First up today, I'd like to draw your attention to a great video that's been put together by TAP's video wunderkind, David Comiskey.

Taking tons of footage that Duncan shot whilst on our recent road trip around some of our dealer readers' premises and condensing it down into bite-sized chunks, the short film offers a brief glimpse at some of the subjects that were discussed. In the clip that is released today onto Service Dealer's YouTube channel, you can hear what Balmers, Cutting Edge and Ripon think about the Autumn Budget's impact on their recruitment decisions - plus you can find out how GGM and Major Owen have evolved their dealerships over the years.

It's a neat little package, well worth a few moments of your time today. I suspect there will be more snippets to come across our social channels in the coming weeks - so do make sure you're fully subscribed to them all!

One topic that isn't dwelt upon in today's video, but did frequently crop up in conversations we held with the dealers we visited, is the potential seen in the robotic mowing market. Not just with domestic customers either, but increasingly with commercial operators looking at robotic and autonomous solutions to plug a staffing gap.

It was these conversations that prompted us to create a survey on the subject last week - which I'd like to thank so many of you for completing. We'll publish the results and bunch of your comments in the upcoming issue of the magazine. Without giving away too many spoilers, I will say that the consensus amongst those who responded is that the robotic market is indeed an area of growth - or is at least viewed as one with great growth potential.

Coincidentally, in the week when we chose to gauge our dealer readers' thoughts on our android friends, the technology was discussed extensively on a national radio business programme. As mentioned in our news today, BBC Radio 4's Dough recently featured Toro's Craig Hoare, Husqvarna's Yvette Henshall-Bell, and BAGMA's Nick Darking discussing the lawnmower market with entrepreneur host, Sam White, and technology futurist, Tom Cheesewright.

Firstly, it's fantastic that our sector is gaining coverage on a mainstream radio channel - so well done to whoever made that decision. Also, thumbs-up to Craig, Yvette and Nick for all articulating the breadth and importance of the outdoor powered machinery sector so clearly - kudos as well for mentioning the dealer network and the importance of having mowing machinery well maintained.

Interestingly, where the conversation on the show found itself returning to time and again is this whole area of robots taking over the sector. Yvette kicked things off in this regard saying, "Robotic lawnmowers are really changing the shape of the grass cutting market and hold so many opportunities." 

Nick agreed, stating that he believed future market developments will see many more manufacturers moving over into GPS control, saying, "It can give greater detail in the garden."

Craig meanwhile, when asked what he foresees down the production pipeline talks of more autonomy. He says more units that can be both manually used and remotely controlled will help with safety issues and recruitment problems for professionals. "It will help with labour saving," he says.

Again, trying not to spoil anything, but the final words on the show go to futurist Tom Cheeseman. It's no surprise that he agrees that further automation will be "100%" where this sector heads - but he thinks further than just pure mowers. His ideas of integrating A.I into the units, so they can assess the grass and make decisions about further tasks that need to be carried out, are both fascinating and believable. In fact, one presumes your suppliers will be working on such advancements as we speak.

I really do recommend that our dealer readers have a listen to the show. It's 25 minutes of your time that'll be well spent, offering a decent indication of where industry leaders and observers feel the market is heading.

And from your feedback that we received last week, it seems that the dealer sector are also fully aware that robotics will be playing an increasingly fundamental part of their business-lives. 

Again, we'd love to hear how that thought sits with your dealership. So please do let us know in the comments below.

Service Dealer recently visited five dealerships across England and Wales to take a barometer reading of the season.

In a new video Balmers GM, Cutting Edge Machinery, Ripon Farm Services, GGM Group and Major Owen tell us whether the Autumn Budget has impacted their recruitment decisions and how they have evolved their dealerships.

Watch below or on Service Dealer's YouTube channel.

Craig Hoare, sales & marketing manager for Toro UK, Yvette Henshall-Bell, president of Husqvarna’s European Business Unit and Nick Darking, general manager of BAGMA, recently took part in an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Dough, to discuss lawnmowers.

L-R: Tom Cheesewright, Sam White, Yvette Henshall-Bell and Craig Hoare

Broadcast on Thursday 20th March, Dough is the series that looks at the business behind profitable, everyday products and considers how they might evolve in the years to come.

In each episode, entrepreneur Sam White speaks to industry experts to find out how these products manage to make a profit and what game-changing - and sometimes pointless - innovations they have seen in their time.

Tom Cheesewright, a technology expert and applied futurist, then offers his predictions on what might be coming beyond the current production pipeline.
Covering everything from lawn stripes to robotics, the three industry experts helped the presenters to better understand the often misunderstood world of lawnmowers, whilst giving some insight into the future of the industry.

The episode is available to stream on BBC Sounds at - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002909c

Polaris has honoured its top performing dealers with their annual awards, with one dealership crowning its 50th year in business by claiming their coveted Dealer of the Year award.

Gillian Sutherland, operations manager at AY Morton and Alistair Morton, owner of the business

Lanarkshire-based AY Morton took the top award at a ceremony bringing Polaris’ UK and Ireland dealer network together to recognise exceptional performances across sales, servicing and marketing during 2024.

Richard Coleby, Polaris’ national sales manager for the UK and Ireland, said, “The awards bring everyone together and are a great opportunity to recognise dealer development and achievement.

“We make high demands from all our dealers, but we also work hard to support them and deliver the valuable leads they need. These awards help to celebrate the exceptional strides our entire dealer network has made over the past year.

“AY Morton was a worthy winner, everything they do is to a high standard – from customer care through to after sales and their showroom. They were the most rounded dealer in our network this year and the whole experience they provide is head and shoulders above your average dealer.”

AY Morton also won the Marketing and Lead Generation Award at the ceremony before being named the overall Dealer of the Year.

The dealership is based in Strathaven, with another service centre in Ayrshire, and offers the full range of Polaris vehicles alongside a compact tractor offering. Owner Alastair Morton said: “We’ve now been in business for 50 years, but we have been working with Polaris for around 20 years. We got involved because we wanted to focus on one quality brand, ensuring we know everything about it.

“In that time Polaris has continually improved and is a great brand. This is the first time we’ve won the top award and it’s incredible to be named Dealer of the Year – this is a big moment for us.”

Other winners on the night included Congleton Garden Machinery which collected the Sales Performance Award and Stag Environmental, which was named Service Dealer of the Year.

An agreement has been reached between Pols, the parent company of Kioti UK Ltd. and SMT Netherlands for SMT Netherlands to acquire Pols including Kioti UK Ltd.

SMT Netherlands are a full-service distribution company. They are the exclusive importer of Volvo Construction equipment and Sennebogen Cranes and material handlers.
 
The acquisition which still requires approval from the Dutch authorities is expected to be completed in June 2025. The activities of Pols will be transferred to SMT Netherlands. This agreement will see the introduction of the SMT product portfolio into the Dutch greens-care market. 
 
“This acquisition is an important step in our growth strategy”, says Jorik Kuiken, managing director of SMT Netherlands. “Pols has built a strong reputation in the respective sectors. By joining forces we can support our customers even better with high quality products, service and rental solutions. I look forward to welcoming the Pols team to SMT and to a successful future together.”
 
Kioti UK Ltd. and Pols will continue to operate under their existing names after the proposed take over and will retain their existing locations and employees. This ensures that their service and expertise are safeguarded. Kioti UK Ltd and Pols existing dealers and customers will therefore be able to continue to count on the current offering and more.
 
“After careful consideration, SMT is the right partner for us to further shape the future of Pols and Kioti UK ” says Piet van der Pols,CEO of Pols and Kioti UK. “I am convinced that our customers and employees will benefit enormously from this agreement.”

PSD Groundscare recently held an exclusive two-day dealer training event at Meriden, Birmingham, which saw them presenting to their dealer network new innovations to complement their existing portfolio. 

The event was led by the PSD team and included a mix of supplier presentations featuring company histories and product training, which was followed by a hands-on opportunity to try the machinery for themselves. 

The dealers had the ability to see PSD’s extensive professional product range, plus new innovations, including the expanded range of SABO Equipment, the all-new Hornet RC Flail Mower from EcoTech, Eliet’s new Ecocure Pedestrian Top-dresser, Honda engine options for Grin Mowers, Koeppl’s range of battery two wheeled tractors and much more.

Stuart Mercer, sales director for PSD said, “The aim of the event was to bring our dealer partners fully up to speed with what’s new and to ensure that they are well prepared for the season and to provide them with the opportunity to interact directly with our suppliers.

“At PSD, we always pride ourselves on offering our customers a wide range of events and we were excited again to be able to showcase our range of equipment.

“We’re absolutely delighted with how well the dealer event went. We not only had a great turn out from dealers who were very keen to see what’s new, we had some amazing feedback, and it was wonderful to catch up with everyone.”

Agricultural machinery specialist, KP Agri, has been appointed as a Corvus Off-Road Vehicle dealer by Boss ORV, the Corvus UK distributor.

L-R: Neil Everett, Boss ORV national sales manager, with KP Agri’s Paul and Kelly Benton

KP Agri is a family-run company based in South Wales. Started by Paul Benton in 2008 as a 29-year-old ‘man with a van’, following working for a local Claas dealer, the business grew quickly, and he took on premises with Kelly, his wife, and business partner. Alongside other strong franchises, KP Agri will be selling and supporting the Corvus range of off-road utility vehicles comprising the Corvus Terrain DX4 diesel models and the EX4 all-electric UTV. 

Boss ORV national sales manager, Neil Everett said of their new dealer, “They put a great deal of emphasis on not only the buying and selling of agricultural machinery but also the essential after-sales support with their excellent facilities and approach to customers.” 

Paul Benton added, “This is an exciting new franchise for us, and we’re thrilled to bring Europe’s leading UTV brand to our customers. We have a demo machine available and welcome customers to get in touch and experience the performance of Corvus UTV firsthand.”    

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