A new initiative has been announced between land-based training body Lantra and sprayer specialists Hozelock-Exel that they say aims to raise operator awareness of the mechanics of knapsack sprayers to improve performance and longevity of equipment.

Raising operator awareness of the importance of sprayer maintenance is a key priority for both Lantra and Hozelock-Exel in what they describe as "a drive to reverse the throwaway culture endemic in the industry."

Lantra's David Fisher

David Fisher, Lantra head of industry partnerships, said, “It’s only by working closely with industry experts, including manufacturers like Hozelock, that Lantra is able keep in touch with current industry requirements and trends and tailor our training appropriately. 

"Our Instructors, who are key in ensuring relevant industry comment is fed into our development process, are particularly impressed with the Hozelock cutaway units that help demonstrate functionality so comprehensively, and discussions have also highlighted an opportunity for potentially including a maintenance module to some of sprayer courses - a great example of effective partnership in practice”
 
Hozelock UK national account manager Allan Wainwright said, “Sprayer lifetimes can be considerably extended by operators ensuring they complete checks regularly, especially before storing sprayers for winter and preparing them for work in spring. 

“Contractors should avoid viewing professional sprayers as items disposable as soon as there’s a hitch. The more operators know about how sprayers work, the more likely they are to be able to diagnose and rectify any functionality issues.”

Hozelock and Lantra will be promoting their team-up at the upcoming BTME exhibition.