As you may have already read, I was invited along to Kew in southwest London this week, to attend a launch event that Husqvarna were holding in the world famous Royal Botanic Gardens.

I was there, along with a handful of other members of the trade press, to hear the company announce that they are teaming up with the UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the garden's "ambitious climate positive plans". What this means in practice, is that there will now be three Automowers trundling about the grounds at Kew - plus one other off site at Wakehurst, their wild botanic garden in Sussex.

This partnership does seem quite the coup for Husqvarna considering just how high profile a site like RBG Kew truly is. It is quite the shop window in which their robotic solutions now find themselves displayed. I was there on a Wednesday during term time this week, and the number of people enjoying a walk around the rose garden where a unit was on show, was not insignificant. Just think what it will be like during peak visiting periods.

Now admittedly, the priority for most won't be to concentrate on what is cutting the grass, they will be there to view the flora and fauna on display. However, it's undeniable the level of visibility that will be generated for the technology because of its usage there. 

Alongside all the commendable carbon positive talk, raising the profile of the company's robotic machinery amongst all those horticulturally interested members of the buying public, is clearly a hugely desirable outcome for Husqvarna - and, hopefully, for their dealer network too.

A changing approach for dealers?

Talking of their dealers, I took the opportunity whist at Kew to speak with some members of the manufacturer's senior management team regarding how they saw the current role of their dealer network - both specifically in placements such as this one and in the broader sense.

As everyone reading this will know, the past couple of years hasn't seen the smoothest sailing on occasion, in terms of the relationship between the dealers and Husqvarna. The issues that have been faced by dealers are well known and have been discussed much in recent times.

Therefore bearing that in mind, it was fascinating to hear the manufacturer's take on how they believe the dealer network is going to need to adapt and evolve, to keep pace with the changing desires of customers. 

Jonathan Snowball, head of business unit professional UK, told me the company are working with their dealers all the time to help them plan ahead – to essentially future-proof their businesses in regards of where Husqvarna are convinced it is heading.

Jonathan Snowball at Kew this week

"There are some key trends that we observe in the market, especially regarding customers’ requirements," Jonathan explained. "As a consequence, we believe that some dealers need to have a bit of a rethink about their operating model."

Jonathan went on to explain how the company has now developed what they call their Pro Partner dealer programme. What this is, is identifying dealers across the UK, Europe and globally, with firstly, what he described as 'very strong after-market capabilities'.

"Although there is a shift towards more electronic and technology-enabled products," Jonathan told me, "we actually see that requirements of aftercare through the dealer network will increase. However, it will be less of maintaining oily petrol and diesel machines, but rather providing a different kind of service with these new electronic machines."

Jonathan continued, "With these new aftercare requirements, we’re looking for dealers who have the capability of actually going out into the field to look after customers’ machines - to visit their customers more. We don’t want Kew Gardens for example, to have to take their machines to a dealer - the dealers should be able to go to them to try to diagnose and fix issues out in the field. And then if that's not possible, take it back to the workshop."

I also heard that wrapped up in this new service offering, are different ways of customers paying for their machinery. It was explained to me that Husqvarna are launching in the UK an Operational Lease function for their dealers. "This allows customers to spread the costs over a 3 or 5 year period," said Jonathan. Within those costs customers will apparently receive extended warranty and, on some products, a winter service package.

A third strand of what the company is looking for in its modern dealer I heard, was a strong field sales focus. This means that the company wants their dealers to go out there and visit the customers more. "We want dealers to understand users' challenges and their applications out in the field," is how Jonathan put it. "We believe you can’t understand as much about your customers when you are stood in your showroom. So it’s important for dealers to have that good facility of being able to get out there and mould a package to suit an individual customer’s requirements. We see that as the way forward for our Pro Partners."

I'll include some more from my talk with Husqvarna in an upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine, but for now, I found what the company said they are looking for from their progressive dealers as a fascinating insight into how they see the future prosperity of the network.

It's clear that great swathes of the products dealers sell today are radically different to years gone by, so it seems logical that the methods used to sell and care for this new technology will need to evolve also.

But what do you our dealer readers think? Do you agree that tweaked means of fixing, financing and selling machines is important for dealerships to thrive into the future? Or with everything that you've gone through these past few years, are you not so sure that changes are necessary? 

Let us know in the comments below.

Service Dealer are delighted to announce that EGO will be joining us for the first time at the Conference & Awards, as a Gold Sponsor.

A new venue has been announced for this year, with the Crowne Plaza at Stratford-Upon-Avon taking on hosting duties - with the date to mark up in your diaries being 30th November 2023. 

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke  said, "It is great news that EGO have chosen to join us this year at our event dedicated to supporting the UK's independent dealer network. EGO have become a major player in the UK over the last few years and we are delighted that they are joining us. We look forward to enjoying a fantastic day and evening with them."

Steve Roskell, marketing director, added, "We are delighted to be sponsoring an award at such an important industry event.

"We can’t wait to join together with our dealer network in celebrating their hard work and achievements."

Look out for an announcement of the theme for this year's Conference & Awards in the upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine.

Husqvarna announced this week that they have partnered with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to support horticulturists and strengthen RBG Kew’s ambitious climate positive plans.

 
Service Dealer attended the official launch at RGB Kew in southwest London on Wednesday (June 21st), where Husqvarna has installed three commercial robotic lawn mowers – two Automower 550 EPOS units and one Automower 535AWD machine. On top of this, an Automower 550 EPOS mower has also been installed at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex.

The robotic mowers will be used by horticulturists to aid lawn management in areas of both gardens, with the intention of freeing up more time for the team at Kew to take care of one of the most diverse living collections in the world.
 
Husqvarna and RBG Kew said they both have ambitious sustainability aspirations, with RBG Kew planning to become climate positive by 2030. The introduction of electric autonomous mowers contributes towards a reduction in carbon emissions when compared to petrol counterparts they said, whilst also reducing cost and noise emissions.
 
As part of its environmental goals, RBG Kew is also encouraging more species of wildflowers and grasses to bloom in lawns, so more pollen is available for pollinators. Many species also rely on longer grasses for habitats or nesting sites, such as furrow bees and mining bees. Increased numbers of pollinators will in turn provide food for birds and other wildlife, helping create a more biodiverse space.This management strategy is evident at both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, where many areas of grassland are set aside to benefit wildflowers such as fritillaries, something that Husqvarna say they also highly encourage.

 
Yvette Henshall-Bell, president of Husqvarna Global Pro said at the launch, “Husqvarna and RBG Kew share a strong commitment to sustainability. Through this partnership, we hope to demonstrate how autonomous solutions can provide outstanding results for one of the finest and most admired landscaped gardens in the world, inspiring more organisations and companies to make the shift, and harvest the benefits of new technology.”
 
Simon Toomer, curator of Living Collections at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew added, “We have an ambitious plan to become climate positive by 2030 and our collaboration with Husqvarna helps advance this. By incorporating electric mowers and adopting the latest in battery technology, we can help to reduce carbon emissions and continue to put sustainability at the heart of what we do. We are already starting to see the benefits that robotics bring, and look forward to seeing even more results over the summer.”
 
The 18-month partnership rolls out at Kew Gardens from this month (June 2023).

AP Air Europe, the supplier of agricultural air-conditioning, have announced they are offering free City & Guilds Air Conditioning Training for 3rd year apprentices.

The company's managing director, Ian Beswick said, "We are proud to support the British agricultural sector. After 13 years trading as a supplier to dealerships across the UK and over 40 years in the industry, we have decided it’s time for us to give back to the talented engineers within the sector.

"AP Air Europe recognises the importance of actively encouraging engineering talent within the industry. With over 40 years’ system expertise we are inviting dealerships' 3rd year apprentices to study free of charge for City & Guilds qualifications with us at our approved centre in Gloucestershire, or at other locations subject to sufficient candidate numbers."

Ian continued, "Pledging our support to the industry’s future, all eligible candidates can enrol on complimentary City & Guilds courses, which consist of theory and practical assessments and take place over 2 days. This includes refrigerant handling certification."

Offered are:

• Course 1 - Level 3 Award in Basic Mobile Air Conditioning Systems (7543-01)
• Course 2 - Basic Mobile Air Conditioning Principles (7543-02) 

Interested parties are asked to email lauren.savage@apairltd.com and an area sales representative will be in contact.

New Holland Agriculture, Bennamann Ltd and local dealer Truro Tractors have been awarded the prestigious Gold Medal Award for the machinery competition at the 2023 Royal Cornwall Show, for the T6.180 Methane Power Tractor.

L-R: George Mills, CNHI alternative fuels manager UK / ROI / Nordics; Jon Stephens dealer principal, Truro Tractors; Grant Crawford, Bennamann technical sales lead

The award is promoted by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, which is also the organiser of the Royal Cornwall Show, which attracted 118,000 visitors this year.

The aim of the event, say organisers, is to promote high standards in agriculture, support Cornwall's agricultural industry and stimulate development through demonstrations of good practice and new ideas.

The machinery competition, recognises machinery, implements and appliances that encourage innovation and which specifically make an impact to the agricultural economy of Cornwall.

A key factor for the achievement of the Gold Medal Award, said the judges, was the unique technology integration between the New Holland T6 Methane Power tractor and Bennamann’s solution. The judges commented that they believe, “This technology will change public perception of Dairy farming being part of the problem (with greenhouse gas emissions) to being part of the solution”.

The core technology receiving the award has been developed by Bennamann and enables farms to fully capture, process and use the fugitive emissions from their livestock manure slurry, turning agricultural waste into biomethane as well as a range of off-take by-products, including biofertiliser and bio-CO2. By using these technologies on a farm, say Bennamann, the resulting outputs can significantly reduce the site’s carbon footprint and, additionally, be distributed locally to help establish net zero outcomes more broadly.

New Holland’s contribution comes with theT6.180 Methane Power Tractor, which is the only methane fuelled tractor in the market. The manufacturer says the tractor's behaviour and performance is the same level as its diesel equivalent, with overall emission levels equating to 80% less than a diesel tractor when running on fossil gas.

SlurryKat has unveiled a significant investment in its manufacturing base with the official opening of a research and development facility and team hub as it celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. 

 
SlurryKat is an agricultural manufacturing business producing a range of slurry handling and spreading equipment. Operating since 2008, when it was founded by CEO Garth Cairns, the firm says it has grown extensively, with sales increasing 40-fold since inception, and the workforce growing from a team of two, to over 80.  
 
The company's manufacturing facility, set on a 52-acre site in Waringstown, Northern Ireland, has seen major expansion over the past decade. Initially starting in a small workshop which saw the first development of alternative slurry spreading technologies, to a 120,000 ft2 production facility. 
 
The latest investment includes a 1,000 m2 research and development facility, that the company understands to be the first of its kind globally, and represents a multi-million investment to support their ongoing development and growth. Part of the facility will allow the firm to test equipment with different pressures and flow rates in their bid to continually develop and refine the performance of new and existing products for the global slurry market.  
 
The firm has also opened a team hub for staff as part of the investment which includes a canteen, shower facilities and a commercial grade kitchen.

Garth Cairns, CEO
 
Marking the anniversary of the company Garth Cairns said, “I’m immensely proud of our achievements over the past fifteen years. Slurry plays a big part in the agriculture industry across the UK, Ireland and beyond. We wanted to build equipment that could overcome the different challenges we see in different markets across the world, and over the years our team has been working tirelessly to evolve and develop our machinery to be as efficient as possible for our customers.” 
 
Garth concluded, “This anniversary is a significant milestone for us, and with continued investments in a state-of-the-art research and development centre and team hub, we look forward to the future and continued growth.” 

Visitor registration for SALTEX 2023 is now open - and show organisers have announced a chance to win a one-night stay at the Moxy Birmingham NEC on the first night of the show.

The theme for the show this year is ‘boost your game’ with Sarah Cunningham, director of commercial and events at the GMA saying, “At this year’s show, attendees will be supported in boosting their knowledge, career, skills, sales, surface, and network - all of which will result in an industry that is better connected, holds more expertise, and continues to be at the forefront of turfcare around the world.”

GMA CEO, Geoff Webb added, "All income generated by the show is ploughed back into the industry securing its future for generations to come. 

“By attending SALTEX, visitors are supporting the vital year-round work that enables the GMA to invest in important resources for the sector, as well as developing closer and more collaborative relationships with sports bodies that can help create inward investment back into the sector. Registering for your free ticket doesn’t just benefit you, it benefits the industry too.”

The first 1,000 people to register as visitors for this year's show will be entered into a free prize draw, offering a chance to win a one-night stay at the Moxy Birmingham NEC on the first night of the show (T&Cs here).

SALTEX takes place at Birmingham NEC on 1-2 November 2023.

The organisers of the annual British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival have announced that the event will return to Somerset this year, when it will be held on 14th and 15th October 2023.  

The event, held in a different part of the country each year, will be returning to the county of Somerset for only the seventh time in its’ 72 year history when the Championships will be held on land at Bishop’s Lydeard, near Taunton by permission of K S Coles and family.
 
Partnering once again with Cereals Event, the organisers promise a deluge of both trade exhibitors/demonstrators and ploughing entries which will fill the massive 250 acres (100 hectares) site.
 
Over the two days, with a total of around 300 ploughing plots to complete, ploughmen and women from throughout Great Britain will be striving for perfection and will use a variety of modern tractors, vintage tractors or magnificent heavy horses to do so. They will be in one of fifteen different ploughing classes or six ‘Plough-Off’ Finals and their aim is to be British Champion in their respective discipline. For the finalists, their aim is to be Supreme Champion and win a place to represent their country overseas in the 2024 World or European Ploughing Contests.
 
Visitors to the Championships will be able to appreciate the ploughing skills on show, as well as shop in the trade stand, shopping and craft area. They will also be able to see local and national companies demonstrating the most up-to-date machinery available and in contrast, many vintage tractors and implements on display from yesteryear. 
  
Sue Frith, chief executive of the Society of Ploughmen, who are organising the event, said “We have some exceptional support in the south-west of the country and we are delighted that the Coles family have invited us back to Somerset for the third time in recent years. In 2017 we held one of our best-ever Championships on their land and we’re looking forward to a repeat, if not better this year!”

The new Kress RTKn robot mowers extend unmanned mowing to larger areas. They efficiently operate in parallel lines and autonomously move from an area to another, as if they were driven by humans. No need for boundary wires, nor on-site antennas.

There are many applications that will benefit from Kress RTKn mowers, including residential properties with extensive lawns. The RTKn is perfect for all larger properties, sports fields, golf courses, public parks - you name them. Unmanned mowing is the ideal solution for countless applications, providing quiet, emission-free turf management, with an operating cost that is a fraction of manned mowing.

Other robotic mowers that make use of RTK require the installation of at least one station antenna for each lawn, which needs to be powered and placed in open areas with an open sky. Kress RTKn delivers centimeter accuracy with no station antenna on site.

RTKn is different to others, as it gives positional accuracy to the power of network. To ensure centimeter-level accuracy, Kress’ expanding proprietary network of reference GNSS receivers continuously delivers RTK correction data to each mower via the mobile phone network.

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) provides geo-spatial positioning with 2 to 5 meters accuracy, then real-time kinematic correction is applied to achieve centimeter-level accuracy. And even if there’s poor satellite signal, due to signals being blocked by buildings and trees, inertial navigation and odometry take over to precisely route the mower until it reaches an open sky area and satellite navigation is restored.

More benefits of RTKn include:

• Quick setup: Once a Kress dealer has mapped the areas and installed the charging station, you’re done − no on-site antennas installation needed.
• Zero emissions: No polluting exhaust fumes, no emission of greenhouse gasses.
• Quiet operation: Hotels can get their lawns manicured when customers are asleep, offices while people work and even educational institutions while people learn.
• Efficiency: The mower works in parallel lines, mowing large lawns as quickly as an experienced landscaper.
• Operational savings: No labour cost, negligible impact on your energy bill and minimal maintenance expense compared to combustion-engine mowers.

Visit https://www.kress.com/en-gb/ for more.

Henton & Chattell has announced the launch of its new ride-on tractors as part of its Cobra range. This comes as part of the 10-year anniversary of Cobra and is the biggest innovation for the brand yet.

This significant investment in Cobra marks the next chapter for the brand, reiterates its success over 10 years and bolsters its position in the marketplace as one of the leading garden machinery brands.

In launching the new ride-on mowers, Henton & Chattell has tapped into its 1500+ dealer network and utilised the companies’ unique position in the industry to gain an understanding of what customers want and ensure that the products are expertly based exactly on the needs of UK gardeners. 

As such, the range has models for both domestic and professional markets so creates ample opportunities for dealers for both sales and servicing. 

Discussing the new range expansion, Peter Chaloner, managing director of Henton & Chattell, commented: “We’re so excited for this next chapter for Cobra. We’ve been developing the new range of ride-on mowers for some time now and it’s a significant step in the brand’s history. We can’t wait to hear what customers think of them! We have further plans to keep expanding Cobra over time with more products already planned for the year. To support this and accommodate our growth plans, we have also doubled our warehousing facilities in Nottingham which will also help us to ensure that we continue to create business opportunities for our dealers.”

The ride-on mower line-up features eight models, all aimed at helping those with larger lawns to mow with ease and comfort, at an affordable price. The range starts with two rider models. These have a particular focus on manoeuvrability, allowing gardeners to flow and mow around the gardens, taking into account garden beds, curved edges and obstacles such as trees, patios and planting schemes as well as any other intricacies that make UK gardens so unique.

The two compact LT62 rider models each have a 24” cutting width and comfortable seat. Being smaller, these models have great manoeuvrability coupled with a 75cm turning radius. The LT62 is available with either manual or hydrostatic automatic gear change transmission, with the latter offering smoother usage and even greater manoeuvrability.

For larger gardens and paddocks to mow, there are six ride-on tractors available. With cutting widths ranging from 33” up to 42”, and choices again being manual and hydrostatic gear changing, as well as a twin cutting blade and the option to collect the cuttings, release them back to the ground or turn them to mulch. They also offer enhanced comfort with an ergonomically designed padded seat and easy electric key starting.

For further information about Cobra, please visit www.cobragarden.co.uk.

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