FOCUSSED FOOTFALL

And serious buyers

Service Dealer editor, Steve Gibbs, writes . . .

After what has been a challenging season for many, SALTEX took place this week at the Birmingham NEC - clearly determined to put on their best show possible.

The consensus I gathered from conversations with stand holders and visitors around the new halls was that it was a decent, if more compact, show.

Many stand holders told me they had a degree of trepidation, or uncertainty, before the doors were opened on Wednesday morning. Coming so soon after a successful GroundsFest, pre-show there were concerns regarding whether the end-user commercial customers - and indeed the dealers - would turn up to another turf machinery exhibition?

I don't know actual figures yet, but from observing the busyness of the aisles, to me it felt like the show began quietly, filled to a good buzz between 10am and 1pm and then eased down to a more relaxed hum until closing time. Whatever the actual numbers turn out to be, there certainly seemed to be enough punters to create an atmosphere. Importantly, according to many who I chatted with, those that were there, were the right people.

SALTEX has always enjoyed the reputation of being the higher-end business show. And of good news for those trepidatious exhibitors, I heard that this was the case once again. Several stand holders told me they met customers this week who they might not have discovered otherwise - the smaller, more obscure groundscare companies. Also plenty of Irish and European visitors were coming on to stands.  And alongside these, SALTEX is still attracting the top-level UK sporting facility representatives. There were major football, rugby and cricket turf professionals walking the showfloor, who the machinery exhibitors are always keen to meet.

But what about dealers? There were definitely some in attendance. I spotted various teams from some of our larger, multi-branched readers. But perhaps there were fewer representatives of the smaller dealerships who we would've bumped into in previous years? This is, of course, all anecdotal on my part, based on my observations. So please do let us know in the comments below if you did or didn't attend this year and your reasons why.

One dealer who I did speak to, summed up the show from their perspective when they said to me, "This event is becoming more about the people I can speak to, rather than the machinery. Because I can do all the machinery in two hours."

Which is a fair point. There were certainly fewer equipment players in attendance than some years. AL-KO, Kress, Toro, Honda, DeWalt, Makita, Overton and Briggs & Stratton were obvious omissions. The new halls felt like a smaller space than before and as a consequence I think a dealer could get round their suppliers in not too long. 

Maybe in future years the split along the GroundsFest and SALTEX attendance will see more dealers continue to go to Stoneleigh (certainly if several manufacturers keep holding their get-togethers there), with the GMA's members supporting this long-standing event? It will certainly be interesting to observe.

Around the halls

With that overview in mind, here is what some key exhibitors of interest to Service Dealer's readers were talking about:

Husqvarna said they were busy with plenty of quality stand visitors. Andrew Lees, their global segment manager for robotics, told me there has been a real step-change in recent years in turf professionals' views on the use of robotic mowers in commercial settings. They no longer come along to the stand to be convinced - they are there to learn more and to expand their usage. Especially since the launch of the Ceora which was on show, top sporting venues are embracing the technology.

Kubota (who were stand-sharing with Baroness once again) had machines on their stand that demonstrated a full-integration of their recent acquisitions. From the Gianni Ferrari factory, was the FC4-411 front centre collect mower, that Henry Bredin said filled a gap in their line-up. Also on show from the Escort range was the EK1-261 compact tractor which Henry said was proving especially popular with grassroots sports clubs who have tight budgets and are looking for a reliable machine. Also of interest to dealers, the company were promoting their new Terrako online parts look-up and ordering system. This portal allowed users to easily find the part they were after and then order through a Kubota dealer. I was told that after having launched the system at the recent Plantworx, it was gathering momentum and finding favour with dealers.

 

AriensCo featured the new AS Motor TAHR remote steep slope mower. UK general manager, Sam Lewis said that the machine offered great efficiency due to its open rotary mower deck and bi-directional cutting system, which means there is no need for operators to turn after each pass. Also on stand were the commercial Ariens zero-turn mowers that Sam said there was a growing market for in the UK amongst the likes of parks and playing fields.

EGO's well populated stand featured their new range of robotic mowers, including the AURA-R2. All these robots feature the company's Path IQ system which they say allows the machines to read the space in which they are working, navigate obstacles with ease, and stay on course for a clean cut.

 

STIHL's national sales manager, Wayne Stone (pictured with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke) , said they had been pleased with the show's turnout, with quality decision-makers coming on their stand. As well as new charging options, also featured on their display were the new BRA 600 blower and the ASA 140 hedgetrimmer.

Cramer's John McCready told me they had enjoyed some good conversations on their stand with a variety of commercial end-users interested in their range of battery-powered tools. He said their new charging options were proving popular, as were their mowers, blowers and robotic solutions.

STIGA were promoting their recent appointment as official Groundskeeping Partner of the RFU. As part of this new role I heard from Amanda Kincaid and Sam Fletcher how the company will be donating their robotic mowers to rugby clubs across the country who need them. Also taking pride of place ahead of its 2026 launch on their award-winning stand, was the APX Pro professional-grade autonomous robotic mower designed for large areas, such as municipal grounds and sports pitches.

Iseki made a couple of big announcements. Firstly md David Withers announced he was retiring at the end of the year and handing the reins over to Alan Prickett (see separate story). And secondly that they were celebrating their 100th anniversary. They had special liveried tractor on the stand to celebrate - alongside the new GPS Raymow remote controlled mowers.

Cobra featured the new Fortis stadium mower prominently on their eye-catching stand. MD, Peter Chaloner said that the show had seen the product garner a lot of interest from European grounds staff who had come onto their stand - especially football clubs. They had also seen good enquiries coming through from bowls and cricket facilities.

Price Turfcare had an interesting space in which to work with their Ventrac machine. A large, cordoned-off area at the end of the hall allowed them to, once an hour, practically demonstrate both the driven and remote controlled versions' abilities to deal with uneven terrain and traverse steep slopes - with a ramp set up onto a flat back truck. These demo sessions attracted good-sized crowds and stood out from the rest of the static stands at the show. 

Grillo had plenty to view on their stand, including the new Climber 9.22S hydrostatic ride-on brushcutter. MD Steve Gadsby said they had received some new end-user enquiries at the show, which is why they attend, as well as it being useful for brand exposure.

Looking ahead

I think all-in-all, those who both exhibited and visited SALTEX will have left satisfied. Coming off the back of a season that plenty of stand-holders described to me as incredibly challenging (or in a couple of cases, their worst ever), having the shop window of the GMA's show to display their wares to the top echelons of the professional turf care sector will have been important. 

One theme stood out: robotics and autonomous solutions are no longer emerging trends but firm fixtures. Exhibitors repeatedly told me that turf professionals are now embracing these technologies, not just exploring them. Dealers will no doubt be watching this shift closely.

As SALTEX closes its doors for another year, the hope is that the strong conversations and promising leads generated this week turn into meaningful partnerships and sales for our dealer readers.