I won't keep you long today. I'm sure you'll all be super busy right up until the last minute - before winding down for that well-earned Christmas break.

I will just quickly draw your attention to an interesting new video that has been added to the Equip Digital Special Report. The next chapter in the roundtable discussion between dealer Jo Balmer and Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke with our American friends Sara Hey and Bob Clements of BCI, has now gone live. 

In this latest installment the group offer their thoughts on both modern product evolution and routes to market. As ever, it's fascinating to hear takes from those with specific industry knowledge and experience, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Coming up

Before signing off today, I'll also offer a quick preview of the first issue of Service Dealer magazine, which will be dropping though your doors during the first few days of the new year. A cracking issue to kick off 2025 with, it includes a little looking back in order to look forward to what may be heading into your showrooms next year, with reports from trade events that took place in both Italy and the UK.

Elsewhere, our contributor and editor of sister title TurfPro, Laurence Gale, profiles a fascinating and relatively young dealership who took the plunge from being a mobile groundscare mechanic business, into becoming a full-blown professional machinery business.

Also in the issue, our industry expert Keith Christian considers how battery technology and application is changing the machinery offering of the landbased engineering sector, inevitably raising new issues. He asks how much involvement will the UK dealer network have in dealing with the factors that arise? 

I speak to Rhys Adams, national sales manager OPE at Milwaukee, who tells me about the company’s journey, the challenges and opportunities within the UK sector and what they see as the promising advancements in battery-powered outdoor equipment.

We have plenty of coverage of our recent Conference and Awards as well, celebrating all the amazing dealerships that were honoured - plus Martin Rickatson relives all the fascinating presentations that our dealer delegates were treated to.

As well as all this, following saying a fond farewell to Jo from Balmers as our diarist of a season, we welcome Les Gammie from Gammies Groundcare who will be documenting the course of their business's year at the Forfar premises. It'll be fantastic to once again have a regular perspective on the industry from north of the border. 

We also of course, include regular features from our expert contributors Adam Bernstein, Sara Hey and mystery columnist The Sprocket!

In the meantime, thanks to everyone at TAP who once again this year made Service Dealer the quality, multi-platform resource that it is. We'll be back with the first Weekly Update of the new year on Friday January 3rd - when we'll include a rundown of our top ten most read news stories of this year. What do you think will be top of the hit parade this time around?

Have a fun and peaceful break.

Cheers!

Steve

The latest installment of our serialised roundtable discussion is now live on the Equip Digital Special Report.

In this third part of the conversation between UK dealer Jo Balmer of Balmer's GM and Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke, with American dealer training experts Sara Hey and Bob Clements of BCI, product developments and routes to market are considered.

In this part of the wide ranging discussion, the point is raised that when products require less maintenance, there will be an inevitable shift in where those products are sold. The differences in approaches on both sides of the Atalntic are considered - as well as where product developments such as increased use of AI will leave dealers.

Watch on the Equip Digital Special Report.

Monarch Tractor has announced the establishment of Monarch Tractor Europe, N.V.  

With the official launch of this new legal entity, the manufacturer of the MK-V driver-optional, electric tractor, say they are now positioned for sales in the European market. 

The European operation is based in Antwerp, Belgium and serves as the business entity for all European operations. The European team is headed by Stéphane Jacobs who, in the role of managing director of Europe, will oversee a leadership team responsible for developing and deploying European " . . market entry, growth, and strategy".  

Stéphane said, "This milestone reflects our long-term engagement to serve the European market with a portfolio of solutions fulfilling the requirements of European farmers."

 
Monarch Tractor CEO and co-founder, Praveen Penmetsa added, “With Monarch’s ongoing strategic growth journey, the expansion to Europe is a logical next step with planned local manufacturing, an R&D hub, a digital centre of excellence, and its EU headquarters in Flanders, Belgium."  
 

Mike Turnbull has taken on a new role of branch manager at Reesink Scotland the service branch based in Livingstone.

This follows six years’ experience as regional manager looking after UK Reesink dealers, customers and retail partners, bolstered by more than 20 years working at Toro Spellbrook.

Supporting all of Scotland in distribution and service, Reesink say Mike will bring huge benefit to this extensive geographical area for the business, thanks to his extensive expertise. 

Mike said, “We have many of the business’s key customers in Scotland and a team of staff at the top of their game, and it will be an honour to lead the branch forward in our plans to grow existing and build new customer relationships in the golf and groundscare sectors.

“My focus will be to make sure all existing deals, service packages and backup and support requirements are catered for and plot a new course of growth for the branch.”

With growth in mind, one of the first jobs Mike will be responsible for is launching a satellite branch in the north of the country to service the area north of Aberdeen. He says: “Our branch in West Lothian is convenient for its central location and good transport links, but with the level of work and customers we have spread over such a large area that has grown since we opened eight years ago means it’s time for additional resource over a bigger area. 

“We’re currently staffing this new facility and already have Jim McKay, area sales manager North and Gordon Rodgers, a full-time mechanic/engineer in position. The fully supported hub will make it easier for customers in the north to access our maintenance and genuine parts after-sales services.” 

For Mike, who is Scottish, this move marks a return home. “It was a hard decision to leave the role I was doing. I was working with some of the best dealers in the UK and the relationships we formed were really successful. I will miss that, but the timing was right. I view it as the same job but with a different office and I am looking forward to bringing all I have learned over the years to Scotland to drive the branch forward and benefit our customers there.”

James Bastian, managing director of Winchester-based groundcare company Wildwood Machinery, says that the appointment of new sales manager, Rob Hogarth signals the company’s ambition to expand in geographic coverage and client sectors in 2025.

James Bastian (right) pictured with new sales manager Rob Hogarth

James said, “Our deal with Infinicut, our new, purpose-built headquarters, and the appointment of Rob Hogarth give us the platform to build further business with professional sports clubs, local authorities, schools and heritage properties."

Rob Hogarth brings 25 years of experience working for golf clubs across the UK, including the prestigious Remedy Oak Golf Club in Dorset where he was responsible for the ‘grow-in’ of the new course.

Rob says his priorities at Wildwood will be to drive sales of groundcare equipment and after-sales service, and to build relationships with other suitable equipment manufacturers and clients.

“I’m very excited to be joining James and the team at Wildwood, and I’m looking forward to getting out to meet a lot of old faces and hopefully making a lot of new friendships,” says Rob. 

“Wildwood Machinery has rapidly established a positive reputation since launching in 2022, and there is so much potential to build the business further with the foundations that James and his team have put in place.”

Charities in North Staffordshire have Christmas all wrapped for local children - thanks to a helping hand from JCB employees and Olympian Adam Burgess.

Olympian Adam Burgess (centre) helps unload the gifts with JCB apprentices Ioan Evans, Laura Wilson, Harvey Napier and Muqadas Saleem
 
Employees at plants in Rocester, Uttoxeter, Cheadle and Foston donated gifts in record numbers to the 2024 company’s JCB Christmas Toy Appeal - with the final total exceeding 1,700 presents.
 
Now the gifts have been handed over to the NSPCC and the Stoke-on-Trent based Hubb Foundation - and the first batch have been wrapped and delivered to the Co-op Academy Glebe in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent.
 
JCB-sponsored athlete Adam Burgess, who won a silver medal in Paris in the summer, and fellow Stafford and Stone Canoe Club member Harry Kirby, 17, gave a helping hand with the wrapping before delivering the first gifts to the excited school pupils.
 
Adam said, “It's brilliant to be involved with the JCB Christmas Toy Appeal again. It was a really rewarding experience last year, especially seeing the kids' faces light up as they opened their gifts. I had a great childhood and always had presents at Christmas, so it's really great to be a part of this, which gives something back in our local area.”
 
Hubb Foundation School Relationship Manager Tana Owen said, “It's incredible to have more than 1,700 presents - there are going to be so many happy children in Stoke-on-Trent when we get these delivered. I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone at JCB for these gifts.”

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