Steve Bullman

Först, Europe’s leading wood chipper manufacturer, are delighted to announce a new dealership agreement with Spectrum Plant. Spectrum Plant, already well known and highly regarded within the arboricultural industry in the north of England, will join the Först family as the official dealer for both sales and service, in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the Isle of Man. Incorporating a handful of dealer partners in strategic locations, into their otherwise direct selling model, is a relatively new direction for Först. Historically, the company has sold direct to their customers across the UK in order to maintain the very highest level of customer service. However, following a successful partnership with ILH Groundcare Machinery in Scotland, Först recognised the benefits to customers in areas of significant distance from their head office in Andover, of having a local and arb focused dealer. Först, never wanting to compromise on their high level of customer service, for which they have become well known, have been very careful to choose the right dealer partners. By selecting highly focused, specialist arb dealers, rather than general machinery dealers, Först have been able to ensure their customers benefit from the same specialist arb knowledge and customer care that they would receive if they came directly to Först. Först Assist remains available to all customers, no matter where they’re located, and will still be the first port of call for all technical enquiries. However, where hands on technical support is required in the north of England, these enquiries will be passed on to the relevant Först approved dealer. Spectrum, will be offering full sales, service and parts support to customers within their region and are conveniently based in Warrington. Spectrum Plant joins existing dealers Pro-Arb Machinery, in York, who cover Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Durham and Yorkshire and ILH in Scotland, which will ensure that the whole of the northern part of the UK is covered. Doug Ghinn, Director at Först commented: “The decision to bring a focused, local service to the North of England is a strategic move for us. Först is founded on delivering exceptional customer service and we constantly monitor customer satisfaction. This move to appoint dedicated and arb focused dealers in the North of England is absolutely the right decision for us to ensure we are able to deliver the Först standard across the whole of the UK as the product range and volume of machines in the market grows. Following the successful appointment of ILH Groundcare and more recently Pro-Arb Machinery, we were looking for another dealer to cover the North West. Upon the first visit to Spectrum Plant’s depot we were immediately struck by how knowledgeable, professional and customer centric the team were, all the attributes we look for in a successful partnership. They’ve worked in the arb industry for over 14 years and are perfectly equipped to look after our customers to the high standards we require and we very much look forward to working with them.” Mark Schaefer, Managing Director of Spectrum Plant commented: “As a dealership, Spectrum want to work with the best in the business. Först offer high performance, high quality woodchippers with unrivalled customer support and a brand that has seen them grow to be the largest UK/European producer of woodchippers within 10 years of starting. The reason we’ve decided to partner with them is because the passion for what they do and desire to offer the highest quality of service to their customers is clear and matches our own company values. We’ve worked in the Arb industry selling woodchippers for many years and we’re hugely excited to now be working with the market leaders.” Jamie Sellers, Managing Director at Pro-Arb Machinery commented: “We joined the Först fold last year and have never looked back. Först woodchippers are highly sought after and the support we’ve had from the company has been superb. We welcome the news that Spectrum Plant will be covering the North West and together we look forward to strengthening the Först offering in the North.”

WE GROW, WE SOURCE, & WE DELIVER Bannister Hall is the go-to destination for specimen trees, shrubs and plants as well as all landscaping materials. Testament to the quality of their products, the nursery supplies show gardens at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show. When you arrive at Bannister Hall one of the first things you will see is an eye-catching 100-year-old olive tree that has been delivered from Spain, grown to withstand our northern climate, and quite simply a stunning focal point for any garden! It is one of thousands of carefully curated specimens at this amazing destination that is tucked away on the edge of the Ribble Valley. At its heart, Bannister Hall is a family-run business, dedicated to environmentally ethical business practices and to providing a first-rate customer service. Established for 23 years, it has grown to become the North West’s premier single-source suppliers of soft and hard landscaping materials, and boasting two expansive nurseries, from where the team grows, sources, and delivers an extensive range of specimen trees, shrubs, and plants of the highest quality. The knowledgeable and enthusiastic team have expertise across all aspects of landscaping and are on hand to advise and answer any questions you may have. SUPPLIER TO THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW As suppliers to the Chelsea Flower Show, quality and variety means everything, and at Bannister Hall, they continue to strive for excellence in everything they do when servicing both trade and retail customers on a nationwide basis. The team is exceptionally proud to supply show gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show with an extensive range of high-quality trees, plants, and shrubs – testament to the fantastic quality of their collection. Managing Director Alan Lovell explains: “At Bannister Hall, the vision was to create an inspirational landscaping hub, where ideas can be developed and brought to life amongst the wonderful plants and products that we have on site. Our pride is rooted deep in our customer service and our passion is to connect people with their outdoor spaces, redefining how they live.” The specialist team has unparalleled knowledge of landscaping materials and nursery stock as they have decades of experience, helping clients create beautiful environments. Heading up the nursery team is plant expert Dave Newsham, who is a font of horticultural knowledge. CAPACITY Spread over two sites, Bannister Hall has the capacity to cultivate their own stock and has a huge supply of landscaping materials. Bannister Hall’s success is a result of their excellent service and a unique and broad product offering. The nursery is the only North West company that houses all landscaping products under the same roof – from plants to paving and everything in-between. CAPABILITY Significant investment in logistical support means the team can supply and deliver anywhere in the UK and if they don’t have you want in stock, they will source and deliver within five days. The team promises to endeavour to find any specific customer requirements from plants to materials and they do this by utilising their large network which has been built over more than two decades. PARTNERSHIPS At Bannister Hall, the team builds lasting partnerships with people who share their passion for landscaping materials and planting. They believe that the best results are achieved when both of these core elements come together. They make it their business to support their customers, with the right choice, quality, value, and availability to help you bring your landscaping to life. They are dedicated to supplying solutions to customers with maximum efficiency. While the nursery supplies to private customers, it has also been involved in many large-scale projects with local authorities, housing developers and companies nationwide. The team has access to a network of contacts allowing plants to be sourced with excellent turn- around times. CONTACT: Bannister Hall Landscaping Supplies Centre & Nurseries Potter Lane, Higher Walton Preston PR5 4EN TEL: 01772 877087 EMAIL: [email protected] OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY FREE ON-SITE PARKING

The two teams that make up South Wales Tree Services need fight no more over their turntable QuadChip 160P from GreenMech, as now, they have two! So impressed with the 360o versatility and chipping performance of their first machine purchased eight years ago, Owner Alex Terry took delivery of a second unit in September 2022 improving not just efficiency but the safety of his crews when working in domestic areas. Alex has run a fleet of GreenMech woodchippers since he established South Wales Tree Services in 2014, with the two QuadChip machines sitting proudly alongside a Safe-Trak 19-28 which tackles some of the larger, commercial projects. “We’ve got the versatility on our fleet to undertake jobs of all sizes, with the SAFE-Trak ideal for site clearances where we can chip on location - taking the machine to the material, and not the material to the machine” he explains. Smaller hedge and tree works or domestic situations where access is more restricted is where the turntable feature of the QuadChip units comes into its own. “This is the main benefit for us. It means that when we arrive outside a property, we only have to turn the chipper in the desired direction – not perform any awkward manoeuvres that compromise both time and potentially the safety of my team operating in or near the road.” GreenMech’s QuadChip 160P features powerful twin vertical feed rollers which offer exceptional pull and crushing capacity for timber and brash of up to 6”, with consistent processing quality provided by their patented Disc-Blade chipping technology. “We loved our first QuadChip which is the reason that, with demand for it on the rise, we purchased a second unit and this one is even better! The chipping performance is efficient, running off four blades now compared to two on the older model.” “The service from GreenMech is another thing that has always impressed us. We try and test other brands but forever settle on the GreenMech because in our opinion the build quality is better, the price is competitive and the after sales support from their technical team has always been first class.” Alex adds, “GreenMech were also able to accommodate supplying our latest machine in our corporate colours so while we now have the two QuadChip units, there’s still a fight between the two teams as everyone loves the smart new orange machine!”

As one of the largest associations of its kind, Orwell Housing provides housing for more than 7,500 residents by managing over 4000 properties across East Anglia. Powering the maintenance services, as well as helping to lower the associations carbon footprint, is 2 and 4-stroke petrol from aspen Fuel – a switch made by Repairs and Estates Manager Simon Bennett three years ago, and one that’s delivering improvements on a daily basis to the workforce, the residents and the machinery alike. Simon manages all elements of the direct labour operations (DLO) from co-ordinating the 75-strong workforce to sourcing and purchasing equipment across the repairs and estates division. “We renew our machinery every three years” explains Simon, who has been with Orwell Housing for ten years. “To help us with our objective or carbon neutrality, some of what we now invest in is battery powered but, with the diversity of items like mowers and woodchippers that we have on our fleet, for these we’re looking at better and cleaner ways of fuelling them and that’s where aspen comes in.” “I was familiar with aspen Fuel but always just assumed it would be much more expensive for us than pump fuel. It wasn’t until I sat down and did a cost analysis, factoring in the downtime of the team going backwards and forwards to the forecourt, that I could demonstrate aspen was a viable choice.” Being ethanol-free and virtually free from sulphur, benzene and other hazardous hydrocarbons, aspen alkylate petrol burns cleaner than regular petrol making it safer and greener for operators, machinery and the environment. “The operators like using it – they notice the reduction in noxious fumes and don’t go home smelling of petrol come the end of the day. This is also a major plus for those tasks where we’re in close proximity to the residents.” He continues, “Three years in, we’re also seeing a big reduction in the number of machinery breakdowns we’re experiencing with is a further cost saving.” Overall, Simon feels the whole aspen experience has been really positive for the group. “We order aspen in bulk, with the cans being collected by the team as and when they need them. This way, we can easily monitor usage and, with the plastic containers being fully recyclable, we are also reducing our output to landfill. I’ve recently done another cost analysis, which has shown that purchasing aspen has actually decreased our annual fuel bill by approximately 10-15%.”