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Honda Multi Miimo covers large areas

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Honda Multi Miimo covers large areas: Honda has launched the patented* all-new Multi Miimo system that manages teams of HRM3000 robotic lawnmowers to cover green spaces measuring over 4,000 square metres. Available from June in Honda Power Product dealers, the scalable technology is priced from £499.65.

Mutli Miimo’s development brings the benefits of robotic lawnmowers to larger, commercial settings. Users can install as many HRM3000s as necessary in an area with a perimeter measuring up to 1000m long (the maximum boundary wire length), within which three full-size football pitches could fit.

Honda Multi Miimo covers large areas

Honda Multi Miimo covers large areas

Honda’s extensive pilot studies revealed professional football clubs can save around £10,000 over three years in the upkeep costs of a typical football pitch. Mutli Miimo negates the costs of machinery hire, operator wages and ongoing fertilization, however it doesn’t trade quality for frugality thanks to advanced technology. HRM3000’s precise mulching functionality and intelligent work timer help to improve the health of the grass and reduce the amount of fertiliser required to nurture it.

£499.65 affords the Mutli Miimo control unit and its power supply. HRM3000s, priced at £2,251 (until 30th September), are sold separately to provide scope to scale the system up should users add extra units beyond the minimum of two. For the same reason, boundary wire (500m / £239.21) is sold separately so users can tailor a Multi Miimo package to the lawn area’s requirements.

Installation of multiple Miimo units using the system is simple. At the core of Multi Miimo lies technology that generates a boundary for the entire area, allowing each Miimo to detect which docking stations are free when it’s time to stop or recharge.

Furthermore, the boundary wire within which each Miimo operates can be installed around the whole space, rather than in multiple segments as would have been the case previously, simplifying installation and avoiding the occurrence of un-cut areas between each segment which would need cutting manually.

There is no limit to the quantity of Miimos which can be installed within the 1000m boundary. To guarantee a high-quality installation, Honda will sell Multi Miimo exclusively through its trusted network of authorised dealers.

The Multi Miimo control unit has been designed for ultimate durability and reliability, using temperature-resistant ABS plastics, with a GORE-TEX breather to avoid condensation, IPX4 weatherproofing and several features for easy-install and usage.

Designed to manage lawns up to 4,000 square metres, HRM3000 is Honda’s flagship robotic lawnmower and offers a rugged design, exceptional slope and terrain management capabilities as well as smartphone connectivity.

Honda’s Miimo, five-strong model range was bolstered by Small Miimo (HRM40) & Small Miimo Live (HRM40 Live) earlier this year. Priced from £849, the two models provide entry to the robotic lawnmower line-up and bring a new wave of intelligent connective functions that deliver a smart mower for the smart home.

Mick Horsfall, Head of Product Management for Honda Motor Europe comments: “We are really pleased to now share the benefits of our Miimo technology with a wider audience of commercial and domestic customers with large areas of grass to manage. Multi Miimo is another example of Honda setting the standard with exceptional lawn and gardening products which our customers have enjoyed for more than 40 years, bringing effortless mowing along with financial benefits due to lower grass maintenance costs.”

Multi Miimo will be available from Honda’s network of authorised dealers across the UK.

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Rod Gaskin appointed new Etesia dealer

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Rod Gaskin appointed new Etesia dealer: Rod Gaskin has been appointed as a new Etesia dealer and will be distributing Etesia’s complete product range which includes ride-on mowers, scarifiers, brush cutters, green technology and pedestrian mowers.

Rod Gaskin, a family business formed in 1994, will be distributing Etesia products from both of its depots located in Hampshire and West Sussex. The company, which specialises in agricultural, groundcare and garden equipment has a glowing reputation for providing first class customer service throughout the South of England and sales manager Tom Gaskin, believes that the Etesia brand is a strong addition to its extensive portfolio.

Rod Gaskin appointed new Etesia dealer

Rod Gaskin appointed new Etesia dealer

“We wanted another product range – particularly the ride-on brush cutters and the smaller petrol ride-on mowers,” he said. “The Etesia range is very good; the machines are well built, they are premium products, and they sit incredibly well with the other equipment we supply.

“They were products that we didn’t previously offer so therefore they are an excellent addition which we can offer to our existing customers and hopefully will help get us into other markets too.”

With immediate effect Rod Gaskin will be on hand to offer professional support, sales and servicing on Etesia’s extensive product range. Furthermore, the company’s experienced sales team will be more than happy to carry out site visits and demonstrate the Etesia products.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk.

You can also follow Etesia on Twitter @EtesiaUK for much more news, reviews and insightful views.  

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GreenMech service seals the deal

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GreenMech service seals the deal: For Kent-based arb contractors The Living Forest, the quality of the customer service they receive from suppliers is just as important as the quality of the machinery itself.

And that’s why, when it comes to their choice of woodchipper, it’s GreenMech that wins the day. With three tracked and trailed machines currently on the fleet, their reliability – coupled with the back-up support received – sees further investment on the horizon.

GreenMech service seals the deal

GreenMech service seals the deal

Operations Director Michael Lott purchased his first GreenMech chipper, a 16-23 trailed, 12 years ago. “From the very first contact we had with GreenMech, the approach was different – they let the machine do the talking and were invested in finding what was a perfect fit for us, not just what they wanted to sell.” With the 16-23 still out every day, tackling a mixture of domestic and commercial jobs, Michael added a sub-750kg Arborist 150 to the fleet three years ago, followed by a 16-23 SAFE-Trak model last year, supplied by David Guy at local dealer Burden Bros Agri Ltd.

“These machines just don’t miss a beat. The nature of the work puts terrific amounts of stress on the inner mechanics but the GreenMech chippers are built to handle whatever is thrown at them. The Disc-Blade chipping technology for example means that if we’re on-site and debris or stones get fed through accidently, you can simply turn the blades to the next sharp edge and you’re up and running again.” Michael also purchased the dedicated sharpening unit, reducing the cost and downtime associated with getting blades re-sharpened.

As with any large investment, chippers need to be running at full capacity to maximise their return, and not spend costly time side-lined waiting for spares or repairs. “With other chipper manufacturers we’ve sometimes had a three week wait for an engineer visit. On one occasion where we needed a replacement bolt for our 16-23 unit, one call to GreenMech and it arrived the very next day – we couldn’t believe it! Having them on the end of the phone and knowing that any queries can be answered so quickly makes it feel like we’ve got an extra man on our team – and that’s invaluable.”

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S&C Slatter names new Managing Director

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S&C Slatter names new Managing Director: Leading sports construction specialists S&C Slatter have appointed Ben O’Connor as Managing Director, with David Slatter moving into CEO role at The Slatter Group.

The Newbury based company, a leading provider of sports and estate infrastructure for the sports, leisure and education sectors has enjoyed accelerated growth over the last five years.

S&C Slatter names new Managing Director

S&C Slatter names new Managing Director

Ben joined S&C Slatter as Pre-Construction Manager in 2015. Bringing considerable industry experience, including work on the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, he quickly established himself as a key player on the management team and an architect of success for the company.

Ben commented:

“It is an honour to become Managing Director of S&C Slatter; the Company has a market leading position built on integrity and a personal approach.  I’m excited to work with a fantastic team who are determined to keep us at the forefront of the industry.” 

Last year saw the formation of The Slatter Group swiftly followed by the acquisition of soil and water engineering experts, White Horse Contractors. David Slatter, whose father founded S&C Slatter in 1991, moves into the role of Chief Executive Officer at The Slatter Group.

David commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Ben to the role of Managing Director of S&C Slatter. Ben’s commercial experience of the sports construction and surfacing and civils industries as well as his strong sense of integrity mean he is the perfect person for the role.

As CEO I will spend more time on site with customers and construction teams ensuring that we deliver our services to the highest standards in the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe manner.” 

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SISIS help deliver award-winning cricket square

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SISIS help deliver award-winning cricket square: Clive Brown, a volunteer groundsman, has praised the SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk. 5 after it helped him pick up an award for the best ground in the Lincolnshire Cricket Premier League.  

“In terms of loyalty, I like to think that I’m old school,” said Clive. “It has always been Bourne for me – I’ve never wanted to play for anyone else and we’ve been through thick and thin together.”

SISIS help deliver award-winning cricket square

SISIS help deliver award-winning cricket square

Clive started playing for his beloved Bourne Cricket Club, who play their cricket on the Abbey Lawn, when he was just 12 years old and continued do so until the age of 41. During his playing career Clive supported the club by becoming a committee member and he also managed / maintained the square for four years. However, when he retired from employment Clive wanted to further extend his support for the club.

It was at this point that he returned to the club and took on the grounds maintenance role once again. He now spends approximately 30 hours a week at the ground and receives help from his assistant Ian Greenfield. The two of them have been working tirelessly on the square for the past five years and were recently rewarded for their hard work.

“When I took on the grounds maintenance role, I set myself a target of achieving the best ground in the Lincolnshire Premier League – which is judged by the umpires. They have a set criteria to follow in terms of the pace, / bounce and other factors which determines its overall playability.

“In my first year we ended up finishing fourth and then gradually we climbed higher each year. In 2018 we were runners up and last year I’m pleased to say that we won it.

“It was extremely rewarding for both of us to be honest.”

After previously using a SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk.4, Clive upgraded to a Mk.5 and claims that it has played an integral role in helping him to keep the square in an incredible condition all year round.

“I needed a machine that could assist with our heavy work load and because the Mk.4 was over 20 years old and as you can imagine, any machinery that old will of course lose some power. We did look at a wide range of machinery, but I was quite keen to stick with SISIS because the Mk.4 served us so well – it was incredibly reliable and did a great job every time.

“My mind was made up after speaking to Keith Exton (former Head Groundsman of Glamorgan CCC) who highly recommended it.”

The SISIS Auto Rotorake Mk.5 is a powerful self-propelled heavy duty scarifier designed for the removal and control of thatch on fine turf. It features a contra-rotating reel with specially designed tipped blades for a clean, consistent cut and maximum thatch removal. A variety of maintenance tasks can also be carried out due to a selection of seven different interchangeable reels.

Clive purchased the verticutting reel, the scarifying reel, and the brush to accompany his Auto Rotorake Mk.5 and believes that it covers all bases.

“These three reels give us a good chance to maintain the square in the conditions that we expect during a season,” he said. “We normally start using it in February and continue to use it regularly throughout the year. It is great at cleaning out any build-up of thatch and the brush will be used prior to cutting, scarifying or verticutting.

“I will also use it to create the seed drill for when I am seeding.

“Since I have had the Mk.5, I’ve been absolutely delighted with it. It delivers exactly what I want, it is comfortable to use and has plenty of power to undertake any of our key maintenance tasks.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery

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