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NALP Awards 2024 Leadership Awards To Green Industry Pros
Jessica Schwartz
What’s In The Market For 2023?
Bigger, badder, battery-operated everything. And robots! Depending on your perspective, the professional lawn care and land-scape Industry is either ripe with exciting new opportunities or frustratingly full of changes. Today, the Green Industry is undergoing dynamic and revolutionary shifts in many facets of once basic practices—from mowing to pest control. Robotics, battery power, increasing legislation, new tech options, and consumer attitudes are driving the Industry toward new types of equipment, new ways of working, and essentially, new ways of thinking. “Regulations are popping up at city and town levels that landscapers are having to deal with, changing the way they provide services,” comments Kubota Senior Turf Product Manager Tom Vachal. “Most notably gas-powered backpack blowers. Many areas are pushing for electric solutions, sometimes driving up the input costs which are being absorbed by the landscaper.” In addition to large, long-term Industry transitions such as battery power, are the more immediate and present issues. “Competition is increasing as the market gets tighter; this is compounded by labor shortages, inflation, and supply chain issues,” says Rick Agajanian, chief product officer at WorkWave. Vachal echoes these concerns, but is optimistic, “Some supply chain issues still exist in the landscape industry, but we do expect improvement in 2023 moving forward.” He adds, “Labor will continue to be a pinch point, but some minor improvement is expected in mid-2023.” “The landscape industry is being challenged on many fronts—labor, emissions, replacement parts, and environmental stewardship just to name a few,” says Scythe’s Director of Marketing Billy ...
Makita Debuts Seven New Products For Professional Lawn Care
Makita® is meeting the demand for extended battery-powered run-time and performance for mowing, trimming, and clean-up applications with three systems of professional outdoor power equipment. Makita’s Three Systems of Professional Power Equipment: XGT® 40V max | 80V max: The most powerful Makita handheld solution for pro landscapers, with cordless equipment and tools engineered for applications that traditionally use cords, gas, or air (100+ products, one system). ConnectX™ 36V | 40V max: A run-time and power solution for professional landscapers seeking a gas replacement. The ConnectX™ 1,200 watt hour battery is compatible with ConnectX™ products, as well as 40V max XGT® and 36V (18V X2) LXT® products. LXT® 18V | 36V: The world’s largest cordless tool system powered by 18V batteries (300+ Products, One System), with an expansive range of 18V and 36V mowers, trimmers, blowers, chain saws, and more. Additionally, seven new products debuted this Fall: 1. GML01 40V max XGT® Brushless 21″ Self-Propelled Commercial Lawn Mower High torque brushless motor delivers gas performance Premium cut quality with high vacuum lift Self-propelled cruise control technology Commercial-grade steel deck Cuts up to 1-1/5 acre in 108 minutes or less with (2) 40V max 8.0Ah batteries Available Q1 2023 GCU04 40V max XGT® Brushless 18″ Chain Saw, Tool Only Delivers power of a 42cc gas chain saw Up to 40 cuts in 12″ diameter cedar with 40V max XGT® 5.0Ah battery Captured bar nuts are retained in sprocket cover for convenient set-up and maintenance Available Q1 2023 GCU05 40V max XGT® Brushless 16″ Chain ...
STIHL Launches “Made In America” Campaign
STIHL Leads New Campaign With The Message “Made in America. Three Words Not Everyone Can Say.” STIHL Inc., is tapping into American’s sense of patriotism and unity in a new national multi-media advertising campaign to inspire consumers to purchase products Made in America. The campaign reinforces the company’s continued support of and investment in American manufacturing. It also reinforces an often-overlooked fact that a majority of STIHL products sold in the U.S. are actually made in America from U.S. and foreign materials. More than 75 models of STIHL equipment are currently made in America of U.S. and foreign materials at the Virginia Beach, VA facility with plans in place for additional category expansion. Products made at the facility include chain saws, trimmers, edgers, brush cutters, pole pruners, backpack and handheld blowers, sprayers, shredder/vacuums, and more. The STIHL Inc. facility also produces battery equipment. “Many of our customers may not be aware that several models from our ever-growing battery-powered line are manufactured in our U.S. facility,” said Ken Waldron, STIHL Inc. national marketing manager. And there are plans to expand “Battery Power. Made by STIHL.” manufacturing later this year. Since its inception in 1974, the STIHL Inc. Virginia Beach campus has grown from a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse to over one million square feet, spanning more than 150 acres. The Virginia Beach plant also manufactures many of the components and accessories used by other STIHL facilities around the world. In addition to supporting the U.S. market, STIHL Inc. exports its products ...
STIHL Launches “Made In America” Campaign
STIHL Leads New Campaign With The Message “Made in America. Three Words Not Everyone Can Say.” STIHL Inc., is tapping into American’s sense of patriotism and unity in a new national multi-media advertising campaign to inspire consumers to purchase products Made in America. The campaign reinforces the company’s continued support of and investment in American manufacturing. It also reinforces an often-overlooked fact that a majority of STIHL products sold in the U.S. are actually made in America from U.S. and foreign materials. More than 75 models of STIHL equipment are currently made in America of U.S. and foreign materials at the Virginia Beach, VA facility with plans in place for additional category expansion. Products made at the facility include chain saws, trimmers, edgers, brush cutters, pole pruners, backpack and handheld blowers, sprayers, shredder/vacuums, and more. The STIHL Inc. facility also produces battery equipment. “Many of our customers may not be aware that several models from our ever-growing battery-powered line are manufactured in our U.S. facility,” said Ken Waldron, STIHL Inc. national marketing manager. And there are plans to expand “Battery Power. Made by STIHL.” manufacturing later this year. Since its inception in 1974, the STIHL Inc. Virginia Beach campus has grown from a single 20,000-square-foot rented warehouse to over one million square feet, spanning more than 150 acres. The Virginia Beach plant also manufactures many of the components and accessories used by other STIHL facilities around the world. In addition to supporting the U.S. market, STIHL Inc. exports its products ...
Outdoor Power Equipment Market Forecast
The global outdoor power equipment market, valued at $22.32 billion in 2019 is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.4%, reaching 428.96 million by 2027, according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. Not surprisingly, the study reports that the future of the market is dependent on battery technology and the use of robotics. The adoption of robotic lawnmowers is expected to increase over the coming years, due to price reduction, improvement in the technology, and ease of use. Factors affecting market growth include global rising housing and construction activities, a surge in consumer spending, and significant changes in recreational and leisure activities. Specific growth drivers are: Consumer preference for green spaces, such as gardens and lawns, is growing significantly in urban areas and innovative ways to bring urban greenery into the mainstream cities are being explored. Do it Yourself (DIY) attitude is a rising trend. The availability of ergonomic designs and stringent regulations regarding periodic maintenance of properties in private and community premises is driving adoption. Equipment Trends The saws segment is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. With consumers preferring cordless devices, vendors launched interchangeable batteries and are also offering two batteries to enable charging one battery while the other is in use. As a result, the demand for cordless outdoor power equipment is expected to witness substantial demand. Based on the power source, the electric-powered segment accounted for the largest share in 2019. The growth is attributed to advancements in battery technology, ...
