Roundup

Reesink
roundup

Brand brings update

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2020 WAS A YEAR OF MISSED EVENTS, SHOWS AND AWARDS, BUT REESINK STILL HAD NEWS TO SHARE AND UPDATES TO BRING, NEW INNOVATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY TO TALK ABOUT AND NEW NAMES AND FACES TO INTRODUCE. HERE REESINK’S MANAGING DIRECTOR, DAVID COLE, TALKS ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF AN UNPRECEDENTED YEAR.

How was 2020 for Reesink?

Few, if any, industry sectors escaped unscathed from the impact of a sweeping pandemic. So, it’s worth taking a moment to recognise the resilience of our customers, our dealers and even ourselves for surviving the year. For Reesink, we have had to become a different business from this time last year.

How so?

COVID-19 forced us to make some changes. We saw some of our well-known customer-facing colleagues take early retirement as a result of the changing workplace, whilst some also left to seek out new challenges. So, we took the opportunity to restructure the business, and refocus on the fundamentals. We welcomed, and congratulate here, Alastair Rowell in his appointment as UK sales manager and Trevor Chard as national account manager for Toro fine turf and grounds. In addition, we welcomed new people to the turfcare sales team, regional business manager David Timms for the southwest and midlands and salesman Daniel Tomberry for the midlands.

Customers in certain areas of the country have a new Reesink contact, not because their old contact left but because we’ve made those structural changes to the areas our representatives work in and because our sales reps now cover both Toro fine turf and grounds machines. Post-COVID, it made sense to now have one contact for all Toro customers in one area, a single source of expertise.

How did specific departments fare?

We focused on our parts, servicing and support division. We knew how important this would be to so many throughout lockdown. During that time, machine sales slowed, and clubs kept hold of existing machines due an upgrade for longer. Toro has the benefit of longevity and durability on its side, but still replacement parts have never been more in demand. We’re pleased to say we and our dealerships were able to continue fulfilling performance parts orders throughout that time and we hope it helped.

What were the highlights in 2020?

We launched our online national network Ree.Own, providing access to the best used Toro machinery available in the UK. The opportunity to browse, compare prices and match budgets on a range of machines that are guaranteed to have less than 3000 hours use on the clock, have been used for less than seven years and been through a multipoint check by trained technicians, will have been helpful for many customers with budgets under pressure and the volume of choice will only grow over time.

The launch of the Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370 all-electric riding greensmower was another highlight. A machine that has brought the next big technological advancement to the market. Electric power is here, and here to stay, and the 3370 delivers the charge capacity and day to day performance to make this important technology a practical solution at last. Already customers are enjoying the noise-free, clean cutting this machine affords and we’re seeing that momentum continue in 2021.

We are transitioning to Stage V engines in many Toro machines, an important and regulatory change for emissions control that has impacted the whole industry. And we welcomed Franklin pumps and SRC two-wire irrigation controllers to our product portfolio to provide an even more comprehensive range of irrigation solutions to our customers. Plus, during 2020 we saw a significant pick-up in interest in Toro’s GeoLink precision spray system, which impacts chemical waste and over-spraying.