With a global presence, Mayer can be seen as one of the bigger specialists in the manufacturing of pot, flat and tray filling and handling equipment for growers. As the company also offers a range of associated equipment like mixers, soil handling and other mechanization and automation equipment for nursery and greenhouse growers, the company's director Didier Collins is able to give as a an outlook for the future of horticulture and how mechanisation can contribute to a more successful industry.
Didier Collins: “ I believe the greatest task for all production nurseries is to focus on their own business as a basis for efficiency. The market has been consolidating for several years now. Large companies are getting larger and it is getting increasingly difficult for small manufacturers to compete on price. This is where specialization and concentration on quality help. In this connection I am very interested in the trend towards regional production. In my opinion nurseries need to position themselves clearly. Anyone who does their homework and positions themselves in a strategically considered way has the best prospects for the future – whether they are big or small. In concrete terms Didier Collins said that there are some nurseries that have adjusted to social trends with a coherent overall concept and detailed, continual work. “I am thinking of a client on the Lower Rhine, Germany. That company is putting its trust in environmentally friendly plant production supported by aggressive marketing. Other horticulturists are orienting themselves towards the sustainability guidelines of the large suppliers rather than in the background. Traceability and transparency in production play a role here. Just one year ago hardly anyone would have thought that ‘organic’ could also be a selling point for decorative plants. Even if these operations are still the exception today I am convinced that campaign slogans such as ‘from our own production’ or ‘I come from here’ could provide trend-setting impulses, especially for small and medium-sized producers.
But what will these market trends mean for technology? According to Collins, the structural changes bring with them high demands on the technical equipment. “Large nurseries that produce for large-scale buyers often need to pot very large quantities in very short periods of time and arrange for their transportation. And this must happen at the same, high quality. Technology can provide good support here with high-performance machines and automation. With the TM 2700 potting machine Mayer has developed a robust, high-performance potting machine with a spacious working area that is specially designed for these requirements with a capacity of up to 10,000 pots per hour. The eminently positive feedback from our customers strengthens our resolve to invest further in technology and innovation in future.”
“It takes a lot of experience and a good knowledge of the market to find the right technical solution for each operation. I am therefore seeing our colleagues in the sales department challenged more and more as technical advisors rather than pure salespeople. This is why we at Mayer maintain intensive contact with our global network of retailers and why we are further expanding our service centres. If you need a complex system for a large operation or if a smaller, ambitious operation needs one of our basic models – our customers can contact us directly and take advantage of our expertise, and we can also come to their premises at short notice if necessary.”
For more information:
Mayer GmbH & Co. KG
Bianca Stumböck
+49 7321 9594 235
stumboeck@mayer.de
www.mayer.de