Janet DeNicola believes that implementing automatic lawn mowing is easy. Recruitment is much more difficult.
“[During implementation]we get the right training, we get instructions on how to set boundaries, we get the right training on the people who need to maintain them,” says Chief Technology Officer DeNicola. says Mr. From South Carolina, he’s on the board of The Greenery. “Adoption is a whole different animal. Adoption is a cultural thing, it involves people, it involves the mindset of adoption within a company. You have to march everyone in the same direction. “
DeNicola admitted to Lawn & Landscape Technology Conference attendees that she was trying to get everyone fully involved. All of her co-panelists she spoke to in the “Analyzing Autonomous” session seemed to be in the same boat. Michael Mayberry, his CTO at Level Green, says operators looking to adopt robotic lawn mowers should start the process of de-stressing now.
“It’s very important to talk to the crew about what’s going on, because you have to get their buy-in,” says Mayberry. “Their mindset might be that these robots will replace me.”
But that’s not the case, adds Mayberry. He, his DeNicola of Yellowstone Landscape, and Ben Collinsworth all believe that autonomous mowing will allow crews to do more.
Currently incomplete. Collinsworth began investigating robotic lawn mowers two years ago. Mayberry started researching three years before him when research at the time showed that robotic lawn mowers were now more commonly used in the market. DeNicola says it began weighing robotic mowers in 2017 and the first mowers hit the field in 2019.
She says she narrowed down the scope of what she wanted the mower to do or have. For her, it was all about safety, having lights on, having smartphone controls. Of course, price is also factored into the equation.
DeNicola did not immediately recoup its investment in lawn mowers. Getting the process right was more important than rolling it out at scale.
“It’s such a learning curve. It’s going to take a lot of time to get them up and running,” she says. “To succeed, just buy one, put it on one property you trust, and it’s okay to fail. Choose clients you trust and build great relationships.”
Mayberry says he ran into a problem he never thought of when he got his robotic lawnmower. For example, his crew accidentally vented the wires around them even though they knew they were there. lawn mowers said they couldn’t reach the sharp edges of residential areas), and the mowers kept getting caught in the soccer net. To combat this, they sat on the premises and just watched the machines work. If they solved the problem, it was seen as a big morale win, so it actually helped, says Mayberry.
“When challenges arose, we went outside to see what was going on,” says Mayberry. “It’s about observing what’s going on and making small adjustments.”
For Collinsworth, he admitted during the session that labor was the main factor in choosing these mowers, adding, “We all have different ways of solving it.” However, it is important to reassure current employees that their jobs are safe.
“There are many ways to fix[work]and this is part of the solution,” says Collinsworth. “For me it’s a message, to go out and tell people how this, even if it’s imperfect now, will help them in the future.”
client request. Of course, another aspect to consider is client expectations. DeNicola says reminding clients up front that there is a learning curve helps soften those demands. It’s done 3 times, so the end result is totally worth it to the client. Your grass will never look unkempt.
“Once it’s ready, the client has a better experience with the product. Shiba is the best I’ve ever seen,” she says. “The end product is excellent…not to mention the (robot lawn mower) is quiet, non-intrusive and all the other benefits.”
DeNicola adds that neighborhood associations may soon adopt these mowers as well. Greenery slaps logos on machines, tennis courts and pickleball he’s continuously branding near the courts.
For clients, it can be the ultimate win-win.
“It’s very positive and eco-friendly,” she says. “We can sell in many ways.”
Collinsworth says it’s demoralizing for crew and clients when something goes wrong when they’re excited about the machine, but it’s important to get it fixed. We say we can automate 30-50% of the work we do, but we want to increase that percentage by adding more properties and work that can be automated.
“‘Give me back my old lawnmower,'” Collinsworth heard them say.
Mayberry believes his clients are still buying in bulk, but that it will become widely popular. This is being done with a view to
When autonomous mowing becomes more commonplace, Mayberry believes his company won’t be one yet trying to figure out how to set up and operate machines. He encouraged all participants to go home and find a good candidate site to try out the automatic lawnmower.
“For the future, it’s worth it. When it gets to scale, we don’t understand it. It will be economically advantageous at that point.”
