Toro has begun a programme of major initiatives aimed at establishing itself as the turf machinery industry’s No 1 in customer care. In a series of new moves, implemented through its UK distributor Lely, the company is stepping up its focus on product after-sales, service and parts in a big way.
This includes a new programme of training seminars for dealer service personnel and customer operators at Lely’s Cambridgeshire base, which recently saw 35 senior service engineers attend sessions to update them on all aspects of servicing Toro machines.
In September, another 50 dealer service and parts managers will jet into Toro’s international headquarters in Minneapolis, USA, to begin a week-long training and study tour that will equip them with all the latest know-how on Toro servicing and parts management.
A newly appointed training manager, Ian Sumpter, who has been brought in to spearhead the training initiative, will join them.
September also heralds the start of a new scheme aimed at ensuring the next generation of Toro service technicians are trained to the highest standards. This will see the setting up of three Toro Technician Centres – located at Writtle, Elmwood and Myerscough colleges. There, trainees drawn from Lely’s national network of local dealers will attend block-release courses to study to become qualified groundscare machinery maintenance professionals.
Writtle College will be the first to open its doors to the new one-year scheme. The others will follow later. Eight students from dealers in at least six counties are due to attend the new Toro-sponsored centre at Writtle, where the course content will include training by Toro personnel using Toro machines.
Mike Stephenson, Toro’s business operations manager at Lely UK, said, “It’s not enough to provide customers with the best quality products. Customers increasingly demand higher levels of service and these initiatives are aimed at ensuring that Toro continues to meet their expectations in full.”
Toro commercial turf maintenance products are distributed throughout mainland UK by Lely (UK) Limited, Station Road, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 1QH; Tel: 01480 226800, fax: 01480 226801, email: toro.info@lely.co.uk. and in all of Ireland by Lely Ireland Limited, Kilboggin, Nurney, Co. Kildare, Ireland; Tel: 00 353 (0)45 526170, fax: 00 353 (0)45 526649, email: info@lely.ie
Toro www.toro.com