Lands cape & Ame ni t y
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December 2018 03 Product News 03
w w w . l a n d s c a p e a n d a m e n i t y. c o m
Special Feature Spotlight on the vibrant Play & Activity sector
Product innovation sets the tone for a successful year SALTEX 2018 provided a clear indication on the state of the industry as a whole with a significant proportion of the 300plus exhibitors launching new products and services. Innovation was very much one of the key words of the event, with innovation being evident across the board, from the major machinery manufacturers, to the turf care specialists and hard landscaping sector. At this year’s two-day event, Sherriff Amenity’s PrecisionPro, a dedicated spots turf app designed to help users measure, calibrate and apply granular products, was named winner of the 2018 Innovation Award. The longlist for the award highlighted the rich diversity of product innovation we saw at SALTEX and indeed which has been evident across the whole industry throughout 2018. From EGO Power Products’ POWERLOAD Line Trimmer (a new line trimmer with a fully automatic line re-loading system), to a series of paving joints and sealants from
Block Blitz, the list included launches from Trimax, Lantra, PSD Groundscare, TH White Machinery Imports, Allett Mowers and Etesia. It also featured McConnel’s new ROBOCUT (pictured), an all-terrain remote-control work platform that boosts safety, productivity and efficiency. The range comprises two new models, ROBOCUT RC56 and RC75 which surpass all expectations with an exciting new ground up design which incorporates the very latest advancements in technology. The new models boast more power, an advanced feature set and a revolutionary control system for greater output, safety and control. Another finalist in the SALTEX award was the unique superduty utility, the Outcross 9060, which featured on Reesink Turfcare’s stand. Jeff Anguige, national sales manager for Reesink, said: “It combines the best elements of a tractor with a utility vehicle and delivers a machine that can
do the work of multiple machines in one compact package.” Powered by a 59.8-horsepower Yanmar liquid-cooled diesel engine, the Outcross can tow up to 16,000lbs and has an optional cargo bed that can hold 4,500lbs of materials. It simplifies operation, optimises power and brings the option of dozens of attachments to perform hundreds of tasks.
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), a member of the commissioning
group, is now calling on government officials to give meaningful support to landscaping in the UK. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills said, “Finally, BALI and its members, who have been providing professional landscape services since the early seventies, can now see the true extent of what the landscape services industry contributes to the UK economy every year. “Landscape services also supports 278,300 jobs, of which 196,300 are directly employed which is 53% of the total
Rounding up a successful 2018 event.
SALTEX The new autonomous TinyLineMarker (TLM) from Rigby Taylor at SALTEX 2018 proved so popular that two companies ordered TLM units at the show. TLM has been developed for hands-free initial and overmarking – and it is fast, simple to operate and light and easy to transport. Combining the latest GPS technology with Rigby Taylor’s award-winning Impact ready-to-use paint, TLM takes the input of pitch line dimensions and multiple pitches via an App and repositions them to best fit the
Multi-billion pound industry must be taken seriously A new industry report, commissioned by the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG), to establish the total size, breadth and contribution of the UK’s ornamental horticulture and landscaping sector, has revealed that landscape services generated a total of £11.6bn GDP contributions in 2017. That amounts to a staggering 47.9% of the total GDP footprint of the sector (55% of which were direct contributions worth £6.8bn).
SALTEX Review
ornamental horticulture and landscape employment market. “Establishing the size of our industry will add considerable weight to our government lobbying through a series of ‘asks’ that are detailed in a soon-to-be-published APPGHG Inquiry into Horticulture report to which BALI has also made a significant contribution.” BALI
Page 15 site. Once stored, the lines are never lost. Initial marking of a standard size football pitch takes less than 20 minutes, including all perimeter lines, penalty boxes, the ‘D’, centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot - all with just one touch on the tablet control without the operator having physical contact with the machine. Even pitches with fixed post sockets can be marked.
lines that last longer than other paints. TLM is able to mark football pitches (any length/ width), and rugby union and league pitches, as well as multi-lane athletic tracks, tennis, lacrosse and American football pitches.
TLM operators have virtually no contact with the ready-to-use Impact paint either, as a flow tube is simply inserted into the paint container and the machine is ready to produce bright white
Hedge & Verge Jane Carley’s report on the latest innovations.
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Playground closures go into freefall The Association of Play Industries has completed new research to update figures showing that playgrounds continue to close at an alarming rate. In April 2017, the Association of Play Industries Nowhere toPlay report first uncovered the state of playground decline in England, revealing the closure of hundreds of playgrounds. Now the API has once again asked local authorities to disclose
current and planned playground closures and found by 2020/21 there will have been a decrease in spend on play facilities of 44% since 2017/18, and local authorities estimate a decrease in their spending on playgrounds of £25m by 2021. •
Full details of the report can be found in our Play & Activity supplement on page 11.
Machinery, Plant & Vehicles Latest products & case studies.
API
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SHOW NO MERCY. The Ransomes HM600. The HM600 has been built in collaboration with Müthing to deliver a robust, reliable mower with the ability to tackle the toughest jobs, and the finesse to manoeuvre tight spaces while providing a quality after-cut appearance. From a clean, fine, rolled finish across sports pitches to routine cuts, the HM600 leaves an even spread of mulched clippings. It also tackles the irregular cuts, bringing the lesser maintained areas back under control. Visit www.ransomesHM600.com to watch the machine working and book a demo with your local dealer. © 2018 Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.