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8 The Forgotten Industry “Multi-Hog” power unit under evaluation as a prime mover.
Civil unrest, recession (double-dip or otherwise), government cuts, high unemployment, rising fuel prices, doom and gloom, sometimes makes you wonder if it’s all worthwhile.Then you look at our industry and what it produces: phenomenal landscape construction at the Olympics, a successful Green Flag programme and some of the best sports turf management in Europe. Not bad from an industry that often seems to get forgotten.
THE
FORGOTTEN ut why are we forgotten? We’re all too aware of the cuts affecting local authorities and the need for them to make savings whilst maintaining reasonable standards in our towns and cities. Along with these pressures, our sector is bounced between other industries and their regulations as and when convenient – agriculture for fuel use and health & safety,VOSA and the road haulage industry for vehicles – with training and development dependent on which sector has what to spend.
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THINKING A BIT DIFFERENTLY Whilst there are numerous manufacturers of ground-care and landscaping machinery in the market place, the UK industry has been slow to follow the example of some of our European cousins in thinking a bit differently and making the man/woman and the machine do a bit more. Agriculture has been doing it for several years. Instead, we seem to follow a more traditional, “if it ain’t broke don’t change it” philosophy, which is seen every so often in tenders which ask for the playing fields to be seeded using a “contravator”, or allow the use of a “multi-mower”.
Manufacturers are not immune from the government cuts. Common sense dictates that if we’re not buying then they’re not selling. | October 2011 | Volume 1 | Issue 2
INDUSTRY
Manufacturers are not immune from the government cuts. Common sense dictates that if we’re not buying then they’re not selling, and there’s also the added pressure from foreign markets keen to get a piece of the action. We all look to get the best value for money in the equipment we purchase; do you buy cheap and replace more often, or pay more and look to extend the machine’s life? The market is awash with equipment to suit all pockets and inclinations. There is however a third option which is to think outside the box and invest in versatility.That’s not always easy when you consider the range of tasks undertaken in an average grounds contract, but within the landscaping sector, the world is your oyster. European manufacturers have long since seen the advantage of the multi-function tool-carrier: one power unit to cut grass, sweep paths, cut hedges, clear snow, prepare ground, the list goes on. We are not just an industry that demands different tyres on our tractors. Clients who have traditionally specified cylinder mowing in their parks and housing are now looking to save cost and may opt to rotary mow.That’s difficult to achieve when you have a fleet of triple mowers, though easier if the cylinder units could be replaced with rotary decks. For larger tractors the problem is more difficult and more expensive to address, especially when you consider fuel costs. Gone are the carefree
ABOUT THE AUTHOR An agriculturist by profession, I spent several years working on arable farms in central Scotland before starting with VSO in Egypt implementing a mechanisation program, managing field operations for a large commercial cotton plantation in Nigeria and as a contract instructor for Massey Ferguson in Yemen. During this time I also spent a year at Silsoe where I gained an MSc in Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation Management. A serious road accident saw my return to the UK where upon recovery I joined Glendale as machinery manager in March l994 where I stayed until 2009, albeit with a short spell as account manager for the IPU group. I left Glendale as Company Engineer in December 2009 to join The Landscape Group as Group Head of Assets and fleet. Angus Lindsay alindsay@thelandscapegroup.co.uk days of red diesel use, an unfortunate result of our unpublished alignment with the agricultural sector, the question to ponder is, “when is a tractor not a tractor?”. N www.pro-landscaper.co.uk