CONSTANT INNOVATION
The key to working smarter
by TurfPro Editor, Steve Gibbs
 
Steve Gibbs

The turf professional industry is constantly innovating - coming up with new solutions to aid the professional in their business of providing attractive, practical and safe environments for sport and leisure activities.

 

A trip to the upcoming SALTEX exhibition will clearly illustrate this. There will be new products and services across the show floor, all vying for your attention - and of course your wallets!

 

But to keep up to date with technological developments is not simply interesting, it's an obligation. To be aware of what innovations are out there and to assess whether they are suitable for your working scenario, should be matter of fact for those in charge of maintaining grassed surfaces.

 

There was a report on the BBC last week about the MCC doing exactly this for example. Plans are apparently afoot to curb delays caused by rain, via the use of a giant mesh tent.

 

The report says an American company has approached the MCC and the ECB with the idea. The transparent mesh could be held up by wires attached to floodlights and a hot-air balloon in the centre.

 

Testing is said to be at a very early stage and the technology is believed to be at least two years away from becoming a reality, with issues such as safety in high winds and water run-off to be considered.

 

"There are an enormous number of technical challenges and issues, but that's not to say we shouldn't look at it seriously," new MCC chief executive Guy Lavender told BBC Sport.

 

"It's certainly not something that's going to be viable initially but I think we have a role here at MCC to investigate and look at new technologies.

 

"It's signalling our intent to think about new innovations and new technologies that can keep the game being played."

 

Seeing what's practical and possible was very much the theme of a conference I attended in Edinburgh last week. Manufacturer Husqvarna ran their 3rd Silent City event at the city's Botanical Gardens, where they presented their initial findings from running a pilot scheme which placed their robotic mowers into public spaces around the Scottish capital.

 

Both the manufacturer and the city council had been very pleased with how the trials had played out. Interestingly what both talked about extensively was the concept not of working harder, but of working smarter.

 

Clearly one of the first reactions a turf professional is likely to have when hearing of robots maintaining the grass will be, 'is my job safe?'. However, one of the key findings which this trial revealed though, was that council staff recognised that the use of the new technology freed up their time to concentrate on other tasks which needed to be performed.

 

The technology is there as an additional tool in their arsenal - not simply to replace them.

 

Opportunities afforded by visits to shows like SALTEX should be enthusiastically grasped to take advantage of being able consider what new developments are available to you. Not with the thought that they may one day replace you, but appreciating how they can facilitate your smarter working.

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In this issue
EDITOR'S BLOG
CONSTANT INNOVATION
NEWS
STUDY CALLS FOR ARTIFICIAL TURF USERS HEALTH WATCH
GLYPHOSATE HIGH ON THE AGENDA
PITCH FIRST FOR READING FC
FUNDING FOR NEW SPORTS FACILITIES SEMINARS
30th ANNIVERSARY BIGGA TITLE WON
POLARIS OFFERING 0% FINANCE
SPALDINGS APPOINTED HONDA INDUSTRIAL DEALER
ROYAL CINQUE PORT GC INVESTS IN RINK
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