Following on from my experience last week at the Garden Press Event where robotic mowers were undeniably in the spotlight, comes the news this week that the Garden Trader website has added a new robot category to their offering.

The owners of the site say this change is simply due to consumer demand. "Looking at site visitor data," said site owner Duncan Murray-Clarke who also owns Service Dealer, "many searches were for robotic products as opposed to generic mowers and so it made complete sense to separate these products out."

So is something significant happening out there in the market place this year? Is it the year of the robot? Or is it a passing trend and wishful-thinking on behalf of the manufacturers?

We're running a survey today where we'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject. We have a feature about robotic mowers coming up in the next edition of Service Dealer magazine in which it would be great to reflect the views of as many of our readers as possible.

As part of the feature we have an interview with the operations director of Husqvarna's Newton Aycliff manufacturing plant, Caraline Robinson, who's in charge of the main production base worldwide of the company's Automowers. They are flat out making the robots at the moment, stockpiling the machines ahead of the dreaded B-word. The statistic I was told was that a completed unit is rolling off the production line every 69 seconds.

The demand for their machines clearly exists, however this has traditionally been mostly focussed in certain European countries, not so much in the UK. This is illustrated by the fact that 95% of the robots they produce in Aycliff are destined for export. However, the company believe this is changing.

Caraline told us, "We have seen very strong growth from the UK over the last three to four years, and that continues at pace. The Husqvarna UK team have been extremely proactive in promoting the products, raising awareness with end consumers and this has been supported by an ever increasing number of Husqvarna dealers. The growth rate we are seeing in the UK is exceeding that of other European markets, so naturally we expect the percentage figure of Automower sold in the UK to continue to grow exponentially."

Are you seeing evidence of this change in your dealership? We're interested to know today if customers are coming into your stores specifically to enquire about robotic mowing solutions. Or indeed to know if you are recommending the products to customers who may not have considered such a purchase?

I've spoken to dealers who are concentrating on the products who are telling me that there's good business to be had from the machines. The sales, installation and servicing they are offering is proving profitable. I've even heard from some who are saying they are struggling to keep up with demand in fact, such is the rapid increase in popularity amongst their customers.

This interest in the machines is not just limited to domestic consumers either, commercial users are now also being targeted by the manufacturers. There's another example today of a big player making further moves into the sector with the story of Royal Reesink forming a partnership to create a new company to develop the technology for automated steering of professional Toro mowers.

Equally though, I've visited dealerships around the country where I've been told that robot mowers are just not for customers around those parts. Dealers have tried but simply not found success with them locally.

We're interested to hear today if some of our readers believe that this is genuinely the case? Are there areas where the automated machines will not find a market?

It would be great to hear from as many of our readers as possible. Our survey has a few quick questions and a space for you leave your thoughts on the current state of the robotic mowing market.

We'll be publishing the results and a selection of your opinions in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine. Thanks for your help.

TAKE THE SURVEY

According to the figures released by the AEA for the month of February 2019 there were 480 registrations of agricultural tractors (over 50hp), which is down 17.8% on the same month a year ago.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA said, "For the second month in a row, UK registrations of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) were sharply down on a year earlier in February. Only 480 machines were registered during the month, the lowest figure for any month since December 2010 and 18% down on the same month last year.

"Nevertheless, as February is usually the quietest month for registrations, it remains to be seen whether this downturn will be sustained. One possibility is that farmers are cautious about making investments until the Brexit uncertainty is resolved but the situation will be clearer once figures for March are released.

"Total registrations for the first two months of the year were down 13% (172 machines) at 1,110 units. Registrations of compact tractors (50hp and under) were also down, by 19% year on year, but the rate of decline slowed to 3% in February."

Reflecting what appears to be a surge in popularity this year in robotic mowers (see last week's editor's blog), Garden Trader has just announced a specific category dedicated to these products.

The website which puts the specialist dealer in front of buying consumers at the point of purchase, is already well populated with robotic products from Ambrogio, Husqvarna, Robomow, Honda, STIHL and John Deere. The site's owners say that no doubt more will soon follow.

Garden Trader’s founder Duncan Murray-Clarke, who also owns Service Dealer, said, “If you take the trends in some parts of Europe, it is clear what a huge opportunity there is in this sector for dealers specialising in robotic mowers.

"Looking at site visitor data, many searches were for robotic products as opposed to generic mowers and so it made complete sense to separate these products out”.

Visit www.gardentrader.co.uk to find out more.

Returning to the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry this November, the Service Dealer Conference & Awards will once again benefit from Etesia as Gold Sponsor.

The date of this year's event has been confirmed as Thursday November 21st 2019.

Les Malin, managing director of Etesia UK presenting the Professional Turfcare Dealer of the Year award to Richard Taylor, Tom Bailey and Scott Reynolds of RT Machinery with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (l) and comedian Charlie Baker (r) at 2018's ceremony

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "We are delighted to announce Etesia as Gold Sponsor once again for Service Dealer's Conference & Awards.

"Etesia joined as a sponsor for the first time last year and we couldn't be more pleased that they have chosen to join us again in 2019 - for what is shaping up to be a very special event."

Etesia UK are very pleased to be sponsoring the Service Dealer Awards for the second time.

The company believe dealers are vital to the future of the industry, so sponsoring what is recognised as an important industry event, is something they wanted to continue to be invloved with.

More details about this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards will be announced in due course. 

AL-KO Gardentech UK (Rochford Garden Machinery) have announced the appointment of Amanda Shepherdson as an area sales manager for the North of England.

Amanda Shepherdson

Stewart Anderson, managing director said, "We have spent considerable time recruiting to find the best and most suitable candidate for this area. We are very pleased to welcome Amanda to the team. Amanda is an experienced area sales manager used to working with specialist dealer networks.

"Amanda joined the business at the start of January 2019 and has completed a full induction and training plan working with the other area sales managers and internal staff to understand the business and product range."

When asked about her new role Amanda said, “I am over the moon to have joined such a fantastic company that has a great history within the industry and to work alongside some very knowledgeable and friendly people. Although I am from outside of the garden machinery industry, my background is in business development and sales account management within dealer networks.

"Outside of the work environment, I enjoying carp angling, maintaining and camping in my VW camper van, following my beloved Castleford Tigers Rugby League team and motorbike racing. I have already met some dealers from my area during my induction who have all been very welcoming and I look forward to meeting everyone else very soon.”

Amanda can be contacted on 07970 174051 or Amanda.shepherdson@rochfordgm.co.uk

Royal Reesink, the parent company of Reesink Turfcare, has formed a partnership with Vincent Achten to create TurfTroniq, a company that will develop and deliver the technology for automated steering of Toro mowers to the UK and Ireland.

Roon Hylkema of Reesink Turfcare B.V. on the right with Vincent Achten, representing TurfTroniq, the company developing automated steering technology for Toro mowers

The collaboration with Vincent, who has more than a decade of experience in robotising mowers, is in response to customer interest for automated steering for Toro.

TurfTroniq has developed two types of system, both have been supplied to customers in Europe and ongoing trials continue: the Assisted Mowing System (AMS) is an advanced mowing aid and the Robotic Mowing System (RMS) is a fully automatic system which enables the machine to mow independently.

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare UK, said, “We’ve watched with interest the progress of this technology so far and it’s ever-evolving. TurfTroniq has developed a real understanding for where GPS control technology is, how it works and what needs to happen to deliver a reliable, safe and quality product to our customers.”

AMS automatically lowers the mower units and follows the pre-programmed mowing lines. All the operator has to do is turn the machine in front of the cutting line and the system takes over. There are several potential benefits to this approach, says David, predominantly that it can be used for training operators and eliminating ‘fairway creep’, raising the standard of the operator, their productivity and enhancing course presentation.

“AMS can be set-up by an experienced operator for a junior member of the team to complete the mowing to an extremely high standard,” David explains. “It gives the operator mowing experience, allows for machine familiarisation and helps with training. The skills of the more experienced operator can then be redeployed to more challenging and technical work rather than time consuming wide area mowing. And because the machine can follow exactly the same route each time, it eliminates ‘fairway creep’ and ensures the definition of the fairway remains the same cut after cut.”

The RMS meanwhile is a fully automatic system to enable the machine to mow independently using 3D camera technology to quickly detect obstacles in its path. David says: “This is a technology some of our customers tell us they are interested in and want to understand more about in terms of its potential place within their own particular maintenance regimes. With a focus on increased productivity through minimal overlap and repetitive mowing results, there’s no doubt a role for it in the turfcare maintenance of tomorrow. We look forward to engaging with customer opinion to understand further what place this emerging technology has for them in a practical sense and that’s where TurfTroniq is right now.”

Over the past several years, the systems have been installed on Toro fairway mowers and have been extensively tested and, according to TurfTroniq, proved to be very reliable. Systems are working in the field and continue to undergo rigorous testing in daily maintenance operations. Both systems are easy to use, and the progress of the machines can be monitored live with any smartphone.

This collaboration to develop GPS mowing technology for Toro mowers with Vincent’s experience supported by Reesink’s distribution network for the UK and Ireland, will ensure that Toro customers will soon be able to benefit from assisted and automated steering.

Roon Hylkema, director of Royal Reesink B.V, concludes:” The market is ready for this innovative technology and we are delighted to be able to make it available in the UK and Ireland.”

To further strengthen the growth of the Walker Mowers UK sales operation, two senior executives from the head office and manufacturing plant, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, spent time visiting dealers in the UK and Channel Islands recently.

It was a follow up from the promise they had made to dealers attending the Walker stand at SALTEX last year in Birmingham.

Among the counties visited were Kent, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Coventry, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Cheshire and the Channel Islands.

The week long visit commenced when they travelled to Kent to meet Sean Woodger, owner of S.W Mowers in Tonbridge. He welcomed the visitors and thanked them for travelling the 4,668 mile distance from their offices to visit his dealership.

L-R: Will Merrick (Walker sales manager, Sean Woodger (owner S.W Mowers), Tim Cromley (Walker marketing manager)

Sean has been selling and servicing a wide range of outdoor power equipment in his local area for over 22 years. As an appointed Walker Mower servicing dealer he has undertaken a number of demonstrations during the last few months, with the help of his area sales manager - and has a number of quotes outstanding awaiting confirmation of a sale. Sean has decided to step up and become a full sales and servicing dealer.

Sean told his visitors that he liked the build quality of the Walker machine and is targeting professional users in the leisure industry, local authorities and stately homes as suitable customers for this out front zero turn mower. Sean placed an order with his visitors, selecting the new model T25i that company says produces lower emissions and improved fuel economy.

Tim Cromley, marketing manager for Walker Manufacturing told Service Dealer, "The UK market is very important to us at Walker, because we have a product that is well suited for these conditions. The dealers we have visited serve as a reminder of the dedication to the Walker product over the years".

The latest Landini agricultural tractors for livestock, mixed enterprise and arable farms will be lined up ready for inspection at an open day being held on Tuesday, March 19 by west-country machinery dealership Cornish Tractors.

Managing director Tim Ward and his team at Week St Mary on the Devon/Cornwall border will open the doors to their premises so that local farmers and customers can see new products added to the machinery and farm vehicles available.

Tim Ward of Cornish Tractors (right) with farmer David Mallett receiving the keys to his new Landini 7-160 tractor

“With the support of our suppliers who set up their own exhibits on site, the open day gives an opportunity to showcase the complete range of products available to local farmers and contractors to help them in the running of their businesses,” says Tim Ward.

“We’ll have far more on display than we can normally hold in stock, so visitors get a clearer idea of the products available from each manufacturer.”

This year’s open day, starting at 10am, will have spreaders and tankers from Conor Engineering, trailers for livestock and silage from Hudson Agri and JPM Trailers, Wrag post drivers and Plant-Mec yard brushes, along with ATVs and side-by-side UTVs from Yamaha, Suzuki and Polaris.

But with a number of new ranges having been introduced over the past 12 months, a comprehensive line-up of Landini tractors will be a big feature of the event.

Landini manufacturer Argo Tractors say they have made big investments in product development, resulting in the introduction of the new 7 Series four- and six-cylinder models from 141hp to 225hp featuring either the V-Shift stepless transmission or the new Robo-Six with more powershift steps than before for increased speed control flexibility.

Glenn Bootman, Opico territory manager for East Anglia, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire has taken on the additional role of product specialist for the HE-VA brand.

Glenn Bootman

Now in his tenth year with Opico, Glenn has worked with HE-VA since joining and has been a key member of the team in building the dealer distribution network for HE-VA.

Glenn graduated from Silsoe Agricultural College with a degree in Agriculture and Engineering and has been immersed in the industry ever since. The company says Glenn brings a thorough understanding of UK market requirements to the HE-VA brand and will be the key conduit between customers, dealers, the Opico team and the HE-VA factory going forward.

James Woolway, managing director, Opico Ltd commented, “Glenn’s knowledge of the UK market and experience of the HE-VA range puts him in an excellent position to champion the HE-VA brand throughout the country”.

Dumbarnie Links is a brand new 18-hole golf course development on the south coast of Fife that is set to be open for play by spring 2020. The 165ha development reflects the historical location of a links course and sports club at Dumbarnie dating back to the 1830s.

Luke Beardmore of OB Sports Golf Management - the US firm hired to manage Dumbarnie - and John Deere dealer Sandy Armit of Double A signed a partnership deal last year for the supply of grow-in and maintenance equipment for this exciting £11 million project, which is supported by the local landowner Lord Balniel of Balcarres.

A drone shot of Dumbarnie Links in the early stages of development

Sandy Armit of Double A said, “This is a very exciting project and we are very pleased to have been chosen to be involved with the initial loan and supply of John Deere equipment, including hire tractors and a ProGator utility vehicle with mounted sprayer and spreader.

"We look forward to phasing in a full fleet of course maintenance equipment through the grow-in period this year, in preparation for the course’s official opening in 2020.”

Designed by former Walker Cup and Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, Dumbarnie Links is notable for featuring sea views on all 18 holes. The course manager is local man Grahame Taylor, who grew up in Leven and came from the Old Course at nearby St Andrews.

“The vision for Dumbarnie Links has been to provide a first class, true links style golf experience of international quality for all to enjoy,” said Luke Beardmore. “The golf course will be operated as a pay-and-play facility, with no members’ club or fees, and will be open to the public for a daily green fee. It has been designed and laid out to the highest standard while also respecting the coastal setting and environmental designations within the vicinity.”

A John Deere ProGator with spreader at work during the grow-in phase at Dumbarnie Links

Largo Bay to the south of the site forms part of a wider designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Wetland of International Importance (RAMSAR Site). The Fife Coastal Path and Dumbarnie Links Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve are also adjacent to the site boundaries.

“Due to extremely favourable weather conditions last year the golf course construction work took just six months to complete, which is extremely fast,” said Luke. “The contractor, Landscapes Unlimited from the US, assembled a team of first class sub-contractors to build the course so quickly. The course will still need to mature throughout 2019, but so far the project has truly exceeded everyone’s expectations.”

Luke Beardmore feels that John Deere has been at the forefront of the project’s success so far, adding: “Our initial success has largely been based on our strong working relationship with John Deere, and specifically the dealer Double A. The ability for Dumbarnie to work with the dealership team allowed us to keep the preliminary costs down while still focusing on the highest quality standards every day. This partnership has truly been a win-win for everyone.”

Garden Trader is a product and dealer search website/directory only for specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK. It has been designed to support and promote our dealer industry to consumers who are specifically searching for garden machinery products and services.

It costs just £96 + VAT per year to be listed and all revenues in 2019 will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

Garden Trader

Join the country’s only independent specialist website, created by the team that bring you Service Dealer. Join our subscribed Garden Trader dealers now by clicking on “Register Dealership” and let's fight back against the zero value retailers.

Map of dealerships registered with Garden Trader

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Whether it is fertilizers granules, grass seed or salt, Cobra has a range of four new walk-behind products that will take all the effort out of spreading and ensure accuracy of delivery and minimising expensive loss.

The new Cobra HS23 spreader has a plastic hopper with a 50lb (23Ltr) capacity and a rust resistant powder coated metal structure. The four machines in the range all have a spread width of between 10 feet to 12 feet (3048mm – 3658mm) depending on the speed and material. The 12” pneumatic tyres and a nett weight of just 10.7Kg ensure ease of use. The delivery rate setting control ensures precise delivery. Stocking dealer price ex VAT is £46.92 which includes a screen and rain cover.

The Cobra HS26S has a capacity of 70lb and a plastic hopper. The machine is fully rust resistant and has a stainless steel frame. The pneumatic tyres and a nett weight of 11.8kg ensures it is manoeuvrable and easy to use. The spread rate setting on the handle ensures a precise delivery relative to the material being spread. It has robust metal gears. The stocking dealer price is £107.00 which includes a screen and rain cover and a deflector kit.

The larger 125lb (60Ltr) capacity COBRA HS60 has all the features of the HS26S plus 14” pneumatic tyres. The stocking dealer price of £88.19 ex VAT includes a screen and rain cover.

The Cobra HS60S has a fully stainless steel construction and 125lb (60Ltr) capacity plastic hopper. The gearing is also constructed of stainless steel. It has an overall nett weight of 18.5Kg and the 14” pneumatic tyres ensures easy manoeuvrability. The stocking dealer price of £177.45 ex VAT includes a screen and rain cover and a deflector kit. (310 words).

For more information on Cobra products visit: www.cobragarden.co.uk or to become a Cobra dealer, please contact Andy Marvin on: 07771 581 296 or call our sales team: 0115 986 6646 today.