2010 was a challenging year for the sports turf industry, with the current economic climate testing the resolve of many companies, all trying to retain a slice of available markets and remain profitable during a period of uncertainty in the market place.


Quite often, during such testing times, some companies are able to prosper against the odds. One such company that appears to have weathered the storm has been Dennis. Under the guidance and


stewardship of Managing Director, Ian Howard, 2010 saw the completion of their new factory premises (officially opened in June), the introduction of new products and the provision of the lion’s share of mowers and technical expertise for the football World Cup in South Africa.


So, how did the company get to where they are today? Ian Howard explained,


“We’ve always prided ourselves on being a British manufacturer. We are also firm believers in quality control, short production times, and an ability to respond to change and improvement - that’s where our roots lie and where we intend to keep them.” In the beginning of 1981 Dennis was going through a difficult time with low sales and went out of business. Ian’s father Philip purchased Dennis from the receivers that year and integrated it into Howardson Ltd, the family firm in Derby. In 1985 Ian joined the company. His engineering background in the gold mining industry overseas stood him in good stead for the challenges ahead. In 1990, Howardson


purchased JP Mowers from Cliftons of Woking, who had bought the company from the receivers of JP Engineering, Leicester back in 1972. JP had been a victim of the Rolls Royce collapse of 1971 as they had been a major supplier of machined components to them. The JP mower had a


reputation as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of domestic lawnmowers, with many hundreds of machines still in use today. Their range originally covered 10” push mowers through to 24” self- propelled cylinder mowers.


Coincidentally, JP had started producing mowers in 1922, the same year as Dennis.


The JP cassette system, originally designed in the early 1960s, was the basis of the design for scarifiers, verticutters, brushes and a multitude of other options of the Dennis cassette system that is so popular today. The acquisition was a great boost to Howardson, who saw the potential to fill the gap in the bowls, cricket and golf markets that the traditional Dennis products had never filled.


In 1997, Ian decided he needed to transform the old factory into a new ‘fit for purpose’ building that offered a clean, modern production line and better working conditions for his staff .


The first phase saw the construction of a 10,000 square feet building which provided an area for production and storage. However, this facility soon reached its capacity and further investment led to the most recent build, which began in August 2009, offering an additional 9,600 square feet alongside the existing factory.


This new building provides


a more spacious production line and allows better use of space and storage. It provides a stimulating work place where Dennis employ over twenty staff - “Team Dennis” as Ian calls them. And it is a team effort, from design, build and packaging to transport and final delivery. “I am very proud of what has been achieved in recent years,” says Ian. “Some of my staff have served the company for well over thirty years, and we recently had one of our team retire after sixty years service.”


The new factory is not just an assembly plant. Howardson has invested in new CNC machining facilities, allowing Dennis to manufacture many of their own parts, which both ensures quality control and reduces external costs. Staff are trained to multi task, and are able to control and oversee several component stations. New, waist height work benches help make the manufacturing process much easier, whilst increasing productivity. A recently installed 3D


In recessionary times, what often sets one company apart from another is not a knee jerk reaction to a failing bank balance, but a strong foundation built on sound business strategy.


Of course, no company is ever completely immune to the sort of deep doo-doo the UK is currently trudging through but, as Managing Director Ian Howard tells our editor, Dennis look well placed to see out the current storm with a new factory, new products and new vigour


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