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Welcome This month we’ve got loads of exciting news, including the recent launch of our new website and the achievement of our ISO 14001 environmental accreditation. This newsletter also has a bit of an Interiors flavour; we’ll be hearing from Nina about what’s happening in the world of interior planting, and there’ll be news from Carrie and Debbie’s fact-finding mission in Holland. What did they get up to? I’m sure they’re not telling us the whole story… If you have any comments or questions about anything in this newsletter, please don’t hesitate to call me on 01223 235711 or email amanda.smith@flora-tec.co.uk. With very best wishes, Nina takes a look at the latest interior trends Hydroculture offers greater pest and disease resistance, and is significantly more environmentally friendly than traditional planting. Due to the fact that this is a water based culture the visit frequency for maintenance can be extended, thus reducing travel costs and polluting emissions. Plants grown in Hydroculture can be expensive initially, but their longevity offers long term value for money - providing the correct nutrient feeds are administered. It’s interesting to note that German, French and Dutch Interior Horticulturalists now use Hydroculture almost exclusively. The UK is one of the only countries where soil culture is still widely used. Suppliers from the continent are extending their range to accommodate the interest being shown in the UK, even offering training sessions for interior plant companies where technicians can learn about the propagation, growing on, nursery care, production and planting techniques as well as aftercare maintenance of tropical planting. Our technicians Carrie and Debbie attended one such training course at Nieuwkoop De Kwakel (Nieuwkoop Nurseries) in Holland this May – see our mini report later in this newsletter. The trip proved a fantastic learning opportunity, and we’re excited to be keeping at the cutting edge of new Interior planting technology. Amanda and I have also received training, and we’ve already installed Hydroculture plants into four sites. We’re very pleased that Martin from Nieuwkoop, Holland’s largest supplier of Hydroculture plants, will be visiting us on the company day to demonstrate the techniques and run a workshop. Flora-tec gets a face lift The new Flora-tec website: yes, it’s finally here, and those of you that haven’t seen it must surf over to www.flora-tec.co.uk. We’re delighted with the new look, which really puts all your fantastic interior and exterior work in the spotlight. You might also notice that there’s something different about the company branding. We’ve given the trusty old logo a new lease of life, making it bolder, brighter and, we hope, a better reflection of our modern design leanings. Carrie and Debbie Tiptoe through the Tulips in Holland Flora-techies Carrie and Debbie spent a week last month at a large plant supplier in Holland, mucking in with the care and production of plants for sale to companies all over Europe. Nieuwkoop is well known for its cutting-edge horticulture methods and product range, so Flora-tec was pleased to send two of its favourite technicians for some valuable up-skilling. The ladies worked hard from 7am till 5pm every day, learning all about the production and sales processes involved with wholesale plant suppliers. Debbie says she was especially interested to learn about the Dutch advances in hydroculture (where plants are trained to root in water instead of soil): ‘80% of all Nieuwkoop’s business is now in hydroculture, which shows how the practice is progressing and growing in popularity. As a result of all we learned over the week, we are now able to advise our customers about hydroculture and the practice could add value to the service we provide them’. ‘The Dutch plant auction houses were also a real eye-opener. Huge trolleys of plants went past on conveyor belts, with big garden centres and homeware companies buying plants in vast quantities. We couldn’t believe the sheer size of it all!’ To read Debbie’s full report of the trip, visit the website: http://www.flora-tec.co.uk/docs/holland/index.asp ISO 14001 accreditation We’re delighted to announce that we have now achieved our ISO 14001 environmental accreditation. ISO 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that is designed to address the balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact. We conducted a full audit of our business processes and their impact upon the environment, improving where necessary, and created a management programme for continual improvement. Starting with our own offices we have committed to reduce our use of paper, recycle wherever possible, and even reduce our energy consumption with simple steps like turning the lights off when the sun comes out. We have made good progress so far and as more measures are taken to reduce our impact on the environment we will be sure to keep you updated! It's all for charity Simon Blackley, our Business Development Manager, took part in the 3 Peaks challenge in the last weekend of June for the MS society. He trekked, climbed and clambered with journeymates Peter Stubbs (regional Contracts Director for Continental Landscapes), David Dermon from Pin Point horticultural recruitment, and their personal trainer Ishtag Rasoul. And finally: Flora-tec goes for growth We’re pleased to announce the appointment of our new Regional Manager for exterior contracts,Stephen Gray, who joined us this month. As main client contact in the Midlands and North of England, he will be managing our exterior landscaping and maintenance teams in these areas. Stephen also has experience in interior horticulture.
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