Reesink Turfcare’s managing director, David Cole, has spoken about the challenges and achievements their company faced 2020 and what is  coming up for them this year.

“2020 was an extremely challenging year for us all,” David says. “Few, if any, industry sectors escaped unscathed from the impact of a sweeping pandemic. So, it’s worth taking a moment to recognise the resilience of our customers, our dealers and even ourselves for surviving the year. For Reesink, we have had to become a different business from this time last year. 

“COVID-19 forced us to make some changes. We saw some of our well-known customer-facing colleagues take early retirement as a result of the changing workplace, whilst some also left to seek out new challenges. So, we took the opportunity to restructure the business, and refocus on the fundamentals.

"We welcomed, and congratulate here, Alastair Rowell in his appointment as UK sales manager and Trevor Chard as national account manager for Toro fine turf and grounds. In addition, we welcomed new people to the Turfcare sales team, regional business manager David Timms for the southwest and midlands and salesman Daniel Tomberry for the midlands.

“Customers in certain areas of the country have a new Reesink contact, not because their old contact left but because we’ve made those structural changes to the areas our representatives work in and because our sales reps now cover both Toro fine turf and grounds machines. Post-Covid, it made sense to now have one contact for all Toro customers in one area, a single source of expertise.

“We focused on our parts, servicing and support division. We knew how important this would be to so many throughout lockdown. During that time machine sales slowed, and clubs kept hold of existing machines due an upgrade for longer. Toro has the benefit of longevity and durability on its side, but still replacement parts have never been more in demand. We’re pleased to say we and our dealerships were able to continue fulfilling performance parts orders throughout that time and we hope it helped.

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Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370

“Despite the challenges, concerns and distractions, 2020 had some highlights. We launched our online national network Ree.Own, providing access to the best used Toro machinery available in the UK. The launch of the Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 all-electric riding greensmower was another highlight.

“We are transitioning to Tier V engines in many Toro machines," David continued, "an important and regulatory change for emissions control that has impacted the whole industry. And we welcomed Franklin pumps and SRC two-wire irrigation controllers to our product portfolio to provide an even more comprehensive range of irrigation solutions to our customers.

"Plus, during 2020 we saw a significant pick-up in interest in Toro’s GeoLink precision spray system, which impacts chemical waste and over-spraying."