Page 19 - OPE March 2020

I START THE conversation with Martin Vogel of Hansa, and ask whether the recent consistently
hot and dry weather in much of the country has been negative for sales?
Actually no, he says: “With most of the country now in prohibited fire season with a total fire ban (due to the hot & dry weather), burning is no longer option for farms and lifestyle block owners.
“This impacts our sales as more people start looking for reliable & consistent methods to dispose of their greenwaste.
“Wood chips makes for a great mulch, and is one way to help retain moisture and protect gardens from drying out between watering especially when many towns are now under water alerts with restricted watering permitted.”
Awareness around green waste disposal is on the increase, says Martin, both locally and internationally, for example from lifestyle users concerned not just about disposal but sustainability and wanting to “close the loop” – turning the waste into something reusable and of value such as
much, compost or bio-char.
From Hansa’s perspective, which features
or accessories have been proving popular among end-users?
“The optional swivel for the Hansa C13 models has been very popular since its release in August 2019. Over 50% of C13s ordered since the release announcement have opted to add the optional swivel. The swivel chute makes the outlet taller so that it can discharge straight into a ute or trailer, and can be turned to discharge chip to the left, right or in front of the chipper.
“In the commercial space we have also seen increased demand for our tracked, remote- controlled chippers, as arborists have come to appreciate our innovative features and options such as winch and lift-and-crush.”
Has Hansa been seeing more sales growth from its domestic or commercial customers?
“Both are growing,” says Martin Vogel. “Last year Kylee Cooper joined the team to focus on our dealer network, we have been putting extra work into giving our dealers more promotions or other tools to help sell Hansa and subsequently we are seeing
MARKETPLACE
Chippers, Shredders & Splitters
Feeling chipper (or is it time to split)?
What’s the state of the market for chippers, shredders & splitters? We track down some hard- working end users with an eye for versatility and increased productivity. Andy Kerr reports.
NEW HANSA CHIPPER ON HORIZON
THE HANSA C5 is a
no-nonsense chipper built with simplicity in mind. Sporting
the compactness and light weight features of the C4, coupled with a heavier flywheel, higher outlet chute and higher horsepower, thanks to its 6.5hp Honda GP200 engine.
The big-brother of Hansa’s Garden range, with optimised self-feeding action to chew through branches with ease, in keeping with other Hansa models the C5 has a solid steel body for strength, can discharge green waste directly into trailers and has easy rotor access for checking the blades.
A limited run of the new C5 chipper has now been distributed to dealers with pre-orders but full production is scheduled for late April.
www.hansachippers.co.nz
more at www. facebook.com/NZOPEmagazine
MARCH 2020 NZ OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT 019