Following on from last week's blog, it was great to see some dealers and manufacturers from our sector, promoting via social media, what they have been up to as part of National Apprenticeship Week this week.

I noticed posts by Peacock and Binnington, Balmers GM, Thurlow Nunn Standen and Allett Mowers all talking about the scheme on Twitter - and I'm sure there will have been others that I missed.

Peacock and Binnington in particular, seemed to truly embrace the week, posting a series of videos interviewing their apprentices who were offering insights into what they get up to as part of their employment with the dealership.

The youngsters featured were all chatting about what they gained from doing an apprenticeship, what they enjoyed, their roles and where they hoped they would find themselves in their careers in five or ten years' time - all really positive stuff. What impressed me the most about the interviewees was that it came across in spades that they possessed a genuine belief in, and enthusiasm for, what they are doing. It seems like Peacock and Binnington have hit on some real finds here with their recruits.

It's arguable though, that even if an employer were to find some youngsters whose skills might not be quite there yet, it's that enthusiasm to learn which is of the utmost importance.

It brought to mind that adage which I recall my old school P.E teacher impressing upon us, that attitude is way more important than ability. Now to be fair, in sport I'd argue that's not entirely factual - I was still undeniably appalling at football however much I ran up and down the field with gusto! However in the context of a business taking on a new recruit, it's one of those sayings that can genuinely hold true.

It is therefore, so disappointing when you hear dealers talk about the bad experiences they've faced when they've taken on people, who turn out to posses completely the wrong attitude. A dealer who commented on this Weekly Update last Friday told us, "...honestly I can’t believe the general attitude deficiency for interest in the job." They went on to recount an anecdote where they had asked one of their apprentices if they needed some help in knowing how a well-used machine requires cleaning, only to be answered with "I’m not a valeter"! 

I mean, that's simply lacking in basic civility! 

Taking on a new apprentice, or indeed a new employee of any kind, must be one of the most stressful processes a small business can go through. That punt which you have to take based around at best a couple of chats and a C.V, is a real leap of faith. As the dealer who commented last week said, in the future perhaps they should  "..hire people more on attitude rather than skill?"

And I do believe that's what HR experts would recommend that you do. In the face-off between attitude vs aptitude, it's the former which wins out.

I was reading this article, which is well worth 5 minutes of your time today, by the CEO of a HR specialist company, very much arguing that employers should be looking at individuals with an enthusiastic willingness to learn, rather than simply being able to tick matching skills off a list.

Of course if a business is to go down that route of employing on attitude rather than skills, that will require a greater dedication of your time initially, bringing people up to speed. The argument is of course, that this will pay off in the long run.

In a dream scenario, you'd be faced with a choice of candidates across your desk who show an excitement at joining your company as well as desire to learn new things  - plus also possesing a good base of skill sets. If that's something you've experienced, I think you can count yourself very lucky!

However, most would probably agree that's not what's happening in the real world.

So perhaps if next time you at least have a choice between someone who seems to have the skills up against someone who shows an encouraging attitude - perhaps it should be attitude which is the deciding factor?

Small Robot Company (SRC), a British agritech start-up for sustainable farming, announced in a live webinar to shareholders this morning (Friday 7th February) that the industrial design and manufacture of its first robot fleet will take place in Britain.

The initial fleet of 10 robots will be manufactured by Tharsus, the UK advanced machine and robots designer and manufacturer. In this morning's webinar, which was hosted by co-founder Ben Scott-Robinson, shareholders were told that the first of the fleet will be ready for commercial service in October 2020.

Tharsus will finesse the ‘Tom’ monitoring robot prototype design for eventual mass production in Blyth, Northumberland, working together with SRC on a what the company described as a “rigorous industrial design process”. Tharsus is experienced in advanced robot manufacture, having also made Ocado’s warehouse robots for global sale.

‘Tom’ is delivering SRC’s first commercial service for weed mapping. The machines are currently undergoing trials on a number of UK farms, it was said this morning - having to cope with the current wet and difficult condtitions.

SRC said they are planning to service around 2000 hectares with the new ‘Tom’ robots by January 2021. Customers signed up to use the new robots include Waitrose & Partners and the National Trust, who is looking to expand its use of robots across its farms. Early field trials are already underway in 20 farms across the UK, including the National Trust Wimpole Estate and Waitrose & Partners Leckford Estate.

Tom’s per plant view of the field is the initial foundation for SRC’s commercial non-chemical weeding service, which uses the monitoring robot to first locate the weeds. The weed zapping service is anticipated to be available from autumn 2021. Other benefits from the mapping service include yield predictions and measurement of herbicide efficacy.

Small Robot Company said this morning their mission is to maximise food production while reducing its cost on the environment. Using robotics and artificial intelligence, they said they have created an entirely new model for “ecologically harmonious, efficient and profitable farming”. Its farmbots Tom, Dick and Harry will plant, monitor and treat arable crops autonomously, with minimal waste.

Small Robot Company's tech team Robin, Nemo and Susant with the next generation weed mapping robot Tom

John Toal, Director of Business Development, Tharsus, said, “Small Robot Company is an archetype of a radical disruptor. They are changing the face of an industry that is experiencing significant economic and environmental challenges – by proposing to do things differently. Significantly so. Our engagement melds together their vision, ambition and inventiveness with our own experience of creating commercially successful products.”

Rob Macklin, the National Trust’s Head of Farming and Soils, commented, “Technology needs to play a big part in solving many of the issues we currently face in farming - particularly improving soil health and carbon sequestration, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel power and fertilisers and avoiding the adverse impacts of synthetic chemicals on the environment. We have started small robot trials at Wimpole and intend to extend trials to other estates in the near future.”

Sam Watson Jones, co-founder, Small Robot Company said, “The global opportunity is huge. This is a fourth agricultural revolution, and British technology is leading the charge. We’re currently first to market, so it’s absolutely crucial that we get our commercial delivery right.

“This is a massive step in scaling up our robots for the mass market. Our focus for our robotics business is very much on design and innovation - and service. Manufacturing with Tharsus gives us the confidence to deliver robust, resilient and farm-ready products, time and again and in thousands of units. They have the expertise we needed to get our commercialisation right.”

Hamilton Ross Group has added Baroness to their groundcare division offering.

The Scottish dealers with branches in Bishopton, Tarbolton, Campbeltown, Lanark, Perth and Cupar will now be able to offer a wider choice of machinery to their professional turfcare customers.

“We are all very excited to welcome this new brand,” said Hamilton Ross Group managing director, Eric Gardiner. “With the addition of the Baroness franchise to our brand catalogue we hope to offer our customers a wider choice of quality products and to welcome new customers to the Hamilton Ross Group.”

Adam Butler, Baroness sales director added, “Bringing HRG into our already substantial dealer portfolio was an easy decision for us. Their back up and customer service is second to none in Scotland and we are very excited to be working with a company that demands such high standards. Yes, our machines are great, but we must have great service to back them up."

EGO has published its new catalogue for 2020 which outlines its commitment to a more environmentally friendly gardening industry.

The manufacturer says as part of its commitment to improving the industry by way of its products, they are determined to reduce their own environmental impact. Their new publication summarises how new technologies installed at its research and development facility have helped to reduce its annual output of CO2 and sulphur dioxide emissions by over 3,355 tonnes and 75 tonnes respectively.

In addition, the company is also introducing an initiative which asks for the wider outdoor power tool, gardening and landscaping industries to join the business in making battery power the number one choice within the next five years.

Steve Roskell, marketing director EMEA at EGO, said, “Battery-powered outdoor power tools are more than capable of replacing the fume-belching petrol machines that have dominated our industry for too long. Our new catalogue for 2020 really outlines how serious we are about tackling the environmental impact of our industry and how we can work together for a greener future.

“Aside from showcasing our new zero-emission products, the catalogue provides professionals with all the answers to their questions about battery power and why EGO as a business is wholly committed to making a difference - from initiatives such as installing our new low carbon heating system to right down to having this catalogue printed on FSC paper!"

Jill Hewitt has been appointed to CEO of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC), following the retirement of Duncan Russell.

Jill Hewitt

Jill has a wealth of previous experience having previously run the organisation from 2000-2013, before a family crisis forced her to step down. However, she remained active in the organisation, being retained as a consultant and leading the NAAC’s political and technical work in the interim.

Commenting Jill said, "I am delighted to be back at the helm of the NAAC at such a critical time for the land-based industry. With over 90% of farmers using a contractor it is vital that the NAAC is at the forefront of political negotiations to ensure that we are properly recognised in a post-Brexit era.

"To make certain contractors have a bright future, we need the industry to be united and represent ourselves as professionals, demanding fair and equal treatment at Government level to allow us to invest in the new technology and innovation coming our way.

"My aim is to retain a high political profile for the industry, whilst also making certain that members can rest easy at night, confident they have all the information and back-up they need to sustain a legally compliant, safe and professional business."

Jill is a Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management and is a Churchill Scholar.

Following on from the results of the visitors' survey published recently, the organisers of the SALTEX exhibition have now released the findings of their post-2019 exhibitors' survey.

Results show that more than half of exhibitors reserved their space for the 2020 event before the end of the 2019 show and organisers have since reported a record number of repeat business, stand upgrades and an influx of debut exhibitors - with more than 200 companies committing to this year's event.

The organisers say last year's attendance was a record-breaking 9,104 - and this figure was rated as excellent by 85 per cent of exhibitors and, crucially, the quality of visitors scored 91 per cent in the survey.

More than 500 groundscare brands were showcased at the 2019 show and 83 per cent of survey respondents claimed the launches proved to be hugely successful.

The survey also revealed an insight into SALTEX’s range of exhibitors, which included 22 companies from outside of the UK, covering a broad range of groundscare categories:

• Machinery and hand tools – 54 per cent
• Sports surfaces and facilities – 29 per cent
• Landscaping – 26 per cent
• Seeds, turf and aggregates – 25 per cent
• Arboriculture and horticulture – 17 per cent
• Commercial vehicles – 13 per cent
• Security, health and safety – 10 per cent
• Play, street and furniture – 5 per cent
• Synthetic turf – 4 per cent

In addition, 89 per cent of exhibitors felt that the UK’s decision to leave the EU will not affect their business.

This year, the exhibition will be celebrating its 75th anniversary and 93 per cent of survey respondents confirmed that they will be returning to exhibit.

SALTEX 2020 will take place at the NEC, Birmingham on 4 and 5 November.

Claas has opened a new €20 million extension to its central Part Logistics Centre at Hamm, Germany.

The management of Claas Service and Parts and Stute Logistics, Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann (Lord Mayor of the City of Hamm), Bernd Ludewig (Group Executive Board) and Cathrina-Claas Mühlhäuser welcomed the guests to the opening of the high-bay warehouse

The new high-bay warehouse is nearly 30m high and accommodates a fully automatic high rack system with space for around 58,000 pallets.

The Parts Logistics Centre employs around 500 people and the new extension now gives it a pick rate capacity of up to 320 parts per hour - a doubling of the previous capacity.

"With this investment we are preparing the Parts Logistics Center for further growth of the Claas Group," said Dietmar Düsing, head of logistics at Claas Service and Parts. "Not only will the expansion create additional warehouse space, it will also allow us to restructure warehouse processes from the bottom up. All of this is done with a focus on fulfilling the high standards of our customers with regard to our spare parts service."

Makita UK has launched what it describes as its biggest ever cordless garden machinery promotion, offering end users the opportunity to claim a free gift, with the purchase of selected RT, RTX, or PG2, single or twin 18V garden machine products.

Valid on purchases between 1st February to 31st May 2020, the company says they have launched the promotion in order to offer retailers the opportunity to incentivise sales of their garden range, whilst providing added value to the end user.

The promotion entitles end users to claim either a free 18V 5Ah Lithium-Ion Battery or a DUB182Z 18V Blower with purchases of selected 18V RT, RTX garden machine products. And, with every purchase of the Twin 18V (36V) PG2 garden machines, customers can claim either two 18V 5Ah Lithium-Ion Batteries, or a DUB184Z 18V Leaf Blower, or a DMR107 Radio.

Once a qualifying product has been purchased within the promotional period from an authorised Makita dealer, the end user can then claim their gift within 28 days of purchase via a dedicated microsite by submitting their details and proof of purchase. On successful application, customers will receive their free gift after 30 days.

Mark Earles, business development manager for garden machinery at Makita UK, said, “This is the first time we have offered a promotion of this scale and value to end users. Makita has introduced the new redemption process, to provide our valued retail partners an opportunity to offer increased value to end users who are considering their next purchase.

"The high value, free gifts will certainly appeal to those that may already have other Makita tools, or who are new to the Makita system, during peak garden maintenance season.”

Plans for the 29th Commonwealth Agriculture Conference on 7-9 July 2020 are being finalised.

Organisers say they are expecting hundreds of delegates from around the world to come to the three-day event which is being held at the University of East Anglia, hosted by the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association.

The University of East Anglia

Taking as its core theme circular economies and their contribution to achieving more sustainable agriculture, the conference will explore these and their impact on farming and food production. Keynote speakers, panel sessions and displays will allow delegates to immerse themselves in the issues that face global agriculture.

Sir Nicholas Bacon, deputy president of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth said, “We are very excited to be bringing this event to Norfolk and at a time when the topics are so topical and relevant to the future of agriculture. The UK government’s recent announcements around climate friendly food systems indicate just how seriously these are now being taken. ‘Circling the World’ will tackle these head-on looking at how agriculture can respond at the enterprise-level, across the Commonwealth.”

“We have an excellent line-up of international speakers, including policy makers, scientists, agri-business leaders together with farmers and growers. Our audience, drawn from agricultural associations across the Commonwealth are in for an excellent opportunity to help understand, shape and share new thinking for the industry.”

The University of East Anglia is the main setting for the event. Professor David Richardson, Vice-Chancellor said: “Globally there is a clear focus on climate change, food security and sustainability and there is a need to educate and bring people and businesses together to promote a better understanding of food and farming. I’m therefore delighted that UEA is the host venue for the conference and look forward to welcoming speakers and delegates from around the world to this important and influential event.”

In addition to the main conference, participants can join tours of the region as well as focussed sessions for business leaders and next generation delegates. Through such a varied and interesting programme, delegates will have the opportunity to make connections, share knowledge and experience.

STIGA Ltd is a leading distributor of lawnmowers and garden products within the UK and Irish market. The STIGA group was founded in 2000 and today has the following established brands that share 99 years of history and expertise in the garden machinery industry: STIGA, Mountfield, ATCO, Castelgarden and Alpina.

We are looking to recruit a Merchandiser/Product Demonstrator to support area sales teams and dealerships as well as the Key accounts manager.  This is a national role, so the ideal candidate will be required to travel extensively within the UK and occasionally to the EU.

Working in a small team, the position requires a person who is highly motivated, energetic with good communication skills and the ability to work on their own initiative.  Generate sales through product demonstration, increase brand visibility as well as assisting with product development and product training, reporting directly to the Sales and Marketing Director.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support the Director of Sales & Marketing in executing yearly Trade Marketing Plans for Traditional Trade and Mass Market Channels.
• Provide product information, using lectures, films, charts, and/or slide shows provided.
• Manage relevant operational requests in terms of in-store visibility (POS), making sure corporate guidelines are respected and activities are aligned with the Marketing Calendar.
• Collaborates with the Marketing Manager to maximize return and guarantee consistency of POS materials across platforms and touchpoints.
• Support Area Sales Managers in the execution of their regional activities while ensuring product benefits and brand values/equity are properly communicated.
• Set up and arrange creative displays and demonstration areas within designated dealer and retailer showrooms for prospective customers or staff product training.
• Attend trade shows, stores, exhibitions and other venues to demonstrate products or services.
• Learn about competitors' products and receive feedback from both end consumers and trade customers ' providing feedback to R&D/Product managers of interests and concerns.
• Record and report demonstrations, competitor and market related information

Who we're looking for (Skills, qualification and experience)

• Experience: 3+ years of practical sales, workshop or operational experience within the outdoor power equipment or landscaping industry.
• DVSA Trailer Towing - Driving License B+E Categories
• Knowledge: Good knowledge of Trade Marketing activities, tools and techniques is required.
• Knowledge and understanding of Microsoft Office.  
• Languages: Full fluency in spoken and written English. Knowledge of any further languages is appreciated 

Offering an excellent remuneration package for the right candidate, dependent on experience, qualifications and sills.

Applications: Interested candidates should email their CV along with a covering letter to cristina.bettin@stiga.com 

The V-Ride is a stand-on mower designed for professional use; the compact machine size, ease of manouevering and clear view for the operator have lead to the V-Ride becoming increasingly popular for intricate mowing areas.

The Ride-On SCAG machines, because they are purpose-built for grasscutting, place the operator directly above the cutting deck, and one of the main features on the new V-Ride Stand-On is that this configuration follows the same concept, placing the operator nearer the centre of the machine.

The new version of the original V-Ride was announced in 2017 and had revised features that exhibit SCAG’s policy of continuous improvement and response to operator feedback, which combine to make them such a successful machinery manufacturer.

The latest machine in the range addresses the need for gate-access –

The “V-Ride 32”:

Full model name is the V-Ride 32A-16FX:

• 32” Advantage Deck
• 16HP Kawasaki FX
• Electric start
• Drive wheels: 20 x 6.5 - 10
• Fuel capacity: 4 gallons
• New style 2020 V-Ride operator pad
• All other features as on the 36” V-Ride

The machines are available through the STM dealership network. To find your nearest dealer ring 01789 488450, email info@st-mach.com or look at our website www.st-mach.com

Garden Trader is helping send quality leads to specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK.  It has been designed to  promote our dealer industry to consumers who are specifically searching for garden machinery products and services.

It is easy and quick to register and costs just £96 + VAT per year to be listed and all revenues in 2020 will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

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