The success of the Etesia and Pellenc brands in the UK has been recognised at the company’s re-launched ‘Partners in Excellence’ awards, which were held in November at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.

The ceremony followed a day of new product launches for the 2013 season and a hands-on product test session. The Awards were given to the dealerships which have delivered the best performance over the previous 12 months, not solely in terms of sales but also in backup, sales and service support including marketing of both brands.

The evening started with Patrick Vives, President of Etesia SAS congratulating all Etesia and Pellenc dealers in a tough economic climate: “As we have seen from past events, this process does more than simply recognizing the great work already done; it also provides encouragement and impetus to dealers to continue working towards building a robust business and making the Etesia and Pellenc brands the success that they already are.”

Introducing the winners, Les Malin, UK General Manager for Etesia said: “We have built our reputation on not only our innovative products but also the dealers who sell them.”

Awarded the prestigious ‘Overall Partner of the Year’ award was RT Machinery of Buckinghamshire. “RT Machinery has not only demonstrated outstanding performance across all market sectors and product ranges, but they have also shown tremendous commitment to both Etesia and Pellenc, and without exception they continue to dominate their area. They thoroughly deserve all three of their awards and in particular the title of Etesia ‘Partner of the Year,” said Malin.

The complete list of winners were as follows:

New partner of the year – Balmers Garden Machinery, Lancashire.

Best marketing and promotion for 2012 – RT Machinery, Buckinghamshire.

Best Etesia ride-on sales 2012 – Angus Chainsaws, Arbroath.

Best Etesia pedestrian sales 2012 – Alex McDougall Mowers, East Kilbride.

Best Attila sales 2012 – RT Machinery, Buckinghamshire.

Pellenc partner of the year 2012 – Tomlinson Groundcare, Suffolk.

Etesia partner of the year 2012 – RT Machinery, Buckinghamshire.

The awards then handed over to professional Ricky Gervais look-a-like Tim Oliver to give his unique take on business management.

Barton Grange Landscapes, one of the largest landscape maintenance companies in the North West, have recently taken delivery of a further two Etesia H124’s from local dealer Balmers Garden Machinery.

The Barton Grange Group of companies dates back to 1945. Fast forward 67 years, the group comprises not only the landscape maintenance business, which was started in 1957, but also a 51-bedroom 4-star luxury hotel, two garden centres as well as three large plant nurseries and currently employs around 700 people.

“We’ve used Etesia machines for the past 12 years,” said Peter Topping, Managing Director. “We chose Etesia after several successful trials because we were looking for a machine with a high-tip facility. The machine we were using at the time didn’t have this and so we looked at the market to see what was available.”

Barton Grange Landscapes has secured grounds maintenance contracts with a wide range of customers in the public and private sectors throughout the North West of England, and maintain sports grounds, play areas, NHS sites, schools, local authority and governments, business parks as well as all types of private and commercial properties with annual contracts ranging in value from £500 to over £150,000.

“As a company, we are determined to provide all of our customers with the best possible service, and the acquisition of these new mowers will play a vital role in us achieving this goal regarding grass cutting.”

Etesia’s Hydro 124D, with a 1.24 metre cutting width, is the first mower that combines direct rear-ejection, inter-grated collection and high-lift emptying (patented). Designed to mow up to 19,000 square metres per hour, the 600 litre grass box has been designed to be filled to capacity every time, whilst it can be emptied out at any height from floor level up to a maximum of 1.8 metres without leaving the driver’s seat, making it one of the most highly efficient commercial mowers on the market.

There is also a Bio version available – the H124B, which uses B30 petrol (30% ester of biomass and 70% diesel) and biodegradable oils and greases. The range of Hydro 124’s all have a front PTO for accessories which include sweeper, snow blade, scarifier, front-mounted cutting unit and blower ensuring that the mower can be instantly turned into a all-year-round work horse.

Derrick Robertson, Barton Grange Landscape’s Yard and Machinery Manager added: “We use Etesia because it’s the best machine on the market for the job we need it for.

“It does a good job, they are reliable and also the machines are user friendly. In particular, our operatives like the hydrostatic and hi-lift features which with only two levers and no confusing buttons is very easy to use.”

The 42-acre Hurlingham Club beside the Thames at Fulham in west London, probably the most prestigious private sporting club in the country, is introducing Pellenc battery-powered equipment into its grounds maintenance repertoire.

Grounds Manager Peter Craig is doing this to lower noise levels and make the jobs of hedge trimming and leaf blowing more comfortable for his staff.  

Last year Peter bought two Pellenc Airion leaf blowers and a Helion hedge trimmer from equipment supplier Surrey Power, and earlier this year added a further one of each.

The Hurlingham Club has 13,500 members and a 15-year waiting list. Outdoor facilities there include 30 grass tennis courts, 10 croquet lawns, a cricket ground, two bowling greens, a small golf course, and a 2-acre lake, which feeds an irrigation system. The presentation of the grounds is what makes the club so special, but being in a residential area does pose problems for Peter.

“We have over 100 trees in the grounds and leaf fall is a consequential hazard of such a lovely environment,” said Peter, who has over 30 years experience in groundsmanship.

“Keeping the grass playing surfaces and all the paths and roadways clear is a daily task, even in summer with such fluctuating weather and anthracnose causing debris from our many plain trees.  Our biggest problem has been the noise that leaf clearing makes and it’s been difficult keeping both local residents and our members happy.

“Most of our grass courts are on the perimeter of the grounds which means we have to clear them before members arrive for play. In the past, we haven’t been able to use any machine before 8.00am to avoid disturbing the neighbourhood, but even after that some local residents have complained about the noise from our petrol blowers.

“The new Pellenc blowers mean we can start as early as 7.00am and nobody can hear them. It’s made a massive difference. No annoyance to locals, members having clear courts for early play and everywhere looks tidy ahead of our earliest arrivals.”

The Hurlingham grounds have a wide variety of ornamental and practical hedging – lonicera, cotoneasta, fagus (beech), lagustrum, laurel, box, yew, chameacyparis – each with different trimming needs. The problem for Peter and his staff here has not been the noise of the job, but the discomfort of using a petrol-powered machine for long periods of time.

“Hedge trimming doesn’t cause noise difficulties with our neighbours because the job can be done at any time. The benefit here of switching to battery-powered trimmers is the ease of use. They are so much lighter, yet just as effective as petrol machines, and of course quieter, free of fumes, and without potential harmful vibration.”

Peter sees battery power as the way forward for essential routine work like this. He is finding that one of his new Pellenc Helion hedge trimmers can be in use all day on a single charge and he gets up to three hours work out of one of the Airion blowers. His plan over time is to replace all of his petrol machines, as they come to the end of their operational life, with Pellenc battery units.

The 4-speed Pellenc Airion hand-held blower with back-pack lithium battery weighs 2.6 kg and has a noise level of just 80 db. The Helion hedge trimmer, also with back-pack lithium battery and weighing just 3 kg, has a pivoting handle and a range of cutting heads.

Look out for a man on a mower on the roads of the UK over the coming weeks. An epic Mowerthon is under way. One man is driving 1,250 miles on an Etesia H124 ride-on mower to raise £10,000 and awareness for national horticulture charity Perennial.

Perennial provides free, confidential advice, emotional support and financial assistance to people of all ages working in or retired from horticulture and their spouses, partners and children. The charity helps professionals such as gardeners, landscapers, tree surgeons, greenkeepers, plantsmen and groundsmen Its work depends entirely on voluntary donations from the horticulture industry and the garden-loving public, and the funds raised from the Mowerthon will be invaluable to the charity’s ongoing work to help individuals and families such as that of John Foley, BBC Young Gardener of the Year 2012:

“Perennial helped my family when my Dad became ill and all the family went through a difficult time. The Caseworker visited us regularly. They paid for my school trips and driving lessons so I could drive the van to flower shows. And they helped me access funding so I could go to Askham Bryan Horticultural College and complete my studies. Now I have a wonderful future and life is good for me.”

The ‘HortAid Mowerthon’ will see Phil Voice of the Landscape Juice Network driving the Etesia ride-on mower from Bergerac in France all the way to John O’Groats in Scotland. Phil set off on his 1,250 mile (2,000 km) journey on 1st October from his home in France and landed on to UK soil in Portsmouth on Saturday 6 October 2012.

Phil explains his motivation: “I’m always thinking of ways to help, and sitting at my desk one day I thought about walking from Lands’ End to John O’Groats to raise money for charity, but this had already been done,” commented Phil. “I then had a brainwave. Why not do it on a mower? Better still, why not do it from my home in France? After an email to Les Malin at Etesia UK which he forwarded to Patrick Vives, Etesia’s President, they offered a machine with their full support.”

Phil is calling on motorists, gardeners and horticulturalists from across the UK to show their support by honking and tweeting if you spot him (#mowerthon #iveseenphil), following his progress via the Landscape Juice Network blog and donating online or via free text. (Text HORT47 to 70070 or visit www.justgiving.com/mowerthon)

Phil will be supported by Etesia, their dealers and staff in France and the UK throughout his journey. The mower, used by local authorities and gardeners, has been fitted with a cab to cope with the unpredictable weather and has a top speed of just 10mph, yet he hopes to complete the journey in around two weeks.

Forecourt Fuels Ltd, one of the UK’s largest fixed price fuel card providers has supplied Phil with a fuel card at cost price for his UK leg. Tremendous support has also been received from a wide range of UK landscape companies including South East England based Affinity Landscapes, a commercial landscape maintenance and grounds care business, which has pledged to cover 50% of the fuel bill, keeping costs to Perennial at a minimum.

Social media will play a huge part in securing further free services en route including accommodation and refreshments.

The new Etesia duocut range of mowers is extremely versatile, and is capable of mowing with or without collection in all conditions, or for high-quality mulching. And they do all that with no need for an accessory.

That high performance is possible thanks to the Duocut concept which is the perfect combination between 100% collection and 100% mulching decks, without compromising the results of either of the functions. Changing the mowing system is easy: just place the removable insert under the deck if you want to mulch. Remove the insert if you prefer to mow with or without collection. There is no need what-so-ever for a tool or blade change. The insert completes the shape of the deck to form a smooth surface with no roughness, allowing the grass to move easily for incomparably superior mulching.    
                  
Excellent mulching results with a very high collection performance, even if the grass is long and wet is compacted in the 56 litre grass collection box, which comes complete with box filling indicator. The mower has a forward speed of 3.6 km/h and can work on Slopes of up to 18% or 10°.

Comfort

The mowers come, as standard with a height adjustable handle bar with three positions and folded position. Recessed handle bar shape to keep your hands safe while mowing close to an obstacle (wall, tree etc.)

There is a comfortable coating on the handle bar, and effortless control maintenance. Centralised adjustment of the cutting height with 7 positions from 28 to 88 mm and a digital cutting height indicator.

Duocut mowers think of their users, with low handlebar vibrations (3 m/s² (ahw).

Models available:

RMCS- push, Kohler courage engine, 18″ (46cm) Xenoy deck, includes mulch insert, and grass box.

RMCB- Single speed, Kohler courage engine, 18″ (46cm) Xenoy deck, includes mulch insert, and grass box.

There will also be Honda powered variable speed model to follow shortly.

RM41T- Single speed, Kohler engine, 16″ (41cm) Xenoy deck, includes mulch insert, and grass box.

RM41S- Push, Kohler engine, 16″ (41cm) Xenoy deck, includes mulch insert, and grass box.

The mower comes as standard with a three-year warranty and deck with 10-year warranty for private use.