Tag Archive for: Benchmark

Premier League and STRI Group document benchmark for pitch quality

Premier League and STRI Group document benchmark for pitch quality: The Premier League, widely considered the world’s most competitive football league, understandably put the playing surface at the heart of everything they do. The recently launched Premier League Pitch Standards Framework is a resource that documents the requirements of establishing and maintaining an elite surface, that performs to the highest standards and keeps players safe.

Serving as a reference for stakeholders involved in pitch management, club management and league organisers, it outlines the Premier League’s rules and expectations. It’s packed with guidance on everything from pitch construction profiles, drainage and irrigation to hosting concerts and managing pitches in winter weather, alongside a raft of informative case studies.

Premier League and STRI Group document benchmark for pitch quality

Premier League and STRI Group document benchmark for pitch quality

This is the first official document of its kind published by the Premier League and has been a truly collaborative effort – a key factor in its depth and quality. Authored by highly experienced consultants at STRI Group, the process involved consultation with senior grounds people from all Premier League clubs and the Grounds Management Association.

Adam Kaliniecki, Football Operations Manager for the Premier League, commented, “This is a fantastic document which reflects the hard work and professionalism of grounds teams in the Premier League who work tirelessly to ensure our pitches are the best in the world.

“The expertise and knowledge of the consultants from STRI was invaluable in leading the project. The data they gathered and interpreted was a vital part of the process, and the ongoing collaboration with grounds teams resulted in a resource that effectively benchmarks best practice in the industry.”

The document is available online here: https://www.premierleague.com/about/publications 

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Bobcat: A Benchmark In Olive Harvesting

Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting: Six Bobcat T770 Track Loaders help Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma to complete its olive harvests. Beyond picking this valuable fruit, the company from Baena (Cordoba, Spain) uses its Bobcat machines for other tasks, such as earthmoving and maintaining plantations.

According to Francisco Bujalance, Manager of Servicios Agrícolas La Pamparioma, over 5,000,000 kilos of olives were picked in last year’s harvest using the Bobcat T770 loaders, which have been fitted with olive tree shaker attachments with umbrellas and vibrating clamps adapted to the size of olives in the area. Harvesting approximately 160,000 olive trees, covering 800 hectares of land, took 100 days (or around 6000 working hours) to complete.

Bobcat: A Benchmark in Olive Harvesting

Francisco Bujalance said: “In our increasingly competitive sector we need to innovate in order to stay productive – but without losing our roots and respect for the environment.

“The Bobcat T770 Compact Track Loaders are ideal for this type of work for a number of reasons. For one thing, we need less staff – the work is easier and progresses faster. They are also well suited for various, even difficult, terrains – whether flat or sloping, dry or muddy. Their performance and manoeuvrability are another big plus. For reasons of space, olive plantations are becoming increasingly packed. It takes a very compact machine such as the Bobcat T770 to move in these narrow lanes with speed and ease.”

He continued: “The Bobcat T770 with its umbrella and clamp gets much more done than any other olive harvester. Add to that reduced labour costs, and you get an excellent ROI in the medium term. What is more, we don’t need to move or handle the olives as much because the umbrella goes directly into the trailer, making the whole job cleaner and allowing us to harvest the product quickly, when it’s at its best.

“And last but not least, the Bobcat T770 does not require any modifications prior to harvesting, whereas other machines do. This speeds up the start-up phase, as there is no need for a mechanic, also saving costs.”

Francisco Bujalance added: “Having used the Bobcat T770 in previous harvests as well, we are by now well acquainted with it, familiar with its features and benefits. Our overall appreciation is very positive: the Bobcat T770 clearly has the hydraulic flow and power needed for this kind of work. Previously we were picking the olives manually, which naturally prolonged the harvest period. Now we are saving 70% in time, while a single loader performs the work of 15 olive pickers, according to our estimates.

“We also chose the Bobcat T770 Track Loaders for the renown of the Bobcat brand, which is well known the world over for reliability, as well as the support and aftersales service of GGM, our dealer, covering us for any unforeseen event. Once the harvest has begun, the machines must not fail. The fruit must be picked at the ideal moment, determined by the plantation owner according to the intended use. GGM gives us the peace of mind we need. As official Bobcat distributor in our area, they have considerable experience in our sector. Guillermo García Muñoz, their founder, invented the harvesting system for Bobcat loaders specifically for Andalusian olive groves – a testament to the company’s enduring commitment to and involvement with our market.

“The great number of attachments available for this loader is another point worth noting. In addition to the bucket, we have a Bobcat backhoe, which we use for various maintenance tasks.

“After many years of experience and after numerous harvests with these compact loaders, we can say with confidence: Bobcat has become a benchmark in the Andalusian olive tree sector,” Francisco Bujalance concluded.

2018 Andalusian olive harvest performed by 6 Bobcat loaders with olive tree shaker attachments:
160,000 olive trees
800 hectares
5,000 tonnes of olives
100 days
6000 hours
6 Bobcat loaders equipped with umbrellas and vibrating clamps

For more information about Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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