There is another exciting announcement for this year's Service Dealer Conference in today's Update.
 
This time it's confirmation of another breakout session to join our previously announced keynote speaker, branding expert, Daryl Fielding and customer experience specialist, Adrian Swinscoe who will also be running one of these smaller group seminars.
 
Today's addition to the line-up promises to be a fascinating workshop run by independent consultants Sophie Brooks and Camilla Barnes who will be considering how dealerships might utilise sustainability strategies within their companies to help lead to business growth.
 
The notion of independent businesses looking at integrating sustainability into all that they do, ties into our lead story from last week of Service Dealer's publisher TAP, achieving B Corp certification. In that announcement, this title's owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "It’s clear that business needs to lead the way, and I’d urge more businesses in our sector to consider committing to a sustainability scheme, and potentially start the B Corp process. It doesn’t matter that it takes time, it does matter that you start the journey."

It seems to me that this session announced today, should be an excellent way to introduce and explain how thinking more about sustainability within the workplace is a concept that can both appeal to and, crucially, be beneficial to businesses of all sizes.

I'm sure that Sophie and Camilla will make it abundantly clear how a business choosing to act in a sustainable manner certainly is not simply "virtue signaling" as one commentator put it last week. If anything, with the way society is evolving, it's a necessity.

Why and for what benefit?

Experts in this field would argue that companies need to think about bringing sustainable operations into their working practices for a whole host of reasons. These would include environmental considerations such as mitigating carbon footprints where possible; responsible waste management; future-proofing the business against inevitable regulatory changes; anticipating changing consumer preferences and fostering innovation.

However, beyond reasons which I suppose one could loosely categorise as 'doing the right thing', I'm sure Sophie and Camilla in their presentation will be stressing how acting sustainably can actually lead to increased profitability for a business.

I've been reading why sustainability advisors would argue that whist there are undeniably initial investments and changes required to begin to implement sustainable practices, the long-term benefits can outweigh the costs.

For example sustainable practices often lead to reduced energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation. By using energy-efficient equipment, optimising operational processes, and minimising waste, its entirely possible that dealerships could lower their utility bills and expenses. Over time, these cost savings could of course, improve the bottom line.

Another consequence it's argued, is that consumers can be willing to pay a premium for sustainable products and services. A sustainable dealership could in theory promote itself as offering environmentally friendly options, allowing it to justify slightly higher prices - contributing to improved margins.

More reasons I read for sustainability equalling profitability included attracting and retaining a loyal customer base; the gaining of a unique selling point for the business; avoiding compliance issues and associated fines; long-term resilience; and boosted employee engagement and retention.

Sophie and Camilla promise their workshop "will help dealers celebrate what they are doing well and look at how creating a successful, purposeful business can be instrumental in helping achieve a fitter, stronger, more profitable dealership". I for one, am certainly looking forward to learning more about this subject that will only become increasingly important as time goes on.

There will be further announcements of what dealers can expect at November's Conference in the coming weeks, so do keep an eye on this Update, the magazine and our social channels.

Service Dealer has announced another breakout seminar session for this November's Conference.

Sophie Brooks

Sophie Brooks, founder and consultant at Certified B-Corp consultancy Fit for Purpose and B Leader, will be delivering our second workshop which will take a look at sustainable strategies for business growth.

Camilla Barnes

Assisting Sophie, in delivering the seminar will be her colleague, Camilla Barnes, founder of B Corp consultancy, Better Business, Better World, Camila is a communications and impact specialist with 12 years of expertise in international sustainable development and business innovation.

Both are passionate believers in the power of business to drive positive social and environmental change.

Sophie left corporate life in 2005 to set up as an independent environmental consultant. Having held the role of in-house sustainability strategist for Microsoft UK and achieved a distinction MSc in Climate Change and Development, in 2016 Sophie joined UK leading B Corp ClimateCare as client director, and in 2018 set up Fit for Purpose, an independent consultancy to help businesses lead through purpose - specifically to work with organisations to define, demonstrate and articulate their purpose beyond profit.

Camilla meanwhile, has been a B Leader (or B Corp consultant) since 2017. She supports businesses with all phases of the B Corp journey: from discovering their baseline, through the social and environmental improvements to prepare for certification and during the verification to post-certification support in embedding, impact reporting and continuous improvement.

At this year’s Conference, Sophie and Camilla's workshop will help dealers celebrate what they are doing well and look at how creating a successful, purposeful business can be instrumental in helping achieve a fitter, stronger, more profitable dealership.

Sophie and Camilla now join the previously announced branding expert, Daryl Fielding and customer experience specialist, Adrian Swinscoe, who will be sharing their knowledge with our dealer delegates.

Taking place on Thursday 30th November 2023 at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon, the theme for this year's event is Taking Care of Business.

The Land-based Engineering - Training and Education Committee (LE-TEC Ltd) have announced the winners of their Technicians For 2023 competition.

Callum Adams from Gordons won 1st place

The organisers say the awards are designed to find and celebrate the UK’s best technicians in the land-based engineering sector. To take part, entrants submitted a short video explaining a little bit about themselves, who they were, how long they have been a land-based technician and why they enjoy their day-to-day job.

The winners were:

• 1st Place - Callum Adams from Gordons, winning a STIHL 100 Plus Control Pressure Washer
• 2nd Place - Shannon Howe from Hamblys, winning a Makita UK Job Site Radio MR003GZ
• 3rd Place - Paul Thomson from Agricar Ltd, winning a Makita UK 221 Piece Tool Kit E-10883

As an industry collaboration, the LE-TEC Ltd judging panel consisted of representatives from the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE), British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (BAGMA) and the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA) alongside industry independents. Aiming to highlight the skills and passion for the sector, the judges said they were extremely impressed by the honesty shown in the entries received.

Shannon Howe from Hamblys won 2nd place

Charlie Nicklin CEO of IAgrE, said, “After some tough decisions on choosing our top three from the numerous entries, it’s great to announce and celebrate these fantastic young people progressing their careers as technicians in our Industry."

Nick Darking, BAGMA general manager, added, “It’s amazing to see such young and inspiring examples of technicians in our industry, all of whom demonstrate a great confidence and commitment to rewarding futures in the sector.”

Paul Thomson from Agricar Ltd won 3rd place

Upon hearing of his win, Callum commented, “Getting recognition for the hard work we put in to this industry is a great feeling. I’m excited to able to share my story and showcase land-based engineering to a wider audience and that next generation of talent.”

Gareth Ford from the We Are Land-based Engineering campaign, of which these three winners will all feature in the coming months, said, “Unearthing more incredible talent in our industry is what this competition does best. I’m excited to meet with all three of the winners and let them tell their story in a little more detail. Together they can help to attract new talent to our industry”. 

LE-TEC say the competition will return for its 5th year in 2024. 

Readman Mowers has been appointed the latest Corvus Off-Road Vehicles dealer.

Boss MD Phil Everett (left) with Michael Readman (right)

The announcement was made by Phil Everett, MD of Boss ORV, the Corvus UK distributor just prior to The Great Yorkshire Show. Formerly Michael Readman Lawnmower Services, Readman Mowers has been supplying residents of the north with lawnmowers, tractors and garden equipment for over ten years. They offer a broad selection across a wide variety of brands which are backed by a complete servicing and repair service. 

“We were delighted to announce Readman Mowers as our latest new dealers for Yorkshire," said Phil. “The timing was perfect since they were able to spend the first week as a Corvus UTV dealer at the Great Yorkshire Show.”

Redman Mowers said they are pleased to become Corvus dealers and as a small team they can offer the best quality of service and personal customer experience.

Valtra UK have announced the appointment of Malpas Tractors Ltd as their new dealer covering the Lancashire region.

The move comes following a shuffling of brands and dealerships in the area with Malpas's previous marque, New Holland, moving to Rea Valley Tractors following their split with John Deere.

Alan Sanderson, national sales manager, Valtra UK & Ireland said, "Malpas Tractors Ltd will be offering the full Valtra tractor model range from 75 HP to 400+HP, along with a comprehensive service and parts back up."

Malpas Tractors is a family-owned business run by Rachael, Edward and Paul Reeves with Paul being the current managing director. 

Paul says, “Being farmers ourselves, we have long recognised the needs of our customers who want reliability, durability, productivity, and technical innovation from the equipment they use to meet the challenges of modern-day farming. 

“By adding the Valtra product range, our whole market offering will be among the very best available in the UK. The entire team at Malpas Tractors are excited for the future and very much looking forward to expanding within the industry."

Infinicut have announced the appointment of two new territory sales managers in the form of Mark Clifford- Kennedy and Gareth Rogers.

Joining in the midst of a busy summer for the company, the company says the expansion of the sales team enables further knowledge and support to be delivered to customers across both the southern and northern counties. 

Mark Clifford-Kennedy & Gareth Rogers

Mark Clifford-Kennedy becomes the new territory sales manager for the south, making the transition to company following a successful career in the manufacturing, construction, and engineering sectors. Infinicut say Mark's track record in sales and the delivery of technical support puts him in good stead for his new role, for which they will be supporting him through elements of a Level 2 Sports Turf Maintenance qualification at the Leicester City Sports Turf Academy. 

Covering the northern counties, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be Gareth Rogers. Gareth’s career in turf began in 1989, working for Sennelager British Army Golf before progressing through the ranks to senior and head greenkeeper positions at various clubs in the two decades that followed. This foundation of knowledge and qualifications set Gareth up for key roles in sales - including area sales manager for Fairways GM Ltd and, more recently, Reesink Turfcare UK.

Commenting on their appointments, md John Coleman said “Having Mark and Gareth join us at such an exciting point in the Infinicut story is brilliant for the brand and bolsters what we can offer customers old and new across both the north and south of the UK."

Iseki UK & Ireland has announced that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement as official agricultural and turf care machinery supplier to Northampton Rugby Football Club at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton.

L-R: Anthony Shepherd, sales manager, Turney Group; Andy Miller, head groundsman NRFC; Alan Prickett, sales director Iseki; Simon Tunn, area sales manager, Turney Group

Under the agreement Iseki will supply tractors, mowing machines and electric vehicles to the club, for use by the grounds maintenance and stadium teams in their work around the site.

The partnership also covers manufacturer’s range of agricultural machinery, which will be showcased at events such as the annual ‘Farmer’s Day’ at the club.

David Withers, managing director of Iseki UK & Ireland said, “The opportunity to work with such a respected and long-established club is very exciting for both me and the team at Iseki. 

"We have historically had a close relationship with England Rugby and now directly supporting one of the top rugby Premiership clubs offers us the opportunity to use the facilities at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens to showcase our machinery to both existing and prospective customers. 

"We have supplied Saints with an Iseki TG6687 HST 67hp tractor with loader, which will be used for both on and off pitch work, one of our excellent SXG327 54” ride-on grass collecting mowers and a TXGS24 sub-compact tractor for use on the high-performance centre’s indoor pitches. Other products will be used by the club at various points in the year."

David continued, "Anthony Shepherd and Simon Tunn from our local dealer, P.A Turney Ltd., were extremely helpful in introducing us to Saints’ head groundsman, Andy Miller, and the rest of the management team at the Gardens, who share our excitement at being able to work together going forward.

"We will certainly be making extensive use of the facilities for both match days utilising our box, and for events and meetings at the Club in the future."

STIHL has announced two new upcoming servicing courses, available to STIHL Approved dealers, which include a series of technical face-to-face sessions taking place across autumn. 

Designed exclusively for workshop technicians, the Master Technician Course (Intermediate Servicing) and new iMOW® RMI Servicing Course blend both online theory with practical training. 

Both available via STIHL Academy, the Master Technician Course initially consists of a series of online modules, which on competition will allow technicians to attend the Intermediate Servicing Course face-to-face training. This is available to book for the following dates and locations: 

• Pavillions of Harrogate, Yorkshire - 13th September 2023
• Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester - 14th September 2023
• Merrist Wood College, Guildford - 19th September 2023

New for 2023, the iMOW® RMI Servicing Course will arrive this autumn, teaching workshop technicians how to service and support the iMOW® RMI 4, 5 and 6 Series machines.

The course consists of five modules that must be completed before being able to book onto the iMOW® face-to-face servicing course, made up of:

• Installation
• Docking station
• Portal
• Offset drive
• iMOW® energy: Hibernation and eco modes

Once completed, technicians will have the option to book onto the face-to-face course which takes place on the following dates: 

• Oatridge Agricultural College, Broxburn - 19th October 2023
• Pershore College, Avonbank - 1st November 2023
• STIHL GB, Camberley - 1st November 2023
• Bicton College, Budleigh Salterton - 8th November 2023
• Riseholme College, Lincoln - 8th November 2023
• Pavillions of Harrogate, Yorkshire - 22nd November 2023
• Royal Agricultural University - 22nd November 2023

Those taking part in the one-day course will receive hands-on experience delivered by a STIHL technical trainer who will demonstrate how to maintain, diagnose and repair STIHL iMOWs. Topics covered include SDS 2.0, software updates, navigation through the iMOW® menus, wire breaks and fault-finding to include the iMonitor, batteries, storage, and servicing.

The announcement of these training courses comes as STIHL continues its drive towards enhancing the learning and development opportunities available to STIHL dealers. 

For further information, please contact learning@stihl.co.uk.

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