News
Issue No. 15 - February/March 2004
Toro Saves and Wins
Garden equipment manufacturer, Toro recently received a high commendation from The Nature Foundation of SA, in the area of “Product that reduces environmental impact or contributes to sustainability.” Environmental responsibility? Perhaps, but it also shows where Toro thinks its future lies.
Toro’s Waterbird Water Saver Sprinkler was initially developed to help South Australian Riverland orchardists comply with water restrictions without losing efficiency. The Water Saver matches the watering area around a crop to match the pruned foliage.
Toro obviously hit the mark: Waterbird sold more than 54,000 units in the first three weeks of release—in South Australia alone. Projected annual sales are in the order of 750,000 units. Richard Walne, the Managing Director of Toro Asia/Pacific Australia, based at Beverley, says this result is thanks to product development that aims for continuous improvement.
“Our retail arm (Pope) has developed products for the domestic market ranging from handheld sprays to simple tap timers which have an application in reducing water use for householders who must comply with garden watering legislation,” Richard says.
The Toro AG division has a lot on the go. It is now manufacturing ‘Aquatraxx’ in Adelaide—an advanced drip irrigation tape system for agriculture which can halve water consumption. The Toro irrigation division is installing and upgrading watering systems for major municipalities and at gol...
