Often over the past few years, whenever Service Dealer looks for feedback from readers as to what they perceive as the greatest threats to their business, there are a couple of answers that dominate.

First and foremost it's the weather. Even these past couple of weeks, in the midst of this unprecedented worldwide pandemic, we began to hear on our conference calls with dealers and manufacturers, concerns being raised regarding the effects of the long dry spell. This was from both domestic and agricultural machinery dealers. And these concerns follow on from those expressed over the particularly wet winter! So I think we can all agree, the weather will always be top of the threat charts!

What we repeatedly hear next on the list of concerns, is this catch-all term, 'the internet'. Not wanting to put words in the mouths of readers, but one has to presume what's specifically being referred to here are the online only retailers, who deal in mass nationwide selling, offering huge, uncompetitive discounts.

In the olden days when I first started working on the magazine, this type of threat would have come from the large DIY multiples, or 'sheds' as they were termed. I imagine in those days it would have felt like much more of a 'David and Goliath' one-sided battle, taking on the might of the local superstore. All the advantages of wide-scale advertising and marketing clout would've been in the hands of those guys.

Today, this notion of 'the internet' as the adversary, might actually be somewhat inaccurate. All of the advantages the online world can offer in terms of reaching and interacting with the local customer base, are available to dealers of any size, at little to no cost.

We have heard many times during this outbreak how a well-functioning website and intelligently-run social media channels have been proving invaluable to so many dealers around the country. We've been told how some have perhaps had to experience quite a steep learning curve to get their offerings up to speed - but once they have, they've quickly reaped the benefits.

There was a fabulous illustration of this from a completely different industry, on the BBC website this week. If you've got a couple of minutes today watch this short film about a chain of fish & chip shops having to rethink their business model under covid. This particular company is now offering online access to click & collect or delivery for the first time. Very obvious parallels can be drawn to the dealer network, where a blend of bricks and mortar, supported by quality online facilities was demanded by circumstance, and appreciated by customers.

Of course many dealers are well on top of all this and have been for some time. Others I imagine, are a little more unsure and relatively new to the game. Which is why Service Dealer is very pleased to today be launching the free Dealer Digital Toolkit.

The resource has been created by the communications and marketing experts at TAP who own Service Dealer - so I feel I'm allowed to be complimentary! And I must say, it's an incredibly impressive tool they've put together. The content designed to help dealers manage their online presence, covering areas such as social media and improving websites, is clear, jargon-free and comprehensive. It also looks amazing with great use of helpful videos throughout.

Service Dealer and TAP owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said he and his team wanted to produce something that could be used by the network for practical, immediate benefit. There is information within the toolkit which is without a doubt easily actionable, to help gain a competitive advantage straight away.

Also, making sure that the information isn't just a generic 'how to' guide, TAP enlisted the help of some award-winning dealers to share their best practice and top-tips advice.

If you take a look at the Toolkit today you'll see the first five sections (About This Toolkit; Social Media Importance; Getting Started; Generating Content; Creating Successful Posts) are all up there to browse through. Five further sections, expanding the coverage of the Toolkit, will be released weekly.

Illustrating I think, just what a valuable development the Toolkit is, is the cross-industry support which it has received from manufacturers, suppliers and business support services, who have chosen to sponsor. Service Dealer passes on our thanks to those companies.

So do take a look at the Toolkit today. If there's some areas you feel confident in already, just skip over those. There may be some elements though which you feel less familiar with, or would like some extra inspiration on, which you may find useful.

As we move through the changed times ahead, the phrase 'this is how we've always done it', is unlikely to apply anymore. Any tool at a business's disposal which can help, surely must be utilised?

If that means embracing the internet and social media more fully than before, why not give it a go?!

Following the departure of CEO, Ed Hansom from the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE), he has stepped down as a director of LE-TEC.

LE-TEC say they would like to thank him for his contribution during his time in office. His place as director representing the IAgrE on the LE-TEC Ltd. Board will be taken by Paul Hemingway, the newly elected President of the IAgrE.

Paul Hemmingway

Prior to his retirement from JCB two years ago, Paul was responsible for global dealer training at JCB and was heavily involved in the development of the Landbased Engineering Apprenticeship programmes.

The Mitsubishi brand has announced that they are currently seeking dealers in the UK, to add to their network already in place.

Mitsubishi MTU 26

UK sales manager, Simon Shepherd, said, “Any potential dealer should contact myself to discuss the opportunity to become part of the Mitsubishi compact tractor family in the UK.”

The company say they are currently offering a “low introductory price” on the Mitsubishi MTU 26.

The first batch of their tractors arrived in the UK on the May 5th and the company confirmed all of the first shipment have all been sent out to the dealer network. “Already a substantial number have been sold to end users,” said Simon Shepherd. “It would appear that if you have the right product at the right price - people will buy and opt for the quality product every time.

“We are starting with the MTU 26hp model - which is the first Tier 5 engine compact tractor I know of - and I think excitingly it will be for a while.”

The 26hp hydrostatic engine Japanese-built, machine is new to the range and is available on both agricultural and turf tyres. It features a 780kg lifting capacity with 540 rpm PTO.

Dealers can contact Simon Shepherd on 0121 740 0194 or simon@mstractors.com

Väderstad Components, which manufactures all genuine spare and wearing parts for the company’s agricultural machinery in Sweden, is expanding the factory site by a further 2,000 m2 to take account of growing demand.

The Vaderstad Group say that manufacturing genuine parts has been a major focus in recent years, and has included a significant financial investment in a new production line. Along with its 50 skilled employees Väderstad Components aims to increase output, operator safety and product quality.

“The investment is very positive for both us as a company and our customers. The addition creates even better conditions for us to increase the production of sustainable wearing parts, while the plant will have a better flow and an even better working environment,” says Väderstad Components managing director Dan Somlin.

Building works will start in autumn 2020 and the new unit is expected to be ready for opening in spring 2021. In the long term, recruitment of new staff will also be considered.

“Together with the new production line that is already in place, this creates exciting development and growth opportunities that will eventually lead to an increased need for skills and recruitment,” says Mr Somlin.

The robotic line marking company, Intelligent One, has changed their name to the U.S brand title, Turf Tank.

Until now, the company has been operating under Intelligent Marking everywhere outside of the United States. The decision has now been made to bring the company together as one, and this merge will also see the renaming of the GPS line marker which will now be known as the Turf Tank One.

This development at the Danish company coincides with the appointment of new CEO, Olav Jørgensen and COO, Morten Kaalund.

The company have also announced the launch of the latest software update that they say delivers "much-requested features" as well as improving both usability and reliability. This begins with the update process itself, which can now be done straight from the tablet. 

Other major features of the 1.5 update include setting flags/points right from the tip of the nozzle, being able to rotate a field around its centre or in discrete steps (1/45/90 degree increments etc.), moving the field by pushing buttons next to the edge of the field itself and a new ‘select shape’ dialogue that makes browsing through route plans more intuitive.

In the UK, Turf Tank is handled by ProSport UK Ltd.

Reports this week have said that farmers are set to trial several new robot-based systems this season on farms producing strawberries, apples, blueberries, lettuce and broccoli.

FarmingUK said that the aim is for approved technologies to be manufactured at scale and fully implemented for the 2021 season.

The effort is being coordinated by the University of Lincoln, the National Farmers Union (NFU), Agri-EPI Centre, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), with the backing of more than 100 of the UK’s fresh food producers.

Both Covid-19 and Brexit are said to be affecting seasonal workers in the UK fresh produce sector this year, with 70,000 workers needed annually to pick these products. It is estimated that this year only 30% of migrant agricultural workers will come to the UK.

Professor Simon Pearson, Prof of Agri-Food Technology at University of Lincoln, is quoted as saying this could cause "severe problems" for numerous market sectors, such as fruit and vegetable picking.

“While approaches like ‘Pick for Britain’ seek to increase the availability of human labour, there is also an opportunity for the UK agri-food sector and technology providers to collaborate to accelerate the development and uptake of R&A technologies," Professor Person said.

"We have some very good R&A experts in the UK who have been looking at solutions for some time. We want to get these to industry in a very short space of time.”

Ali Capper, Chair of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board was quoted by Stackyard, saying, “This is an excellent initiative and one that is long overdue. British fruit and veg growers have an on-going challenge around the availability, cost of and access to seasonal labour, exacerbated by Brexit and now COVID-19.

"This is a global challenge with many countries around the world facing seasonal labour difficulties. I commend the consortium for their energy in trying to accelerate the use of robotics in the fruit and veg sectors and look forward to being part of the team that brings new robotic solutions forward to British farmers and growers.”

The consortium is focusing on five areas for action:

1. Driving collaboration across the robotic, engineering and farming communities.
2. Securing appropriate investment to develop the Proof of Concepts to complete new robots.
3. Enlisting industrial engineers from within and outside the agri-food sector to assist with Proof of Concept
4. Testing new robots on volunteer farms.
5. Recruiting industrial designers and manufacturers to produce approved R&A technologies.

The organisers of the Landscape show which was due to take place in central London this September say it is with deep regret that this year’s event has officially been postponed.

A statement read, "With social distancing foremost in our minds and the health and wellbeing of everyone in the industry, the difficult decision has been taken to delay the show until early next year. We have made the responsible decision to postpone the show, not by six weeks, but six months, taking us into Spring of 2021 to make sure that we are all as safe as we can be.

"To proceed, we believe, would have placed exhibitors and visitors at risk, even with the most stringent controls especially coming into central London.

"We are currently working on securing new dates in the Spring of 2021 and will advise once they have been decided.

"We are truly saddened that this decision has had to be made but for the sake of our loyal exhibitors and visitors who invest so much in the show we feel it is the right choice."

The recently opened Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters for Doosan Bobcat in Dobris in the Czech Republic has just won a ‘Healthiest Office’ Award.

The new headquarters won in the ‘Healthy Environment and Sustainability’ category in the CBRE Art of Space Awards.

The headquarters building was built last year on the Doosan Bobcat campus in Dobris and is the centre of operations for the EMEA region. It is home on the campus to the Doosan Bobcat management and approximately 200 other employees at the company. The new headquarters sits alongside the Dobris manufacturing plant and the training and innovation center at the campus, where compact construction, agricultural and other Bobcat machines are produced for the EMEA region and the rest of the world.

In the CBRE Art of Space Awards, almost 250 candidates competed for victory in six main categories across the entire spectrum of commercial real estate.

Experts evaluated the new building, saying, "In its new headquarters in Dobris, Doosan Bobcat EMEA has included many materials that are typical of the industries in which it works, such as metal, concrete, straw and stone. Among other things, the company has emphasized room acoustics, proper daylight and greenery".

The ‘Healthy Environment and Sustainability’ category was decided through the assessment of experts from the Czech Green Building Council, who judged this part of the competition and performed an audit of the internal environment for the submitted projects.

Simona Kalvoda, Executive Director of the Czech Green Building Council said, “The proof is there in this year's winner, which received the highest rating from the jury for the spatial concept and good air quality. The offices were well regulated in terms of CO2 concentrations and air humidity, which is still not a matter of course in many designs. At the same time, the jury highlighted the intensive incorporation of greenery into the office concept."

Husqvarna - pioneer in robotic mowing, celebrates 25 years of robotic mower production by launching a new range of accessories, Husqvarna Automower® Skins.

Ladybug

The new range allows Husqvarna Automower® owners to customise the appearance of their Husqvarna robotic mower. The new range extends the current top cover accessory offering, increasing the options for personalisation. Many Automower® owners name their robotic mowers and Automower® Skins allows customers to take this personalisation to the next level.

The new fixed range consists of 5 standard designs that can be fitted to most of the UK Automower® range. The fixed range are available in the following designs and available to order direct from Husqvarna UK.

• Ladybug
• Flowerbed
• Zebra
• Camo
• Geompap

Automower® Skins are priced at £39.99 including VAT.

For additional designs and the option to upload personal designs, Automower® Skins are available to order direct from MyHusqvarna.com, this includes designs for models not included in the fixed range.

A dealer starter kit is available and contains a pre-selected mix of 42 Automower® Skins.

Zebra

To help merchandise the new accessories in store, a shop profile display kit is available which includes a communication poster, support bar and support hooks. The display kit is fully compatible with Husqvarna Shop 2.0 profiling.

A full sales aid containing order details, model options and merchandising is available from Husqvarna UK. For further information on Husqvarna Automower® Skins and the rest of the Husqvarna Automower® range, please contact your local Husqvarna Area Business Manager.

www.husqvarna.com/uk

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Garden Trader

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