Ruppert Landscape Appoints Bob Jones as Chief Sales Officer
Jessica Schwartz
Evaluating Innovation In The Lawn And Landscape Industry
There’s a big difference between new and better. Innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. Content Sponsored By Innovation. It’s a term that gets tossed around a lot in our industry. As product developers and manufacturers, the pursuit of the next great idea is what gets us up each morning. But there’s a big difference between new and better, and innovating for innovation’s sake should never be the end goal. A Customer-First Approach While most innovation begins with an idea, great innovation begins with the customer. At the end of the day, the merit of a new product, feature or service is defined by the problems it solves for the individuals it serves. As a result, developers and manufacturers must prioritize a customer-first approach to innovation, especially in today’s lawn and landscaping industry, where every investment counts. At Cub Cadet®, the process begins with the end-user. Instead of sitting behind a computer coming up with ways to innovate, we take the time to listen to landscapers, fleet managers and municipalities to better understand their businesses and, more importantly, their pain points. From there, we set out to develop products and features to help solve their problems. One example of putting this philosophy into practice was our approach to designing Cub Cadet stand-on mowers. Before even building our first prototype, the team engaged more than 100 landscapers about their experiences with stand-ons. We learned about the traits, features and quirks they liked and disliked most, and even their ...
Pre-Season Landscaper Checklist
Landscapers who take the time to proactively address equipment and staffing needs will be the ones best positioned to thrive this year. Content Sponsored By With warmer temperatures around the corner, landscapers across the country are setting their sights on the 2022 spring and summer seasons. And regardless of when spring actually springs in your area, how you prepare in these next few weeks can make all the difference. Here are four things you can (and should) do now to set your landscaping business up for success this year. Evaluate Past Performance Conducting a postmortem of the previous year is an essential step in improving future outcomes. While it may be tempting to leave the past in the past, there are valuable learnings and insights to be gained from what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t. If you haven’t already, take time to sit down and review last year. Identify challenges you encountered and reflect on how you would react differently. Were there common pain points, customer feedback and processes that need to be addressed? Remember to include key members of your team in these conversations. They can offer valuable and alternative perspectives that paint a clearer picture of what happened. Plus, these retrospective exercises give them an opportunity to share their opinions and feel like they’re helping to shape the future of the business. Finally, these conversations aren’t just about working out kinks and gaining insights into your business’s performance. Reviewing key metrics such as past accounts ...
Will Autonomous And Robotic Mowers Benefit Landscapers?
A White Paper From Speculation and rumors of fully autonomous and robotic mowers have long circulated in the lawn and garden space. Ever since robotic vacuums first entered households two decades ago, we have imagined and questioned the potential for this technology to reinvent the way landscaping businesses operate. Fast-forward to today, and many of the same hopes, questions and trepidations remain. The evolution of mower design has largely been defined by incremental changes and improvements. Features are added, materials are upgraded and cosmetic designs are refreshed, but overall innovation in the category has remained relatively stagnant compared to other disrupted industries. The adoption of autonomous and robotic mowers, on the other hand, would represent a paradigm shift in mower design and capabilities. Some are excited by the possibilities while others are less sure. However, regardless of where landscapers fall on this spectrum, taking the time to familiarize themselves with this evolving technology will only serve to help them better assess its current and future value to their landscaping business. Is the Future of Commercial Mowing Hands-Free? When determining the significance and relevance of any emerging technology, the first step is to evaluate its viability in the marketplace. New tools, platforms and products are introduced every day, but many fail to live up to their lofty promises. Whether it’s issues with performance, cost, ease of use or even just bad timing, there’s a graveyard filled with technologies that manifested better as concepts than as real- world products. When the idea ...
Assessing The Value Of Autonomous Mowers
Content Sponsored by There is no denying emerging technologies have the potential to disrupt and reinvent the way businesses are run. Innovation, after all, is the key to driving industries forward. But it can be difficult to discern what’s worth the investment – both time and money – when each new tool, platform and product comes with lofty promises and limited proof points. And the landscaping industry is no exception. With autonomous and robotic mowers dominating industry shows and news headlines, it seems like the future will inevitably be a little more hands-free. But do these products drive value now or are they simply shiny concepts behind glass displays? Enter Cub Cadet. Moving beyond concepts and controlled demos, Cub Cadet set out to shift the value proposition of autonomous technology from a future promise to a functional product that landscapers can benefit from today. In September 2021, Cub Cadet introduced a new chapter in true landscaping innovation with the first GPS operated semi-autonomous commercial mowers. The Cub Cadet PRO Series PRO Z 960 S and 972 S SurePath units are outfitted with GPS technology and an exclusive four-wheel steering system that provide a semi-autonomous experience designed to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort and training. The operator simply needs to set the preliminary cut line, and the SurePath units will perform straight cutting paths with an auto-zero-turn at the end of each row with the touch of a button. “The priority when developing our autonomous roadmap was ...
Your Business Deserves The Best
And there’s none better than the Cub Cadet PRO Series. Sponsored by The PRO Series isn’t just another lineup. It’s a performance powerhouse built while listening to industry pros just like you. Every inch of every machine has been thoughtfully engineered to meet your needs, no matter the task. It’s been rigorously tested to exceed your highest standards for durability and dependability. And now, the series has a new addition: SurePath™ Auto Steer technology. An all-new semi-autonomous GPS-assisted driving system designed to minimize overlap and maximize productivity—only available with Cub Cadet and available to demo at GIE. SUREPATH SERIES Want to make your operation up to 12% more efficient? You want the innovative PRO Z™ 960 S and 972 S featuring all-new SurePath Auto Steer technology—Cub Cadet’s exclusive GPS-operated and semi-autonomous driving system. From new hires to vets, SurePath ensures consistent and flawless stripes with reduced overlap upwards of 7” per row, increasing productivity by 0.4 acres more per hour—all while reducing operator fatigue. THE PRO Z SERIES When the jobs are booking up, look to the efficiency-maximizing Cub Cadet PRO Z™ Series. With a four-wheel steering system on select models that increases hillside stability, minimizes overlap and creates faster turning, you’ll be able to make quick work of more acres. The PRO Z Series also includes fully fabricated and triple-plated decks. That means more durability to take on even the most difficult jobs with ease. The entire lineup is also engineered to provide all-day comfort. The ergonomically designed air-ride ...
Six Reasons To Consider Sod Solutions Pro For Landscape Renovations
Sponsored by Sod Solutions has been researching, developing and releasing to the market new turfgrass varieties for the past 27 years. The new professionally focused arm of the company, Sod Solutions Professionals, takes that industry knowledge and puts it to use, facilitating large-scale turfgrass projects from beginning to end. Choosing a grass for a wide range of landscape challenges can make or break a project. Different landscapes, geographies, applications and even soil pH levels could call for different grass varieties. Each cultivar has specific features (like shade tolerance) that make them more suitable for certain applications than others. “Our mission is to make sure the right grass is being used in the right location to produce the best long-term success for our clients,” said Sod Solutions Pro director, Erin Wilder. This team of professionals is adequately prepared to help landscape architects, home builders, sports turf managers, superintendents and stakeholders make the best decisions during a renovation. Here are six reasons to consider using Sod Solutions Professionals for your next landscape or field or golf course renovation: 1. SELECTION CONSULTING: The Sod Solutions Professional team looks at the pros and cons of each product, answers your technical questions and connects you with real professional users to provide a complete understanding and confidence in the product you choose to specify. We also offer “lunch and learns” onsite and online webinars to educate your staff on turfgrass options. 2. PRODUCT SOURCING: No job is too large or too small. Sod Solutions ...
