Matrax Announce New Partnership

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Matrax Announce New Partnership: Two major stadiums in New South Wales, Australia, have entered into a strategic partnership with Matrax Inc. after acquiring 12,400 square metres of Matrax 4×4 stadium flooring that will enable the venues to host multiple entertainment events while protecting the playing fields.

ANZ Stadium (capacity 80,000) is the former Sydney Olympic Stadium that hosts many of the city’s major events, including NRL Grand Finals, State of Origin rugby league, Bledisloe Cup rugby Tests and football internationals featuring the Australian team the Socceroos.  Bankwest Stadium is a 30,000-seat rectangular stadium and the new home of sport and entertainment in Western Sydney.

Matrax Announce New Partnership

The two stadiums are both owned by Venues NSW, on behalf of the NSW Government, and operated by VenuesLive, a leading provider of management and hospitality services to venues and events.

Both stadiums also host major entertainment events. A Metallica concert and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be staged at ANZ Stadium in October, while Queen will play at the venue in February 2020. Elton John will play at Bankwest Stadium in March 2020.

Hosting these major events requires the construction of massive and complex stages, including vast video walls and elaborate sound systems. Fully-loaded tractor trailers, cranes and other heavy equipment must be supported without negatively impacting the sensitive playing surface.

The NSW stadiums selected Matrax 4×4 stadium event flooring for its exceptional field performance. Having been in use in major stadiums around the world for many years, the Matrax panels have a proven track record of superior field protection. Engineered expressly for stadiums, the Matrax panels are lightweight and easy to install without special equipment, yet are extremely robust and designed to spread load across panels to accommodate the stress of concert stages, equipment, and guests.

Having full jurisdiction over everything that happens on the field is critical to health and performance of the turf. Head Curator, Graeme Logan, recognized the advantages of owning the asset early on in the design process as the asset also affords the stadium full control over critical schedules which is especially important during the height of the sporting season.  The ability to minimize the turf stress allows the venues to be converted quickly from concert back to game day with minimal disturbance, leveraging the opportunity to keep the venue utilized during non-game days, and bringing much more versatility to the operations.

The NSW stadiums purchased an integrated combination system consisting of both heavy-duty drivable panels and light-duty pedestrian panels as a means to more effectively manage their budget. Heavy-duty panels will be utilized under the staging areas and to build access roads into the venue for construction activities.

“We are very excited to be partnering with such an amazing group of professionals in the sports and entertainment industry. I look forward to being back in Australia in March to further support this new relationship. I invite interested parties to contact me directly for an introduction.” Nicole Andrews, Managing Director, Global Sales, Matrax Inc.

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GKB To Top All At SALTEX

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GKB To Top All At SALTEX: The GKB Top-Clean is a full mechanic, self-driven machine that removes all kind of dirt from the top of a synthetic pitch, from cigarettes, leaves and papers to plastic bottles.

This machine can easily be connected to almost every tractor by using a standard three-point hitch or electric drawbar. Using a high driving speed (around 10 km/h) will result in a perfect looking artificial pitch that you can be proud of!

GKB To Top All At SALTEX

Designed as a full self-driven machine, the Top-Clean features two rubber wheels at the front ensure that the machine will roll softly across the artificial pitch. Not only this, but a rotary brush is connected with the wheels by a chain drive. You can determine the speed of the brushes with the driving speed.

During operation debris and infill will come on a vibrating sieve. This sieve will separate infill material from the debris and thanks to the vibration of the sieve, all pollution moves to the bins at the end. Containing two separate bins, after use, the bins can easily be removed to get emptied in a regular waste container.

GKB is proud to be showcasing this new to range model at the 2019 SALTEX show. Visit stand H051 to discover more.

For more on GKB Machines and their reliable and robust range of machinery for natural, hybrid and synthetic turf, please visit www.gkbmachines.com or contact Tom Shinkins on 07495 883617 to enquire about the GKB Top Clean ready for next season.

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Campey To Launch AllTrec Tool Carrier

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Campey To Launch AllTrec Tool Carrier: Campey Turf Care Systems will be exhibiting the new AllTrec Tool Carrier for the first time on stand C050 at SALTEX 2019.

The Dutch made machine is 100% electric and can be used with either the cutting deck, weed brush, hedge trimmer or weed killer attachments. Because it is fully electric there are zero CO2 emissions and very low operating costs. During operation the machine makes barely any noise, making It is very well suited for use in busy urban environments.

Campey To Launch AllTrec Tool Carrier

Also on display will be the recently released Campey Uni-Scratch. This machine is the ideal solution for professional and effective maintenance of natural grass and can also be used for the final organic matter removal on natural grass hybrid carpet pitches when carrying out annual renovations.

Away from turf grooming, Campey will also be exhibiting the Air2G2 Air Inject and Air2hp. The pedestrian aeration machine has become a recognised figure in the turf industry by allowing users to aerate as and when they need to with no disruption. This has been taken a step further with the Air2hp. The hand probe is ideal for sand bunkers, small spaces and hard to reach places and can quickly treat areas of standing water using the hand-operated valve to inject air below the surface in a diameter of up to 3ft (0.9m).

Renovations will also play a part on stand C050 with the 1.6m Koro FIELDTOPMAKER. Since the introduction of the machine to market, fraise mowing has become a standard practice, and as the technology has become more refined, it has been used on new sports surfaces, with cricket the latest to adopt the practice. The accuracy on multiple surfaces comes from using the UniverseÒ rotor with 3mm and 5mm blades. With the 3mm blades on four spirals, you can remove 30% of the surface with 3mm removed and 7mm remaining. There is also the option of removing 15% using two spirals with 3mm removed and 17mm remaining. Having these options available means each job can be tailored to what the surface requires.

Campey To Launch AllTrec Tool Carrier

A machine that is equally variable is the Dakota 310. This compact and very manoeuvrable dual spinner topdresser can spread up to 6m wide, with the width and amount of topdressing infinitely variable using the individual hand controls on the handlebar. It is ideal for spreading sand, rubber crumb and other topdressings on surfaces that require lightweight machines to be used or are difficult to access with larger spreaders.

Completing the line-up will be a Vredo Overseeder along with a team of Campey product specialists, who will be available to answer any questions related to the machines and turf maintenance.

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400 Up For Mant Family

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400 Up For Mant Family: A son who followed in the footsteps of his dad by becoming head groundsman at Fontwell Park Racecourse is celebrating his 400th race meeting at the racecourse this weekend.

Paul Mant, who took over the role from dad Roger 16 years ago after learning the ropes and working alongside him for more than 20 years, has earned plaudits from leading jockeys including Richard Johnson for his work in making Fontwell one of the country’s most popular courses among jump jockeys.

Paul, 54, first started working with his dad on the course as a schoolboy during the summer holidays – he even learned to drive a tractor at the age of 11 – and then as his assistant after leaving school in 1981.

However, it wasn’t until 2003 that he took over the reins from his dad, now 81, who retired after 44 years in the job. Between them they have now clocked up 60 years in charge of the famous figure-of-eight course.

Paul was born in one of only two houses built on the racecourse in 1959 where he still lives with son Aiden. He said: “I’ve been lucky enough to have been part of Fontwell Park all of my life and fortunate to have learned the ropes from my dad.

“I guess I picked up lots of tips and hints on how to do things over the years from just following him around but I’ve developed my own way of doing it. I worked with him for over 22 years so I picked up quite a bit in that time.”

“I’ve only ever missed two race meetings since I became head groundsman. The first was when I was sent on a groundsman’s course and the second one was when Fontwell was given an extra race day during the season and I had already booked a holiday to Spain. I managed to find a bar that was showing it on the TV though!”

His preparations for this Friday and Saturday’s Oktoberfest meeting, one of the highlights of the racing calendar at Fontwell, include mowing the course every two days, which takes him up to four hours, and making sure all of the fences across course are in the best possible condition for jockeys, who he has developed friendships with over the years.

He added: “I always go into the weighing room after every race to and chat to the jockeys and I’ll be doing it this weekend. They will tell me if anything is wrong and what could be improved. They are the ones who put their bodies on the line so it’s important part of my job.”

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Machinery Imports’ Clive Carter Departs

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Machinery Imports’ Clive Carter Departs: Machinery Imports General Manager, Clive Carter, bid a fond farewell to his team this month, as he departed the business after 13 years.

Making a significant contribution to the business during his ‘bakers dozen’ tenure, Clive started with the Ferris and Wright brands whilst working at IPU Group, before transferring to the T H WHITE Group when the distribution of the brands was taken over in 2016.

Machinery Imports' Clive Carter Departs

Over the past 3 years as General Manager at Machinery Imports, Clive has steered the team through both the booming and more challenging seasons, sharing his extensive knowledge and experience of the industry, and offering a relentless wit that has kept the team laughing no matter what.

Head of Machinery Imports, Bill Johnston, commented “Clive will be missed by all of the Machinery Imports team, we wish him the very best of luck and are confident he will make a success of all his future endeavours.”

“In departing the business, Clive leaves it in a strong position, with a positive year behind us so far in 2019 and extensive plans for further growth over the coming months and years.”

Whilst Clive is no longer a member of the organisation, he remains a highly respected and well liked ‘unofficial team member’, with the team arranging a fitting send off for him last week. At the event Clive was presented with an engraved statuette of a Spitfire fighter aircraft amongst other gifts – a thoughtful souvenir relating to one of Clive’s many interests.

Bill concludes, “with an ever expanding and high-quality dealer network, a team of experienced and hard-working colleagues in Machinery Imports, and superior quality machinery brands, we continue to strive forward.”

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