After the constant rain over the past few weeks, it was refreshing to see high pressure settle over the country last weekend. The fine weather allowed farmers and growers to catch up on lost time. Many took advantage of the dry conditions by getting their machines back into the fields to cultivate the land.

As we head into the summer and the growing season, a lot more equipment will be used. This can bring hidden dangers as, from now on, the likelihood of more accidents will increase. When it comes to accidents in the workplace, our industry doesn’t have a great record. The agricultural sector sees the highest rate of deaths in the workplace. I often mention this in my blog but I feel the need to write about it again is important. According to a recent Teagasc report, 42% of all vehicle fatalities that occurred between 2011 and 2020 were in agriculture. Reducing the number of machine related accidents cannot be over emphasised.

Accidents using farm equipment was brought home to me recently when a friend of mine was involved in a serious accident involving a tractor. He is a very experienced farmer and knows how a tractor works like the back of his hand. However, on this particular day his confidence went a bit too far. He was ploughing a field and saw a large stone ahead of him. He decided to jump out of the tractor, while it was still moving, and remove the stone. The tractor was travelling in low gear so he estimated that he had plenty of time to do this. When he attempted to get back into the tractor, he lost his grip and fell to the ground. The back wheel of the tractor drove over him and he suffered some serious injuries. Thankfully and luckily for him and his family, he made a complete recovery. Had he tried to get into the tractor from the other side, not only would the back wheel of the tractor have driven over him but the plough would have gone through him as well.

It was a big wake-up call for my friend. He got away with it. Some have not been so lucky. He realised that, no matter how confident you are with equipment, you must respect them when using them. He won’t try that stunt again.
 
Bigger tractors are now being sold to farmers but this can lead to extra hidden dangers. These farm vehicles must move and operate within the relatively small areas of Irish farmyards, roads and fields. Farmers require high levels of skill and experience to operate them safely. Knowing where the blind spots are on these tractors is important so as to avoid hitting family members or neighbours. According to the same Teagasc report, being crushed or struck by farm machinery causes 80% of vehicle-related farm deaths. 

As dealers, we should take some responsibility in ensuring that our customers are aware of the dangers that exist when operating equipment. We are not just about selling machines. Our after sales service should also include health and safety. Let’s play our part in trying to reduce vehicle related accidents in the workplace.

PSD Groundscare have announced a new partnership with German manufacturer SABO who are re-entering the Irish and UK market.

SABO produce battery and petrol walk behind collection mowers for both residential and commercial markets and have traditionally enjoyed a high market share in the specialised dealer channel.

PSD say they will be focussing on the sale of the walk-behind mowers, which for many years were branded in the green and yellow of John Deere. However, in October 2020 Deere decided to exit the WBM market and sold SABO to private equity company Mutares SE & Co - who subsequently, in September 2023, agreed to sell the company to a management buyout led by managing director Lars Daniel, finally returning SABO Holding GmbH, to private ownership. The range of new collection mowers take the original design but are now produced in a distinctive red colour.

SABO say they chose to partner with PSD due to their track record of taking specialist landscaping equipment to market - in addition to PSD’s comprehensive list of carefully chosen specialist dealers.

The new range of SABO collection mowers is to be launched with immediate effect.
 
PSD sales director Stuart Mercer said, “We’re extremely excited to add SABO to our portfolio and lead the reintroduction of this fantastic product line and we look forward to being able to offer the UK and Ireland the best range of collection mowers available. We have the infrastructure in place to be able to support customers with first-class after sales including spare parts and can’t wait to get going with the new range.”

Lars Daniel, SABO managing director, added, “We are delighted that we have been able to secure this partnership with PSD to distribute our range throughout Ireland and the UK. They have a first-class reputation and we look forward to a long and successful partnership."

Further companies who will be supporting November's Service Dealer Conference & Awards have been unveiled.

They are:

Kubota UK who are returning as a Gold Sponsor

STIHL GB who are also returning as a Gold Sponsor.

Toro U.K who are also returning as a Gold Sponsor

And Yamaha who are also returning as a Gold Sponsor.

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "There is great work going on behind-the-scenes currently, to ensure that this year's Conference builds on the tremendous success of last year's event.

"Our valued sponsors are integral component of our day dedicated to the dealer network and it's a real delight to welcome back for 2024 Kubota UK, STIHL GB, Toro UK and Yamaha."

Rob Edwards, marketing manager of Kubota UK, said, “Kubota are delighted to be continuing their Gold sponsorship of the Service Dealer Conference and Awards.  

"The conference themes, its speakers and its workshops always offer up new and provocative insights to how we can drive our industry forwards. It's also a great opportunity to network, and importantly allows the industry to celebrate and award staff and dealer excellence”.

Simon Hewitt, STIHL GB head of marketing said, "We are excited to be sponsoring the Service Dealer Awards once again in 2024.  

"Last year, it was a really great opportunity to spend time with some of our biggest customers and we look forward to returning to this major industry event this year.”

Craig Hoare, sales and marketing manager at Toro U.K. Limited said, “We are delighted to again commit to the Service Dealer Conference & Awards in 2024. Service Dealer has always been at the heart of the industry and the essential link between manufacturer and dealer.  

"Our dealer network is at the core of our success and I see no better opportunity than the Service Dealer Conference & Awards to come together to celebrate the hard work, commitment and achievements of those dealers.”

Matt Taylerson, divisional manager, marketing at Yamaha added, "We are thrilled to be supporting the Service Dealer Awards again.

"Yamaha continue to support our dealer network, including those attending the Awards this year. Congratulations to all those who win."

The theme for this year's Service Dealer Conference has been announced as Driving Success and it will take place, along with the Dealer Of The Year Awards, once again at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford-Upon-Avon on Thursday 28th November 2024.

For more information on how you can be a part of the event and to stay updated on conference news visit our website or follow us on social media @servicedealer

Supported by Bord Bia, GLAS is back on July 18th in the National Basketball Arena, Dublin as an important sales, networking and learning opportunity for professionals across the garden, landscape, amenity and sportsturf trade.

It features the Bord Bia Thinking House and Learning Theatre which will host talks on the latest trends & buyer behaviour shaping our market, as well as peat alternatives, attracting, retaining and nurturing talent and more.

The New Product New Plant Awards and Supplier of the Year Award will be hotly contested, with the winners announced at the show and promoted on Growtrade.ie. 

While the outdoor area at the main entrance proved so popular, the organisers have developed it to facilitate a new Grower’s Paddock, as well as the demand for a larger Machinery Park and more outdoor exhibits, displays and demos.

Club Car has opened a new 3,300sqm factory in Poland to, they say, meet increasing demand for its electric vehicles.

 
The state-of-the-art Club Car Manufacturing Facility located in Mielec, Poland triples European production lines and increases capacity for the manufacturer to supply a growing and diverse customer base.  
 
Marco Natale, vice president EMEA, said: “The addition of this new factory in Poland strengthens our ability to respond to increasing global demand for compact utility and low-speed consumer vehicles. 
 
“With this investment, Club Car will better serve customers in the European utility market, where many industry and manufacturing, leisure and tourism, and municipal organisations are modernising and electrifying their fleets.”
 
Club Car now operates two major factories in Poland, having acquired the Melex manufacturing plant - virtually next door - with the 2022 purchase of Garia, a Danish producer of low-speed vehicles which had bought Polish utility company Melex the year before.
 
“This increase in production capabilities is great news for our dealers and customers in Europe, who will have access to a wider range of zero-emission on- and off-road vehicles at a variety of price points,” Marco added. 

According to CEMA, the European Agricultural Machinery Association, the general business climate index for the agricultural machinery industry in Europe has again deteriorated slightly following the sharp downturn of the previous months. In April, the index decreased from -55 to -57 points (on a scale of -100 to +100).

The survey confirms again that the direct customers of the manufacturers, the dealers, are not able to pass on their numerous orders from the past to the end customers. According to the survey, the dealer stocks are in most European markets significantly higher than in the year 2019, which went down in history due to high dealer stock levels.

The renewed deterioration in the business climate is for the second month in a row solely due to the fact that current business evaluations have followed the already lower expectations downwards. According to the survey participants, current business is worse than it has been for more than 7 years. Only 5% of industry representatives consider the current business situation to be favourable. 

On the other hand, future expectations have stabilized at a low level. Still, two thirds of survey participants expect their turnover to decline in the coming six months. However, a further and meanwhile significant improvement can be seen in expectations for the coming order intake (an indicator that is not included in the calculation of the overall barometer index). 

The bold new look of the next-generation Case IH Axial-Flow combine has won an internationally-acclaimed prize, taking a Red Dot Design Award for product design.

Judged annually, the Red Dot Design Award is one of the world’s largest design competitions, and its label has become established internationally as a sought-after mark of quality for good design.

Major advances in the new AF include a 775hp engine, an active dynamic cleaning system, 20,000-litre grain tank, 210 litres/second unloading rate and headers of up to 15m (50ft). 

The new technology is packaged within a fresh new style that introduced a new look to the range, designed to show that this is a different class of combine. The design team from Case IH and its parent CNH will receive the Red Dot Design award for the AF at a special ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ ceremony, to be held at the Aalto Theater in Essen, Germany, on June 24.

“The receipt of a Red Dot Design Award is a great honour for the design team behind the new Axial Flow,” says David Wilkie, industrial design director at Case IH parent CNH.

“We wanted to create a look that showed this combine is much more than a refresh of existing ideas in terms of internal engineering, and is something really very different. I’m really pleased the Red Dot jury recognised our efforts to create a style that matches the Axial-Flow AF’s considerable substance.”