Welcome to Autoguide...
Down a long farm track, and hidden behind a high ornamental hedge, lies the home of Autoguide, makers of the Auto-roller, and a whole lot more, as Peter Britton discovers
I
had an inkling that my destination would be somewhat rural when my sat nav informed me that it was directing me to ‘the centre of the road’ I had chosen in north
Wiltshire, but little did I expect this to be the sort of ‘rural’ that even Bear Grylls would struggle to survive in. Fortunately, Sally Satnav’s directions
were spot on, and I duly arrived at my destination, the home of Autoguide, makers of the Auto-roller. Reached by a long straight driveway through farmland, the entrance to the complex is more akin to a grand country house than a bustling manufacturing facility, but it is here that the now famous roller is produced, along with, as I was about to discover, a wide range of equipment. Most readers will know of the Auto-
roller and, perhaps, the company’s Turf Trooper triple mower, but it was surprising to learn of their other products. These include the Starstrimmer, a tractor mounted, PTO driven strimmer for cutting around fence posts - particularly suitable for equestrian establishments - and the mini postmaster, a vibrating post driving attachment for diggers.
And there’s more. The company also manufacture earth drills, augers and torque heads that are used by many utilities companies in the course of their
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work, whilst their sister company, ABC Anchors, have supplied the screw piles to erect the safety fencing for the Open at Royal St George’s, the work being undertaken by Tildenet.
Autoguide was formed in 1977 by
Peggy and Richard Robinson who, along with their son Rob, are still very much involved in the day to day running of the business. Richard and Rob are considered the ‘boffins’ of the organisation and are behind the product innovations that the company have introduced.
Autocad and Alibre 3D systems are used throughout the design and manufacturing process.
I am met by the company’s sales and
marketing assistant, Kay Middleton, and introduced to their commercial manager, Eddie Charity. Over coffee we discuss the history of the company, and Kay produces a sales record book showing, what the company believe to be, the very first roller sale in June 1932 to Gilbert Machinery. They say ‘believe to be’ because there is a view that some roller models from the late 1920s bear the hallmarks of the Auto-roller, but there is no substantial proof. Each entry into the sales record gives the serial number of both the roller and the engine, along with the name and address of the purchaser. Rollers were
first produced by the Automower Company, Norton St Philip, Bath in the late 1920s, and extensive trials were carried out to determine the optimum layout, which remains almost unchanged today. Other Automower products used Ford tractor skid units, and this led T.H. White, the dealer responsible for warranty on the Ford parts, to purchase the company. Subsequently, Autoguide purchased the business in 1995 from T.H. Whites. It is interesting to note that a good number of the early entries are for golf clubs; perhaps an indication of how turf maintenance practices have changed over the years. I ask how many rollers are produced in an average year? “I’d rather not say,” says Eddie with a smile. “We wouldn’t want our competitors to find out! Let’s just say that we are currently shipping new models as far afield as Guyana and Australia. It may come as a surprise that sales, even in the current economic climate, are increasing. I believe there are two reasons for this. The growth of cricket worldwide - twenty years ago we would never have sold a roller to Holland, for example - and the increased level of funding for grassroots cricket from the ECB. I’d also like to think that we are the first name groundsmen think of when considering a purchase.”
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