After arriving in Marseilles, the delegates were driven to Pertuis and given a presentation of the company and told how Etesia and Pellenc had come to work together before they set off on a tour of the impressive R&D department, which has seen over 850 patents registered. Next up was a tour of the factory including production, assembly line and distribution centre which totalled 135,000 work hours in 2013.

The second day gave everyone the chance to test out the equipment before departing for a boat trip seeing some of the country's coastal sights.

Chris Harris of Surrey Power said: "It was very interesting and surprising too - I never realised just how big the Pellenc operation was."

Richard Taylor of RT Machinery also commented: "I was amazed at the sheer scale of the operation - from the R&D department, which invests a considerable amount of profit back into the development of new products, to the assembly line. The agricultural equipment was also very impressive."

Etesia UK general manager Les Malin said: "We are very proud of our relationship with Pellenc and have gained recognition with local authorities, landscapers, contractors as well as groundsmen and greenkeepers who are now looking at environmentally-friendly products. To be able to show our dealers just how much effort goes into manufacturing this equipment, and to get their feedback, is invaluable."