The sharing economy is one of those buzz phrases which we're hearing increasingly often.

If you listen to futurists, they will tell you that is the way retail is heading. In years to come we won't own anywhere near the amount of stuff we do today, we'll all just rent things temporarily, as and when we need them.

And when you think about it, that's not too radical an idea for the outdoor power equipment industry. Many dealers have a thriving hire department which has been an integral part of their business for many years. 

There are certain tools which the average person simply doesn't need to use all that often. Key jobs and key times of the year may require a dedicated, and often expensive, piece of kit - which it can make sense to rent.

What also makes sense however, is renting from a specialist dealer. Machinery that saws, or cuts, or chops, or shreds, obviously has the potential to be dangerous. These items require a hand-over explaining their correct usage as well as the recommendation of any accompanying safety gear which may be required. All jobs which the friendly neighbourhood local dealer excels at.

Which is why, when I received a press release this week promoting a new peer-to-peer garden and DIY tool sharing app, it made me consider whether this could potentially be a threat to dealers' hire departments? Called MyShed, the blurb says the service "connects people who have tools with those looking for cheap rental". An Uber for chainsaws potentially.

The press release says the app can be used by both amateurs and professionals. To describe how it works they say, "Leaf blower lying in storage? Make some cash out of it. Hedge trimmer you only use now and again? Use it to fund your next project. Wondering how to afford a rotavator you’ll only need for half an hour? Get your MyShed app out and borrow it from a neighbour or fellow pro gardener for a small fee. It’s gardening for the tech age: cheaper… and easier."

It goes on to quote the founder of the company, Steven Attwood who says “Why buy a tool when you can rent it from the person next door? This app connects you to those who can help you.”

I think most people reading this Update today would agree the best person to help a user with a garden machinery need, is a specialist dealer - even if that need is only for a temporary rental. Cutting dealers out of the equation seems to me to be a bit of a worry - both in terms of potential harm to a dealer's revenue and potential harm to a user's fingers!

The press release says the app "launched in May and is live across the UK" - but I think that just means you can download the app anywhere in the country because when you read on it says, "MyShed is currently only operational in London, but is planning to be all over the UK soon."

What do dealers think about this development? Do we really think this is a credible threat to hire departments?

My guess would be probably not. To me it sounds a bit like an idea you'd see given short shrift on Dragon's Den. I can hear Peter Jones asking, "Can I not just rent this equipment already from a knowledgeable specialist? What guarantees does the user have that the machines are in good working order? What safety advice do I receive? Thank you, but I'm out!"

But then again maybe taxi companies said the same thing about Uber when it began?!

I suppose if this app does take off, it'll just be another reason why it's so important for the local dealer to get the word out amongst their communities, of all the professional services they can offer. If hire happens to be one of those services, let everyone know why doing it through you is the safest, most reliable option.

The Garden Trader website, which puts the specialist dealer in front of consumers at the point of purchase, has gone live with a fresh, modern re-design.

The new Garden Trader site

Utilising video footage of real dealers, the site drives home Garden Trader's philosophy of 'the right tool, for the right job, from the right place', to make sure buyers use their local dealer rather than buying boxes from mass retailers or off the internet.

Garden Trader owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, who also owns Service Dealer, said, "Following a successful launch in 2017 (which saw the site deliver very healthy leads to listed dealers), this year we have seen just under 200 dealers around the UK subscribe to Garden Trader. Heading into year 3 we are really excited to launch the next phase of the site, which is all about educating the end-user regarding the benefits of purchasing from their local specialist.

"With the redesign we have emphasised the human experience which buying from a dealer affords, via the use of video backgrounds of actual dealers. We have also simplified the site for the user, offering an enhanced experience. We will be rolling out added site functionality to dealers in 2019.

"The key to Garden Trader is that it is not simply a means to spread the word about the services specialist dealers provide - rather it actually captures buying consumers at their point of making a purchasing decision by using search engine key words. This applies to both machinery purchases as well as servicing requirements.  Listed dealers can see just how effective this is on their site admin dealer panels"

Duncan continued, "One aspect that has very much aided Garden Trader during its initial stages is both the commercial support it has enjoyed from our sponsoring manufacturers as well as dealers subscribing to the service. I'm very proud to say that we have fulfilled our promise of ploughing every penny generated from the site back into its marketing and improving its functionality.

"And I am pleased to once again promise that all revenues received from subscriptions and site advertising will go straight back into the site’s visibility online and attracting active customers in 2019.

"We now have a momentum of dealers behind us and with this new design, are better placed than ever to promote and champion the incredible work being achieved by servicing dealers across the UK."

It is easy to subscribe. The fee next year is £96 plus VAT - which equates to just £1.84 per week. If you are a subscribed dealer already then don’t forget to login and see how well your details have performed this year and renew for 2019.

Timberwolf, the manufacturer of commercial wood chippers, is launching a campaign to help the arboriculture industry understand the key information surrounding the latest round of emissions legislation.

As part of the Government’s commitment to reduce engine emissions, non-road mobile machinery, including wood chippers, will be affected in the latest round of changes known as ‘Stage V’.

The ‘All the Facts, #NoOmissions’ campaign, launched by the company recent, sets out facts and information about ‘Stage V’, which takes effect in January 2019.

Timberwolf say they are taking the lead in providing clarity over the legislation, following what they describe as speculation and misinformation surrounding the new rules.

Over 20,000 people work in the arboriculture industry across Britain, contributing over £700 million to the UK economy - and Stage V is set to have an impact on the engine technology of essential machinery used every day.

Pre-Stage V diesel engines used in machines above 25hp, such as wood chippers, mowers and stump grinders, will no longer be produced after this year, so when manufacturers have used their stocks of these engines, new diesel machines will be fitted with Stage V-compliant engines that produce less emissions.

The ‘All the Facts, #NoOmissions’ campaign is running across Timberwolf’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels, and includes graphics to make the facts around the legislation clear and accessible to everyone.

Timberwolf product marketing manager, Antony Alexander, said, “Our ‘All the Facts, #NoOmissions’ campaign is about giving the facts about the new legislation, as lots of people are being told that diesel machines can no longer be used, which is totally wrong. Current diesel wood chippers can be used and traded after the implementation of Stage V in same way they can be today.

“This isn’t the end of diesel, far from it - it’s the start of a new wave of innovation in our industry. We’ve invested in a large stock of pre-Stage V engines so that we can produce our wood chippers for some time to come, but we’re excited to be leading the way in designing Stage V compliant machines with unrivalled performance.”

RT Machinery the professional turfcare machinery dealers based in Aylesbury say they recently received an enquiry for a good value gang mower to cut the grass on a cricket field in a quite unusual location.

The Mongolian Cricket Association (MCA) were looking for a machine to cut the only real grass cricket pitch in Mongolia, a pitch that is the focal point of the sport in a brand new cricketing nation.

Richard Taylor md of RT Machinery (centre) with Andy and Steve from the dealership with the gang mower ready for shipping to Mongolia

The MCA provides year round coaching and kit to state schools and orphanages, focusing on the difficult areas of Ulaanbaatar where around half of the city’s 1.5m population live in informal 'ger districts' on the edge of town. A large proportion of these have no access to mains water, heating or sewage.

Great social inequality exists there and the MCA want to create a community where sport is the common denominator and where friendships can be made irrespective of wealth or social standing. Now coaching 250 kids a week from 10 different schools, 40% of which are girls and young women, they are well on the way to achieving their mission.

Mongolian kids cricket team

“I was very touched by the work they do and in particular how they raised the USD 50K to build that first pitch in 2016”, said Richard Taylor, md of RT Machinery. “It just felt like the right thing to do to ship them one of our Junior Tow 'n Mow gang mowers, together with a few spare cylinders, with our compliments, as our way of helping them further with their mission. It’s not often you can do something that has such wide-reaching benefits.”

Battulga Gombo, or Tulga as he is better known, is the heart of cricket in Mongolia and the association's head. He says, “It has been a long path for the association to get to where we have in terms of funding. Firstly was the fundraising for the pitch itself, then the nets and concrete, then the containers and the pavilion. The last item on the list of big expenses was for a mower.

Coach Davaa cutting the pitch

“As a small NGO, the mower is for us a large piece of capital equipment, and we expected that we would not be able to save up enough to buy one for at least another year. To receive it as a gift from so far away by people that have not come and seen the kids starting out in cricket and having fun, demonstrates an extremely kind, generous and outward looking attitude.

“Now all efforts, both fundraising and energy, can go towards coaching the kids and building participation, in particular introducing the sport to the secondary school system, as requested by the Minister for Education! We have a long way to go, so if you would like to get involved, please contact us on the 'Cricket Mongolia' Facebook page.“

Kawasaki Engines have announced the retirement of Jack Ford following twelve years as senior product manager of the European Engine Department, and over 30 years working across turfcare and agricultural products for Kawasaki Heavy Industries. 

He is replaced by Andy Pringle who moves from his current role as European sales manager.

Jack Ford (left) and Andy Pringle

“I am delighted that Andy will be leading the European Engines business," commented Jack. "Having worked with him closely for the past two years, I know he has the drive and vision to take the business into the future, and I wish him every success.

"I have had a wonderful career at Kawasaki and I’m tremendously grateful for the experience and opportunities I’ve enjoyed. I’ll miss the great friends I’ve made along the way, but I’m proud to leave behind a fantastic, dedicated Engines team at our UK head office, and a thriving European distributor network.”

Jack began his career at Kawasaki at the start of 1986. With a background in agricultural equipment, he was brought in to develop the market for Kawasaki ATVs and generators in the north of the UK. His success in that role quickly led to full UK sales responsibility, followed by a further promotion two years later to UK head of commercial products, where he added engines and power products to his portfolio.

From 2000 Jack was fully dedicated to building the engines and power products business across Europe, and since 2006 has established the Kawasaki Engines European commercial structure, comprising a full European service network, and successfully grown the Engines business to the scale that it is today.

“Jack has been instrumental in the sales growth of Kawasaki Engines in Europe for over a decade”, commented Mr. Tetsuro Saito, head of business planning & operations, GPE division, at Kawasaki Heavy Industries. “I am very grateful for his work in building the Kawasaki Engines name and business across Europe and beyond, and on behalf of all his past and present colleagues, I wish him a long and enjoyable retirement.”

Hayter and The Toro Company have announced the retirement of long-standing colleague and friend Andy Wade.

Andy Wade

The company say Andy has been an integral and well-respected part of the Hayter team for over 25 years and is loved within the wider industry and the dealer network for his professionalism and dedication.

Andy first started working for Beaver Equipment as senior inspector in March 1986, where his role quickly transitioned to assembly forman. The company was acquired by Hayter Limited in 1991 and Andy was one of 12 employees that relocated to Hayter in Hertfordshire, where he retained the title assembly forman for the Beaver Equipment professional product range.

In 1995, he moved to after sales  / service (as part of what’s now known as the customer care team) where he worked within the service workshop and was soon promoted to the field service engineer. In 2010, he moved to a newly created role of technical training representative where he was an instrumental part in creating and delivering training programs to Hayter and Toro’s dealer network.

His enthusiasm and commitment to the company and its products has seen him transition into more customer-focused roles over the years, leading to his current role of technical service representative.

“Andy and I have been working together for a long time,” friend and colleague Martin Holden says. “He will most certainly be missed and will definitely leave a big hole in the customer care team as he always brought a brilliant sense of fun to the job.”

When Andy’s not at work he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and going on trips in his caravan.

His colleagues wish him a happy retirement and all the best in his future endeavours.

The British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) has announced that Balmers GM has become an Education Supporter of the association.

Balmers GM has been established in the turf machinery industry since 1979. Nearly 40 years later and the company has depots in Burnley, Lancashire and a second depot in Wakefield, serving the West and South Yorkshire areas.

In becoming a BIGGA Education Supporter, Balmers GM will support the members of the association and the wider greenkeeping industry and provide a number of educational opportunities across the north of England through the BIGGA framework.

In addition to John Deere’s full line of professional and domestic turf equipment, Balmers GM supplies and services machinery from other manufacturers, including Etesia, GreenMech, Scag, Stihl, Weidenmann and GKB.

The dealership employs approximately 50 people across all departments, providing new and used equipment sales, service, parts and commercial hire to a wide range of customers including golf and sports clubs, local authorities, contractors, the leisure industry, equestrian centres and smallholders.

In addition, Balmers GM maintains one of the country’s largest stocks of used commercial machinery, delivering to both national and international customers.

Lauren Frazer, BIGGA business development manager, said, “Balmers GM has a fantastic reputation across the north of England and we’re delighted that the company has come on board as an education supporter for the association.

“The growing number of companies signing up to support BIGGA shows how respected our members are in the wider industry. BIGGA members are leading the way when it comes to innovation, technology and embracing new ideas out on the golf course and it is brilliant that Balmers GM and our other Education Supporters are keen to be a part of that success.

“Thank you to Balmers GM for your valuable support of BIGGA members. BIGGA is hugely grateful to all Partners and Education supporters - and the many individual contributors - as the funding they provide goes a long way to underpinning our Continuing Professional Development programme and all educational activity.”

Farmers from Angus in north-east Scotland recently had an inside look at where McCormick tractors are engineered and built when they accompanied Liam Wylie and Andy Mitchell - who run the AL Agri dealership at Forfar - on a visit to the Argo Tractors industrial complex in northern Italy.

They discovered that Argo Tractors produces 45-310hp machines at the headquarters factory in Fabbrico and three more plants in the surrounding area.

Angus farmers at the McCormick manufacturing and assembly plant with Simeone Morra, commercial director (centre) flanked by Liam Wylie (left) and Andy Mitchell. Bob Bain, Argo Tractors area sales manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland, is pictured eighth from right

Approximately 70% by value of the tractors built there is also manufactured by Argo Tractors, including cabs, and the gears and shafts that are assembled into transmissions and front axles for many of the models.

“This was our own first visit to the Argo factories and we were extremely impressed,” says Andy. “This is a big and very professional operation. The visit has given us even greater enthusiasm for supplying the tractors and reinforced our confidence in their design, features and reliability.”

Apart from touring the manufacturing and assembly facilities, the Scottish party were able to drive tractors on a test track surrounding the dispatch area and spent time with Simeone Morra, commercial director with responsibility for the Argo Tractors branches, and a member of the family that owns and is committed to developing and growing the business.

By way of a distraction from matters agricultural, the group finished their tour with a visit to the Ferrari museum.

Kuhn Farm Machinery’s twin-reel film binding bale wrapping system has won a silver award in the Livestock Innovation category of the 2019 LAMMA Innovation Awards.

The LAMMA Innovation Awards provide a platform for the show’s exhibitors to introduce new machinery, equipment and services to the market. They are judged on a range of criteria including design innovation, practical impact, the sustainability of the product and its impact on the environment, with Kuhn’s twin twin-reel film binding bale wrapping system receiving a silver award in the Livestock Innovation category.

Unlike other film binding systems which use wide mantle rolls to perform the bale binding function, Kuhn says their system uses two standard 750mm stretch film rolls to fully encapsulate the bale. As well as improving silage preservation and making the recycling of waste plastic easier, the company says this system also reduces plastic usage by up to 30% by pre-stretching the wrapping film by 70% prior to application. Film loading is also quicker and easier as each roll weighs just 27kg, compared to the wider rolls which can weigh between 40-90kg.

The film binding system is available on the company’s i-BIO+ and FBP 3135 BalePack round baler-wrapper combination machines, both of which also use their IntelliWrap system which enables the operator to wrap the bale with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 layers of film as appropriate. Both machines can also be used with conventional net binding.

Campey Turf Care Systems has expanded its international dealership network into South America with the appointment of two new dealers.

The Macclesfield based company already has a network of dealers across the globe and the addition of C4 Turf Care and World Sports further strengthens their presence in that area of the world while giving customers in the region direct access to a range of Campey products.

L-R: Lee Morgado, Campey Turf Care; Roberto Gomide & Andre Amaral, World Sports; and Richard Campey

C4 Turf Care, operated by Dan Manning, who has 20 years experience in the sustainable turf man-agement industry, will cover Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Columbia and have already taken delivery of a Koro Field Topmkaer 1.6 with Universe Rotor and a ShockWave 155 for the Argentinian market.

World Sports has 22 years’ experience in the Brazilian market. The company aims to offer the best technology in Brazil and has recently seen the machines in use during a visit to England with Campey.

The visit included trips to Tottenham Hotspur’s Enfield Training Centre, Arsenal FC’s London Colney Training Ground, Twickenham, and a tour of Liverpool FC, with Richard Campey and Lee Morgado as hosts.

Campey Product Specialist, Ben Taylor will be the point of contact for South America working with both companies - who will be distributing Koro, Imants and Raycam products.

John Deere are a global leader in the Turf Machinery business, with our broad range of Golf, Commercial Mowing, Compact Tractors, Utility Vehicles and Homeowner products.

Due to an internal promotion, we are seeking a Territory Manager to join our team.

We are looking for someone who can develop and deliver profitable and sustainable Market Share Growth in a defined geographic area by deploying sales processes, supporting dealers and customer relationships, dealer development activities, local marketing actions and managing dealer order and stock management.

A basic knowledge of John Deere products would be advantageous and knowledge of competitive products is also desirable. Applicants must have 1 - 3 years’ experience working in groundscare / turf machinery business or a related industry and 1 - 3 years’ dealer channel experience and direct customer contact. They should be educated to HND level in a related subject.

The essential skill set includes a good command of written and spoken English in both formal and informal settings, as well as competence with the elements of the Microsoft Office Suite and good presentation skills. Candidates must possess a good work ethic and be able to manage time and resources to deliver business goals. There must be a flexible approach to irregular hours of work and a willingness to travel within the UK/Ireland and abroad. A clean driving licence is desirable. The successful candidate will be required to reside on territory.

John Deere is an equal opportunities employer. For further details and to apply visit www.deere.co.uk Careers page, Job-Opportunities-UK. Closing date: 1 January 2019.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a sales representative to join the FGM Claymore team.

Working with a well-established network of specialist dealers, representing market leading products. To present, promote and sell products to existing and prospective customers and be eager to establish, develop and maintain positive business and customer relationships.

The successful applicant should be enthusiastic and self-motivated, and will have a proven track record in the Outdoor Power Equipment Industry.

An attractive remuneration and benefits package will be commensurate with the position and experience of the successful candidate.

Please write in confidence with CV to:

Paul Butterly FGM Claymore Waterloo Ind. Estate Waterloo Road Bidford on Avon Warks B50 4JH

Tel: 01789 490177

email info@fgmclaymore.co.uk

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.

Join the country’s only independent specialist website, created by the team that bring you Service Dealer. Join our 195+ subscribed Garden Trader dealers now by clicking on “Register Dealership”.

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