SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues

/in , , /by

SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues: Now in its 74th year, SALTEX is continuing to grow from strength to strength at the NEC.

In fact, already 70 per cent of the SALTEX 2019 floorplan has been allocated with more than 180 SALTEX 2018 exhibitors returning. Over 40 of these exhibitors have increased the size of their stand and a further influx of debut exhibitors are looking to engage with the show this year.

SALTEX Exhibitor Growth Continues

Campey Turf Care Systems will be building on its success at SALTEX 2018 by upgrading its stand and showcasing an even wider range of turf machinery.

“The SALTEX exhibition has proved it is still popular with the professional groundsperson attracting visitors from both here and abroad. Last year we trialled a smaller stand with an area for seating and refreshments for our visitors. This was very successful, so this year we are taking a larger stand to create an even more welcoming space for our customers while at the same time increasing the number of machines on display,” said managing director Richard Campey.

AS Communications, a provider of industry-leading technology to the amenity and agricultural sectors, has enjoyed many successful SALTEX exhibitions over the years and according to marketing manager Holly Jones, now is the time to maximize its show presence.

“We’ve been exhibiting at SALTEX a number of years now and have always found it to be a good event. SALTEX allows us to meet numerous turf professionals across the grounds industry in a very focused environment. The show is going from strength to strength, something we are aspiring to do too, hence investing in our stand space and design.”

Lister Wilder is a new exhibitor for 2019 and division sales director Phill Hughes revealed that the company will be using its first appearance at the NEC as an opportunity to promote its impressive hire division.

“I’ve been monitoring show attendance and feedback prior to making a commitment. My view of last year was that it felt like there was a level of excitement around the manufacturers. The customers attending appear to be of good quality and in good spirit, something which I believe has been achieved by combining the IOG Awards with the show.

“Over the last few years we have seen a rise in the number of commercial fleet customers looking for both long and short-term hire as an alternative to purchasing assets and we look forward to promoting our commercial hire division to a wider audience in order to increase our current customer base.”

For Arysta LifeScience, a global agricultural company specialising in the marketing and distribution of innovative crop protection and biosolution brands, the opportunity to meet distributors and end users was a major factor in deciding to exhibit at SALTEX for the first time and following the acquisition of Arysta LifeScience by UPL in January, the two companies will become one, with Arysta LifeScience presenting itself as UPL at SALTEX.

Campaigns & communications manager Janine Heath, said: “As we continue to drive into new cropping sectors we thought it would be a good idea to exhibit at SALTEX.

“Although we sell through distributors, we also aim to connect with end users. If we raise the brand awareness amongst them, then it’s more than likely to drive back up the chain.

“We’re always looking to expand our customer base and build business and SALTEX is a great occasion to meet everyone in one place.”

SALTEX 2019 takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on October 30 and 31.

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

Follow SALTEX on Twitter @IOG_SALTEX and Facebook – www.facebook.com/IOGSALTEX

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Royal Reesink’s New Partnership

/in , , /by

Royal Reesink’s New Partnership: Royal Reesink has joined forces with Vincent Achten to create TurfTroniq, a company that will develop and deliver the technology for automated steering of Toro mowers to the UK and Ireland.

The collaboration with Vincent, who has more than a decade of experience in robotising mowers, is in response to customer interest for automated steering for Toro. TurfTroniq has developed two types of system, both have been supplied to customers in Europe and ongoing  trials continue: the Assisted Mowing System (AMS) is an advanced mowing aid and the Robotic Mowing System (RMS) is a fully automatic system which enables the machine to mow independently.

Royal Reesink's New Partnership

David Cole, managing director of Reesink Turfcare UK, says: “We’ve watched with interest the progress of this technology so far and it’s ever-evolving. TurfTroniq has developed a real understanding for where GPS control technology is, how it works and what needs to happen to deliver a reliable, safe and quality product to our customers.”

AMS automatically lowers the mower units and follows the pre-programmed mowing lines. All the operator has to do is turn the machine in front of the cutting line and the system takes over. There are several potential benefits to this approach, says David, predominantly that it can be used for training operators and eliminating ‘fairway creep’, raising the standard of the operator, their productivity and enhancing course presentation.

“AMS can be set-up by an experienced operator for a junior member of the team to complete the mowing to an extremely high standard,” David explains. “It gives the operator mowing experience, allows for machine familiarisation and helps with training. The skills of the more experienced operator can then be redeployed to more challenging and technical work rather than time consuming wide area mowing. And because the machine can follow exactly the same route each time, it eliminates ‘fairway creep’ and ensures the definition of the fairway remains the same cut after cut.”

The RMS meanwhile is a fully automatic system to enable the machine to mow independently using 3D camera technology to quickly detect obstacles in its path. David says: “This is a technology some of our customers tell us they are interested in and want to understand more about in terms of its potential place within their own particular maintenance regimes. With a focus on increased productivity through minimal overlap and repetitive mowing results, there’s no doubt a role for it in the turfcare maintenance of tomorrow. We look forward to engaging with customer opinion to understand further what place this emerging technology has for them in a practical sense and that’s where TurfTroniq is right now.”

Over the past several years, the systems have been installed on Toro fairway mowers and have been extensively tested and, according to TurfTroniq, proved to be very reliable. Systems are working in the field and continue to undergo rigorous testing in daily maintenance operations. Both systems are easy to use, and the progress of the machines can be monitored live with any smartphone.

This collaboration to develop GPS mowing technology for Toro mowers with Vincent’s experience supported by Reesink’s distribution network for the UK and Ireland, will ensure that Toro customers will soon be able to benefit from assisted and automated steering. Roon Hylkema, director of Royal Reesink B.V, concludes:” The market is ready for this innovative technology and we are delighted to be able to make it available in the UK and Ireland.”

For more information, visit: reesinkturfcare.co.uk

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Top Up BASIS Points Before June

/in , /by

Top Up BASIS Points Before June: There are just three months remaining for members of the BASIS Professional Register to collect their allocated CPD points before the points year ends.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explains that to maintain their status on the Professional Register, members must collect a set number of BASIS CPD points by 31 May 2019.

Top Up BASIS Points Before June

“There is a multitude of different ways to collect points before the deadline, including everything from visiting exhibitions and trial sites, to attending conferences and technical seminars, as well as reading publications and newsletters,” he says.

The number of points each member must collect depends on their qualification and membership category. For example:

  • Certificate in Crop Protection – 40 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection with FACTS Certificate – 50 points
  • FACTS Certificate only – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) – 20 points
  • Certificate in Crop Protection (amenity horticulture) with FACTS Certificate – 30 points

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Award For Beccles Town Groundsman

/in , , /by

Award For Beccles Town Groundsman: Beccles Town have been crowned winners of the Suffolk FA Groundsman of the Year sponsored by Ransomes at the first time of asking.

The club had never previously entered the competition, which is open to clubs in the county at Step 7 and below.

The five members of the Judging Panel visited this year’s seven entrants on Thursday and were unanimous in their choice of Beccles Town as winner.

Chris Brown and Shaun Soloman are joint groundsmen at the club, who play in the Premier Division of the Hadley & Ottaway Anglian Combination.

Tony Adams of Claydon, the 2017 winner, was runner-up and Bryan Simmonds of Bacton United 89, who won the competition in 2016, was third.

Beccles Town will receive £200 to be spent on groundscare equipment, with Claydon receiving £100 and Bacton united 89 £50.

The groundsmen from all three clubs will be invited to attend the Suffolk FA Awards Ceremony later this year to receive their prizes.

Coddenham Athletic, Leiston St Margarets, Old Newton United and Westerfield United, whose groundsman is Ipswich Town’s 1978 FA Cup Final winning goalscorer Roger Osborne, were the other four clubs to enter the competition.

Beccles Town Vice-Chairman Mark Jermey, who nominated Chris Brown and Shaun Soloman, said: “I am so delighted for Chris and Solly, who have transformed College Meadow over the past few years.

“They have transformed not only the playing surface but the facilities at College Meadow. Their most outstanding quality, aside from hard work, is their ability to enthuse others to donate time and resources.”

Ipswich Town FC Head Groundsman Ben Connell, who led the Judging Panel, said: “I have been impressed with the groundsmen’s innovation and can-do attitude in making and servicing their own machinery to help maintain their football pitches.

“This has influenced the quality we have seen today.”

Phil Jeggo, Regional Pitch Advisor for the Institute of Groundsmen, said: “It is very encouraging to see the increase in the number of entries this year in the county.

“Full credit to all the volunteer groundsmen for producing high-quality standard pitches in the challenging conditions we’ve experienced over the past 12 months.”

Click here to read the original article

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success

/in , , /by

Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success: St. Albans School, Woollam Trust Playing Fields played host to the Dennis and SISIS Groundcare Seminar on Tuesday 19 February with delegates labeling the event a huge success. For a number of years, the Dennis and SISIS pre-season indoor seminars have toured up and down the country and have successfully seen over 1800 ground staff in attendance. As they continue to grow in both size and reputation, the seminars are continually evolving with the people of the industry in mind.

Designed to educate those involved in groundcare on a variety of sports turf topics, this seminar signalled an exciting new chapter in the series and it certainly didn’t disappoint the two hundred and fifty strong audience which consisted of volunteers and professionals representing schools, sports clubs, local authorities and contractors.

Dennis & SISIS Seminar A Success

The seminar was well supported by the industry and welcomed a number of key sponsors which included Bernhard and Company, Consolidate Turf, CricketWorld.com, Garside Sands, Harrod Sport, Headland Amenity, Limagrain UK, Poweroll, RT Machinery and SIS Pitches.

After an introduction from Dennis and SISIS’ Robert Jack, former Rugby Union star Kyran Bracken, arguably best known for his heroics in England’s victorious 2003 World Cup win, took to the stage to relay some highly interesting and humorous stories about that memorable campaign in Australia.

It was then straight to business with back-to-back presentations from key speakers Rob Kendle (ATB Sports Solutions), Dr. Iain James (TGMS Ltd) and Alex Vickers (IOG consultant).

Rob started proceedings by discussing best practice in renovating and rejuvenating a surface; Iain followed with a plethora of advice on how to get the most out of a sportsground construction project and Alex gave the audience a fantastic insight into drainage on sports pitches.

A complimentary lunch signalled the halfway point and attendees had the opportunity to network with one another and discuss individual projects with event sponsors.

Once refreshed, delegates settled into their seats for an afternoon feast of knowledge served by Chris Wood (ECB pitch consultant) and Keith Kent (RFU head groundsman, Twickenham).

Keith drew on his wealth of experience as a groundsman to explore the transformation of winter sports pitches into cricket outfields and Chris reflected on 50 years in cricket groundsmanship in which he focussed on vital techniques before discussing emerging trends which could become essential in the not too distant future.

The day concluded with a special recognition award by Tim Lamb, former chief executive of the ECB, to Chris Wood for his outstanding contribution to the game of cricket over the past 50 years, which also saw a standing ovation from the crowd.

Commenting on the event, Alison Davenport, general manager of the East London Community Sports Association said:

“We are currently having drainage issues with one of our pitches and fortunately today’s seminar has covered this at length,” she said. “In fact, we are in the process of trying to persuade our council to let us take over a contract for some grounds maintenance work and the knowledge we have gained today will only help our cause because we now feel confident that we can go back to them and showcase that we have the ability to do the work successfully. We have taken something from every element of this seminar and it has been invaluable.”

Nick Lockhart, cricket professional and head of grounds and gardens at Felsted School in Essex, brought two members of staff along with him and believes the Dennis and SISIS seminars are essential for anyone who wants to take their sports surfaces to the next level.

“It has been thoroughly enjoyable, informative and thought provoking. I would go as far as saying that it is a must-attend event for people in this industry. It has been incredibly interesting listening to all of the speakers who have all raised great points that we can take away with us and put into practice. Speakers aside, the networking opportunities are also important because it gives us a chance to speak to other delegates, find out what they might be doing differently to us and hopefully learn from them too.”

Echoing Nick was Andy Mackay, head groundsman at Sussex CCC, who said that the line-up of speakers was just too good to ignore.

“The quality of speakers at this particular event was a huge draw in my decision to come. I’ve been in turf for over 20 years and I still learn something new every single time I listen to Alex Vickers. The general atmosphere of the event was worth coming for and the whole programme was spectacular.”

Keith Kent may well be responsible for one of the most prestigious stadiums in world sport but claims that every day should still be a learning day.

“I think that as part of everybody’s education every day should be a school day and a seminar such as this, where there are such high-quality speakers, is a vital opportunity to progress. For me, it is all about the education and that is why I’ve brought my staff along. I like them to see what I do because I don’t want to be the boss who just disappears. They have come along, enjoyed the day, picked up new ideas and met lots of people from a range of different sports.”

Further information about the range of cricket maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

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

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

Get all of the big headlines, pictures, opinions and videos on stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.