I attended a very interesting presentation this week, looking at the potential future for our urban green spaces and how they could be maintained - and because it's 2020 I didn't even leave my desk to participate.

The event was the latest in Husqvarna's Living City series of conferences. In years gone by I've traveled to places including Edinburgh, Stockholm and Hamburg to attend these presentations. But with the events of this year, it all took place online. Usually the days are attended by a mixture of turfcare professionals from many countries, representing various specialisms, plus members of the trade press from around the world. By not encouraging these people to travel this year, I suppose they were at least adding to the green credentials that the event is promoting.

The big reveal on Tuesday was a new robotic mowing development from the manufacturer for the commercial turf sector, that the company is hyping as "game changing".

Sustainable urban green maintenance

Before they got to their big announcement though, attendees watched a series of presentations, discussing ideas which could impact on the future of sustainable urban landscaping.

First up was architect, Winy Maas of MVRD who was talking about the concept of 'Green Dip' in cities. This vision was pretty much as it sounds - dipping our urban centres in as much green as possible. We were shown concept drawings of urban sprawls, bursting with buildings covered in plants and greenery flowing from their roofs and walls. It was all about a future vision of filling our streets and skylines with as much bio-diversity as possible. He also talked about real world examples in places like Seoul and Rotterdam where these concepts are starting to come to fruition.

Winy Maas

If these visions of cities full of greenery contributing to the world's environmental betterment come to pass, it would follow that the kit which is used to maintain them would need to meet stringent environmentally-friendly criteria.

Also invited by Husqvarna to speak was Dan Mabe, CEO and founder of the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA). This group's mission is to transition the grounds maintenance industry to a greener, more sustainable way of working. He spoke with a passion about the amount of solid and toxic waste streams that could be generated by turf professionals using petrol powered equipment. His organisation were working with companies and local authorities in the States to designate green zones in towns, where only battery or robotic groundscare solutions could be operated. They also saw it as their duty to inform private homeowners of tools they could use to maintain their green areas which created less noise, emissions and vibrations.

Dan Mabe

Dan's central thesis was that as turfed areas will play an ever more central role in our future towns and cities, it's important for everybody that the carbon footprint related to the maintenance of these areas, is brought down.

Increased sustainability

Husqvarna also had a couple of their own people speaking before the sneak peak at the new robotic system. Erik Swan, their digital ecosystem strategist, talked about the company's HUGSI project - which is a computer system for measuring, analysing and quantifying the greenness of cities around the globe.

Erik Swan

You can check out the website for the project here which ranks cities in terms of the size of their greened areas and follows the yearly developments of individual cities.

Jonas Willaredt, the manufacturer's head of environment & sustainability also gave a presentation on the carbon footprint in lawncare. He talked about how Husqvarna as a company have policies in place to reduce their own carbon footprint in line with the Paris agreement. They would be making strides towards this he said, through increased electrification and digitalisation across all that they do.

Jonas Willaredt

A commitment was stated to cut carbon emission from both equipment production processes and from the professional usage of their machines. This would be supported, Jonas said, by production innovation.

Robotic "game changer"

Which brought us on to the big sneak peak of the day. Never one to undersell a product launch, Husqvarna unveiled this week what they described as a "pivotal moment" in the history of professional turfcare.

Their latest development in robotic mowing solutions was revealed for the first time. Known as the Ceora, this autonomous mower, we were told, can mow huge areas, up to 50,000 m2, within virtual boundaries.

Intended for public and commercial landowners, sports field managers and golf course owners, Husqvarna said the new machine can automate professional lawnmowing as never before, allowing staff to be redeployed to focus on more value adding tasks. “This is an industry game changer marking the start of a new era in commercial turf care management”, enthused Valentin Dahlhaus, vice president at Husqvarna.

Valentin Dahlhaus

The size of the area which the robot can cover, combined with the lack of requirement of an installed boundary wire to control its cutting area, are the fundamental differences of this development over established Automowers. The company said it utilises EPOS technology with a high-precision satellite navigation system, to deliver an accuracy of 2-3 centimetres.

By allowing operation without physical wires, quick digital redefinitions of the work area can take place. Husqvarna believe that this will offer professional users lower costs, a safer working environment and more sustainable working practices.

Interestingly, the company stressed how the system is a future-proof, scalable platform. In the future, they said, it can be further tailored to specific needs. By adding accessories like, for example, a lawn striper, fairway deck or a line painter, it can be used to undertake other tasks required by the turf professional. It can also be paired with other robotic mowers allowing the operator instant and continuous digital monitoring and control of multiple units.

For a sense of the scale which these Ceora robots could cover, Valentin Dahlhaus claimed the entire 55-acre Great Lawn in Central Park, NYC, can be managed by five of the units, working 24/7. "Everything is digitally monitored and controlled at your fingertips," he said.

The company promised that more details about the machines will be presented during summer 2021 and mowers will start shipping to customers from early 2022.

It was certainly a very interesting presentation by Husqvarna this week. Massively scaling up the area which a robotic mower can cover and, crucially, removing the need for a guide wire, are the barriers which needed to be broken I'm sure, to get more commercial users to consider their usage.

Also they seem to tick the boxes for contractors who can drop the machines off at a commercial site, let them do their work, and then come back and take them on to the next site. We are told that the sharing economy will grow exponentially - innovations such as this could very much play into that.

It'll be interesting to see and hear more in 2021. Perhaps in person next time?

Russell’s have now completed their acquisition of neighbouring New Holland dealership, Platts Harris Ltd.

Based at Malton in North Yorkshire, Russell’s will now operate nine New Holland Agriculture depots throughout Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire making them one of the largest New Holland dealers in the country.

Both of the former Platts Harris depots, at Tuxford near Newark and Darley Dale near Matlock, have been retained providing customers in the North Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire a continuity of service. Many of the staff in those depots have moved over to Russell’s.

Paul Russell, md of Russell’s, commented, “We are we delighted to have been able to retain the depots at Tuxford and Darley Dale. Our industry and our own business are based around local staff serving local customers. We therefore look forward to working with all of our new staff and customers in the area and wish them a warm welcome to Russells as we develop our business in the area together with New Holland.”

Chris Gibson, MD of GGM Groundscare has described the range of emotions experienced in running a professional turfcare company during the extraordinary and challenging trading conditions of 2020.

Chris Gibson

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“Like most business people, I always remember my reaction to hearing the Prime Ministers address to the nation on 23 March that there would be a total lockdown,” he said, talking to Chris Biddle for the latest episode of the Inside Agri-Turf podcast.

“I sat up most of the night, writing notes, not knowing whether, or when, we could open the business – and this was of course at the very start of our busy season.

"So I called all my team together, talked it through at length, asked them for their thoughts and suggestions and gave them the responsibility to take charge of their role within the company.

"Eight months on, and I must say that I’ve ridden the rollercoaster from panic to sheer pride at what we’ve been able to achieve – and that is pride in my team for all pulling together. At the end of our trading year in October, we are very slightly up on my projections set pre-Covid, and I would have taken that back in March!"

Chris says that because of the restrictions on access to the showroom in the Spring and early Summer, this meant changing the layout of the showroom “which has been a real improvement”.

He tells how his team made calls to customers simply to say 'hello' during the early lockdown, “which I think help the mental state of both our staff and customers.”

He also says that having a hire department for professional customers was a great advantage. “Because local authorities had to prioritise other services such as bin collection, grass was left to grow so when conditions eased there were tough cutting conditions which resulted in a run on the flail mowers in our hire fleet.”

Chris also talks about the importance of service contracts and his belief that there is plenty of pent-up demand in the professional turfcare market for next year - as long as supplies can be maintained.

LISTEN HERE

E. P. Barrus Limited has announced the appointment of four new members to the company’s Board of Directors with immediate effect.

E. P. Barrus Limited board members 2020, L-R: Lee Darling, Keryn Clarke, Andrew Feilden, Robert Glen, Tara Glen, Robert Muir, Neil Thompson, Tim Hart

Joining the board are Tim Hart, Keryn Clarke, Lee Darling and Neil Thompson, returning the company's total board membership to eight. Barrus say Tim, Keryn, Lee and Neil have different skill sets, knowledge and insight which complements and supports the diverse nature of the business.

Tim Hart, sales and marketing director, joined Barrus in 1995 taking up the role of Marine Diesel divisional manager. In 2005, Tim took on the additional responsibility of managing the Marine Leisure Division and completed an MBA at Henley Business College. Tim agreed to lead all eleven Barrus sales divisions, spare parts operations and marketing as part of an executive team that was formed in 2010.

Keryn Clarke, operations director, joined the company in 2007 in the position of business process manager. Keryn now has responsibility for warehousing, distribution, human resources, information technology, health and safety and quality systems. In 2010, Keryn joined the newly formed executive team leading operations.

Lee Darling, finance director, joined the company as part of the executive team in 2018 taking up the role of chief financial officer. A qualified chartered accountant, Lee has a wide and varied experience of accounting, business processes, markets and systems working within the property, fast-moving consumer goods and retail sectors.

Neil Thompson, non-executive director, joins following a 27 year successful career with Microsoft, as vice president EMEA. Neil has a broad experience in launching and driving innovations from a product perspective, as well as innovations in business model changes.

“Each director brings with them their unique approach, different skills and expertise,” commented Robert Muir, managing director, E. P. Barrus Limited.

“On behalf of the board of E. P. Barrus Ltd, I am delighted to welcome Tim, Keryn, Lee and Neil to our board, and I look forward to their valuable contributions to the board’s strategic vision."

E. P. Barrus Limited have also announced the appointment of Tara Glen as chairman of the Board of Directors. Tara has a degree in engineering science from Oxford University and is a chartered accountant. She has worked within Barrus in roles from engineering to COO and, more recently has been undertaking a role of Non-Executive Director of the Board. Tara is the daughter of Robert Glen and great-granddaughter of Mr E. P. Barrus, who founded the Company in 1917.

Robert Glen remains as chairman of E. P. B. Holdings Limited, the holding company, and is an active director and mentor to the board of E. P. Barrus Limited.  Andrew Feilden is the eighth member of the board. In the past, Andrew has been chairman of E. P. Barrus Limited. He is a non-executive director of E. P. Barrus Limited, E. P. B. Holdings Limited and represents the trustees of the Glen Life Settlement Trust.

Iseki UK & Ireland have announced some new additions to their specialist dealer network.

Recent appointments include Gammies operating out of their Forfar depot in Angus Scotland, and Chandlers covering Befordshire up to North Lincolnshire. Alongside these businesses Glyn Lloyd & Sons in Wales, Youngs Machinery also in Scotland at Kilmarnock and FISCO Farm & Garden Machinery based in Wakefield, also joined the Iseki dealer family. 

David Withers

Commenting on the announcement David Withers managing director of Iseki UK and Ireland said, "We are really excited to have all these new dealers on board with us to help continue to grow our market share. All dealerships have a great following in their areas and we expect to see significant growth from our partnerships together”. 

Les Gammie of Gammies said of their appointment, "We have been selling similar products for many years with a wide range of customers so we are really looking forward to working with Iseki to build on this further."

Gavin Pell, managing director of Chandlers Farm Equipment who operate from seven depots, added, “Chandlers are very pleased to have been appointed Iseki dealers. This excellent quality range of compact tractors, and diesel powered ride-on mowers will complement our professional groundscare range, and be supplied by our team of groundscare specialists from Belton, Horncastle, Spilsby, Holbeach, Barnack, Lutterworth, Shefford & Southam."

According to figures released by the AEA, UK registrations of agricultural tractors moved back above last year's level and close to the seasonal average in November.

At 638 machines, the monthly total was up by 22%, with more than 100 extra tractors registered this year.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA, said, "This means that registrations are up 5% year on year over the last four months, although the total for the year to date is still nearly 20% lower than in the equivalent period last year, following the sharp decline in the spring."

John Deere agricultural and turf dealership in the South West of England, Masons Kings, say they are adding value to their own and customers’ businesses through the introduction of the company’s latest Precision Ag and Connected Support technology.

This technology provides data collection and transfer systems designed to help improve business efficiencies and make substantial cost savings.

Masons Kings' customer N M Farley & Sons

Established for over 30 years, Masons Kings has been a John Deere dealership in the South West for over 10 years and remains a family-led business. They say they are continuing to grow a successful business in step with the advances in technology now being made, even during a turbulent 2020 with Brexit and Covid-19.

Peter Endacott, general manager at Masons Kings, said, “We are proud to be a John Deere dealership in the South West, selling and servicing many great brands of machinery to agricultural, commercial and domestic turf customers.

“This is backed up by our team of expert technicians, who provide first-class product support for parts, servicing and repairs across the South West. 

“Technology in the industry is key and John Deere provides the best user-friendly technology solutions in the market, which we are also proud to offer our customers. Our FarmSight team works closely with customers to deliver a bespoke solution that brings the most reward for their business. This has enabled us to add real value to our customers’ operations by integrating the technology and supporting them throughout.”

Joedy Ibbotson, division sales manager at John Deere added, “As one of our leading dealerships in the UK, Masons Kings is particularly strong in developing and maintaining customer relationships, and works extremely hard to provide premium product support.

“The dealership has grabbed hold of our business strategy, to add value to customer businesses by integrating the latest Connected Support technology wherever possible to improve performance, uptime and operating costs. Masons Kings has also invested in its team by hiring skilled people to enhance the customer experience. They are now able to offer a tailored solution to support individual customer needs, which is vital in today’s complex and demanding agricultural industry.”

An example of a Masons Kings customer who has utilised this latest technology is N M Farley & Sons in Devon, who manage 1000 acres of organic root vegetables, cereals, grass and maize and provide contracting services for drilling and grass/maize harvesting.

Masons Kings has provided support through JDLink to their connected tractors using Remote Display Access and Expert Alerts, and by utilising John Deere’s Fuel Guarantee Programme the company says the tractors are performing better than the recommended fuel usage target.

Stephen Shaw has been announced as the new territory sales manager for the Infinicut and TMSystem product ranges.

Stephen Shaw

A well-known industry face, Stephen returns to the UK after spending the last 10 years of his career in Qatar.

In Qatar, Stephen worked at a main Toro dealership and Doha Golf Club, before taking on the role of machinery division manager at Nakheel Landscapes which is where, over the last three years, he worked alongside John Coleman of Infinicut to spec machinery for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. When travel restrictions came into force earlier in the year, Stephen returned to his roots in Northumberland and the opportunity arose to use his acquired knowledge to support to dealers and customers across the North of England, Scotland and Ireland - along with spearheading exports and the construction of a worldwide dealer network.

“Joining the Infinicut team is hugely exciting,” comments Stephen. “It quickly became evident to me, working together with John and the Infinicut product, that this range is very much the future of the mower industry.”

Although Stephen only joined in the middle of September, he has already utilised his many international connections to remotely establish dealers in India, Thailand and South Korea and he looks forward to supporting these, and others, with product and sales training as and when travel restrictions ease.

The end of a busy 2020 has seen agricultural machinery manufacturer Grange Machinery partner with Scotland based dealership Sellars Agriculture Ltd.

The dealership has seven depots across Scotland located at Oldmeldrum, Cupar, Linlithgow, Forres & Inverergordon, Huntly, Letham and Perth.

A spokesperson for Grange said Sellars would be now stocking, selling and demonstrating their entire range of machines with expert knowledge and back-up.

Andrei Botnari has joined Claydon Drills as export territory manager, further strengthening the company’s growing export team.

In his new role, Andrei will be working closely with Claydon’s export manager, Simon Revell, within the company’s commercial team headed by Spencer Claydon

"This is an exciting time to be working for Claydon,” Andrei said. “For some time, I have noticed the Claydon System and the company’s range of Opti-Till® products getting increasing attention.

"“My role will be to further develop and support Claydon’s dealers and customers in 20 countries, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on Baltics, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania."

Simon Revell, export manager, at Claydon added, “All of us at Claydon are delighted that Andrei is now working with us. His background in agronomy and experience of key export markets will be hugely beneficial."

Rickerby Ltd is the largest CLAAS dealership in the UK with eight outlets across the North of England, the Scottish Borders and East Lothian.

We are currently recruiting for our area covering Durham And Teeside.

The successful candidate may well have sales experience and or a background in the golf and turf industry or experience of horticultural machinery. You should enjoy dealing with people, be of tidy appearance, be willing to work as part of a busy team and have a clean driving licence.

Working out of our Bowburn branch you will be responsible for your own territory dealing with golf clubs, councils, caravan parks and other businesses.

Training will be provided both in house and externally.

As well as Ransomes Jacobsen we represent several other premium manufacturers such as CLAAS, Iseki, Kawasaki, Cushman, E Z Go, Charterhouse, Greentek, Shibaura, McConnel, Major and Gambetti.

Successful Rickerby Machinery salespeople enjoy an excellent earnings potential, a company vehicle and a company pension scheme.

If you would like to move forward with one of the largest independent agricultural machinery dealers in the UK and would like a confidential discussion please contact Alistair McRobert on 07836 259261 or alternatively please email your CV to keri.ellis@rickerby.net

All enquiries are treated in the strictest confidence.

Closing date for applications is 29th January 2021

We are pleased to launch yet another new product from the Webb brand for 2021 with an all new high-performance Silent Shredder which is now available from stock.

The WEESS boasts a powerful 2800W motor capable of cutting material up to 45mm thick using a silent drum cutting system. With an impressive reduction ratio of 10:1, large volumes of material can be quickly cut and crushed, turning it into valuable mulch, all of which is collected in the integrated 55L collection box which can be easily removed for distribution around the garden.

Despite its high performance, the WEESS has a compact design, with easy manoeuvrability thanks to large transport wheels and an integrated handle. Due to its small footprint the WEESS can be easily stored in the garden shed or garage taking up the minimum amount of space.

The shredder comes complete with a useful plunger to help safely feed material into the wide hopper, and a long 10m cable for use around the garden during operation.

As with all Webb products the WEESS offers exceptional value for money, with an SSP of just £189.99 including VAT and competitive dealer terms ensuring your profitability.

As well as the WEESS shredder, other new products for 2021 from Webb include a 40cm electric chainsaw, 20V cordless tiller, 20V cordless lawnmower kit, both electric and Briggs & Stratton powered scarifiers, 19 and 21” aluminium deck lawnmowers, and a new Briggs & Stratton powered self propelled wheeled vacuum with optional hose kit, scarifier and brush cassettes. The full range of 2021 products are available in our new Trade Terms catalogue which can be viewed online at handyonline.co.uk or you can request a printed copy using the details below.

For more information on any of the new Webb products contact Handy Distribution on 01793 333220 or speak to your local sales representative.

Alternatively, all products can be easily ordered online at www.handyonline.co.uk

Our Summer research shows that on average, each Garden Trader dealer will be sent 114 new customers (or people with a buying intention walking through your door) per year.  This works out at 83p for each new customer. A subscription rate designed to be all inclusive delivering unrivalled online results.

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