Tag Archive for: Innovation

Kubota Establish Innovation Centres

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Kubota Establish Innovation Centres: Kubota Corporation (Headquarters: Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan; President and Representative Director: Masatoshi Kimata; hereinafter referred to as “Kubota”) is establishing Innovation Centers in Japan and Europe as organs for the creation of new business ventures, products, and services in Kubota’s fields of business including agriculture and construction. Working together with external partners, the Innovation Centers will advance open innovation for proactive engagement with ICT, AI, and other advanced technologies, and accelerate the creation of new business, products, and services.

Kubota Establish Innovation Centres

Background and Aims

・To date, Kubota has pursued the development of products responsive to the needs of customers mainly through specialized development departments for each of its product lines, such as agricultural machinery and construction machinery, working in partnership with an in-house research and development department in charge of advanced technologies and component technologies. At present Kubota is developing and strengthening its research and development bases both within Japan and internationally to respond to business globalization and product line expansion.

・At the same time, in order to respond to changing customer needs such as the rising awareness of food safety, environmental conservation, and other aspects of social sustainability, the company needs to deliver new forms of value such as “system solutions” utilizing ICT, AI, and other advanced technologies, beyond the existing product lines. These technologies are evolving at an increasingly rapid pace, and in order to engage with them in a timely manner it is essential to pursue partnerships (open innovation) with venture businesses, companies in other industries, universities, research institutes, and other external partners.

・It is for this purpose that Kubota is establishing its new Innovation Centers, which will take the lead in planning and proposing new business activities, products, and services that transcend existing boundaries between different product lines, promote open innovation through investment in and joint research with external partners, and seek to create new forms of value that surpass customers’ expectations.

・In order to respond attentively to regional needs, Innovation Centers will be established in both Japan and Europe. The company will also consider establishing centers in other regions in the future.

 Outline of the New Organization

Name Innovation Center
Role Surveys and planning for the creation of new business activities, products, and services in the fields of agriculture and construction, and commercialization thereof
Timing of establishment June 2019 (Japan) / July 2019 (Europe)

For more information on Kubota, please visit www.kubota-global.net or www.kubota-eu.com.

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Husqvarna Innovation At BTME

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Husqvarna Innovation At BTME: Husqvarna, the world’s leading producer of forest, park and garden equipment returns to BTME this year, showcasing a range of new products and innovations from Tuesday 22 – Thursday 24 January 2019. Commercial battery and Automower® products will be on show alongside the latest updates to Husqvarna Fleet Services at stand 112 in the BLUE ZONE. Highlighted at this year’s show will be…

Commercial Robotic Mowing

Husqvarna will be showcasing the latest range of robotic mowers designed specifically for commercial applications. The commercial Automower® range for 2019 consists of the Automower® 520, Automower® 550 and the highly anticipated Automower® 535 AWD capable of maintaining slopes up to 70%. Husqvarna will display the new Automower® machines and will have real life examples of Automower® cutting in amenity, public places, parks, golf courses, airports and more. 500-series Automower® are equipped with Husqvarna Fleet Services, allowing complete control of all robotic mowers, no matter how many are in the fleet from a computer or smart phone.

Husqvarna Innovation At BTME

Commercial Battery Products

Husqvarna commercial battery products are specifically designed for professional applications, with low vibrations, all day capabilities, all weather and durable use. Customers can be sure that battery products will perform to the highest level for their business whilst also helping to save them money.

On display at BTME 2019 will be the complete range of Husqvarna 500-series handheld battery products which offer businesses a performance which is equivalent to petrol machines, coupled with the benefit of ergonomic use, low noise and flexibility as well as a range of different battery options.

Commercial Lawn Care

P 524EFi commercial front mower will be showcased, allowing visitors to learn more about its advanced and efficient electronic fuel injection engine and uncompromising performance. The high capacity, compact commercial front mower offers excellent manoeuvrability in complex areas for professionals.

Alongside Husqvarna commercial front mowers, the company will showcase walk behind lawnmowers in the form of the LC 551SP & LB 553S which demonstrate excellent cutting performance and commercial durability.

Husqvarna Fleet Services 2.0

Husqvarna Fleet Services 2.0 brings the latest in managing small or large fleets of equipment to your desktop computer, tablet or mobile device – keeping all information in one place. Fleet Services reports where products are being used and allows the user to generate fleet audits at the touch of a button, alongside other features such as: maintenance monitoring, runtime and usage style for training. In addition, fleet utilisation now also gives the user the ability to give certain information across other brands and products.

Come and visit Husqvarna at stand 112 in the BLUE ZONE to see how our products can help save your business time and money.

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Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

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Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award: On day one of SALTEX 2018 at the NEC, Sherriff Amenity’s ground-breaking new app, PrecisionPro, was announced as the winner of the second, annual SALTEX Innovation Award.

Established at the show in 2017, the SALTEX Innovation Award was created to encourage innovation excellence and celebrate the best products within the groundscare industry. The award is bestowed on projects that have a significant impact and ultimately make life easier for the person using them.

Sherriff Scoop Innovation Award

This year’s award received a record number of high quality entries from across the UK and beyond – spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment. With the entries submitted and rigorously evaluated by an independent panel of judges, it was decided that there were three stand-out innovations – the Toro Outcross 9060 from Reesink Turfcare, PrecisionPro from Sherriff Amenity and the ROBOCUT from McConnel.

The three finalists were given a final opportunity to impress the judges as they took to the stage in the all new Innovation Hub. Representatives from each company delivered a product presentation in front of a packed audience causing the judges much deliberation before making their final decision.

Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro was pronounced the overall winner. Second place went to the Toro Outcross 9060; a super-duty utility vehicle, designed specifically to simplify the groundsman’s day-to-day turf maintenance jobs. Third place went to the McConnel ROBOCUT; an all-terrain remote-control work platform that boosts safety, productivity and efficiency.

The winning innovation, PrecisionPro, is a dedicated app for sports turf to measure any area, guide the operator in calibrating a spreader for any granular product and also help apply fertilisers accurately.

According to Sherriff Amenity, PrecisionPro was created due to the common issue of turf managers misjudging green/sport surface size which often results in problems such as over applying or under applying fertilisers – both of which can have a negative effect on turf performance, disease and budget.

PrecisionPro allows turf managers to have an accurate measured area by simply opening the app and walking the perimeter of the area. Calibrating spreaders has always been a difficult task but with the Calibrate feature in the PrecisionPro app, users are guided through each step of the process. Furthermore, its advanced GPS functionality informs the user when to start and stop the calibration process.

The app also features a function to ensure that every operator walks at the same speed – if someone is walking too fast or too slow then they are alerted by colour coded screens. As well as calculating the g/m2 and the operator’s walking speed, the Apply feature ultimately ensures that the exact amount of nutrition is being applied to the turf.

Commenting on the award, Karl Parry, Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro developer, said:

“We are really excited to win this award. PrecisionPro has been a long time in the making but it has all been made worthwhile now. SALTEX was the official launch of the app and after we won the award people kept coming onto the stand to find out more about it, so the word definitely got round at the show.

“I’m really proud of the whole team because it has been a big collaborative effort.”

For more information visit www.iogsaltex.com

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Innovation Award Finalists Announced

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Innovation Award Finalists Announced: The three finalists have been announced for the Innovation Award at SALTEX 2018, with Reesink Turfcare, Sherriff Amenity and McConnel competing to get their hands on the prize.

After making its successful debut at last year’s show, the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award attracted even more entries from various exhibitors across the globe and included a wide variety of high-quality products, services and equipment.

Innovation Award Finalists Announced

Judged by an independent panel of industry experts it was decided that the Toro Outcross 9060 from Reesink Turfcare, PrecisionPro from Sherriff Amenity and a product that cannot yet be named from McConnel were the stand out entries.

The final three companies will now take to the stage on the first day of SALTEX in the all new Innovation Hub (stand K021) from 11.30am to 12.35pm. A representative from each will take place to offer a great insight into their respective innovations and answer questions from Innovation Hub host Kevin Lynch – a former referee and current football speaker.

The winner’s ceremony will then commence in the Innovation Hub at 2:30pm where the overall winner will be announced.

Innovation Hub visitors can also expect interviews with industry experts and those at the forefront of new groundscare innovations and listen to research and trial work findings. Furthermore, a number of key speakers will take to the stage to discuss and explore current groundscare trends.

Kevin Lynch and IOG CEO Geoff Webb will kick-start proceedings at 11:00am on the first day of SALTEX by commenting on what most would agree has been a golden period in innovation in sports turf over the last 10-15 years.

A panel debate featuring Horticulture Week’s Sally Drury, IOG regional pitch advisor Rob Donnelly and IOG learning programme architect Chris Gray will take place shortly after. The panel will be providing an update on new technology in groundscare and will have their say on what key developments they feel have had a significant impact on the industry.

It is no surprise that digital media is being utilised by many within the industry and this topic will be explored in the next session.

The loss of important active ingredients is becoming more frequent than ever and a number of products are being taken off the market, especially in regards to pest management – so an expert panel will be exploring alternative solutions.

This will be followed by sessions on what’s new in grass cultivars, cordless machinery and robotics.

Reinforced pitches for cricket and tennis will be the final topic of the day with turf consultant Alex Vickers, ECB pitch advisor Chris Wood and Neil Stubley from the AELTC – who will discuss their views.

The Innovation Hub will conclude with the SALTEX 2018 Innovation Award winner’s ceremony.

The programme of events will be replicated on day two of SALTEX.

SALTEX 2018 is free to attend. To register your attendance and beat the queues visit www.iogsaltex.com

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Innovation Success For EGO

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Innovation Success For EGO: A new cordless line trimmer from EGO has claimed two awards for innovation at top European trade exhibitions.

The technology was awarded with GaLaBau’s Innovation Medal in Nuremberg, and a Technology Innovation Award at Bologne’s EIMA exhibition.

Innovation Success For EGO

The cordless outdoor power equipment specialist received the coveted accolades for its ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology; the industry’s first line trimmer tool with a fully automatic line re-loading system.

Entering the European market in 2019, POWERLOAD™ removes the need for the fiddly and frustrating process of loading new line – a problem that anyone who has used a garden line trimmer is all too familiar with.

To load the ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology, users simply insert the trimmer line through the head of the tool. After a push on its green activation button, the automatic re-loading system then perfectly winds the line onto the spool in less than five seconds… and it’s ready to go!

After beating 105 unique entries for the Innovation Medal award, The Federal Association of Garden, Landscape and Sports Facilities presented EGO with the Innovation Medal at GaLaBau – Europe’s leading exhibition for the design, construction and maintenance of urban, green and open spaces.

Innovation Success For EGO

Similarly, the line trimmer technology will be recognised in November at EIMA as winner of its Technology Innovation Contest. The competition acknowledges genuinely innovative machines, accessories or components capable of improving productive procedures and the quality of the work of operators in the sector.

Like all EGO products, the ST1510E – Power+ Line Trimmer featuring POWERLOAD™ technology uses a 56 volt Arc Lithium battery, engineered to match or surpass the performance of petrol powered outdoor power tools.

The unique battery technology has an innovative design to maximise battery cooling and in turn provide users with the industry’s highest energy capacity in a hand held battery. This allows users to complete jobs with less noise, less fuss and no harmful fumes.

 Vince Brauns, European Product Manager at EGO, said: “Since the line trimmer was invented in the 1970s, gardeners, landscapers and consumers have all been continuously plagued by the difficult task of re-loading new line.

“Our POWERLOADTM technology truly is a first of its kind and will finally put an end to these frustrations. We are delighted to have won the GaLaBau Innovation Medal and EIMA Technology Innovation contest and will continue to develop our cordless outdoor power products and make the lives of our customers easier and easier.”

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