belief of this stems from both the uptake by domestic users and, most importantly, from the burgeoning professional market - especially the UK's significant golfing sector.

The interview is certainly a fascinating watch and one that I suspect could give dealers of any robotic mower brand a good feeling that they are involved with a product that's clearly on an upward trajectory.

It does feel to me, just through speaking to our dealer readers, that recent seasons have seen a real spurt of enthusiasm for the technology. This year in fact, we've had conversations that have specifically cited the newer wireless models as being a real game changer in the minds of consumers. So much so in fact, that several dealers have claimed these have made the boundary-wire-guided models almost obsolete overnight.

But what are your dealership's thoughts on the technology? Cast your mind back seven years - how keen were you to dedicate floor space in your showroom to robots? Did you view them as a highly niche, somewhat quirky purchase? And where are you now? Are they an integral offering that you view with even greater further potential? Or are they not a product that suits your business and your customers?

It would be fantastic to hear your thoughts in the comments below.