CWC invests in new GPS technology

Complete Weed Control, the UK’s largest weed control contractor, has significantly invested in cutting edge technology. 

In an ever-changing industry with many legislation changes, Complete Weed Control has successfully managed to spearhead the weed control sector. This success can be attributed to its commitment of providing a service of the highest calibre and in doing so, the company has continuously embraced emerging technologies to stay at the forefront of the industry.

Complete Weed Control introduced  Weed-IT – a weed control application technology – which was cited as a "major advance in the field of weed control" in 1997, and the company is always looking to implement new technologies to improve operations.

In reaffirming this trend, the company has recently introduced GPS (Global Positioning System) technology into its spraying procedures. The technology allows the operator to map all of the perimeters of the site they are working on so that the sprayer automatically switches on and off to only treat the designated areas.

To avoid wasteful over-spraying, if a specific area has already been treated then the respective nozzles are automatically switched off. If on the other hand, an area may have been inadvertently missed, the operator will be alerted and can then act to ensure complete coverage.

The new technology has been a revelation according to Chris Phillips, the CWC franchisee operating in south and central Wales, who uses a Jacobsen SprayTek XP sprayer which features a GPS mapping system.

“It has definitely improved operations and has made us more efficient. Applications have improved ten-fold - it has made spraying more accurate and it is more economical with less chemical usage.

“We’ve been using this technology at some incredibly high profile venues and they have commented that they have seen more consistent coverage and have been delighted with the results.”

Chris, who predominately uses the new technology on golf courses, believes that it has not only improved the quality of operations but has also increased the speed of his work.

“On each job we are able to map out all of the course's greens, fairways and tees, in which we pin-point all of the affected areas. It has significantly reduced the amount of time you are on the golf course – because essentially you only spray the targeted areas. You simply programme it into the machine and it only sprays what you tell it to – it is faster and more precise.”

While the new technology has been successful for Chris on golf courses, Ian Adamson - the CWC franchisee for Tyne and Wear, has also reported excellent results from applying it to roads and highways.

“The versatility of it is great and you can use it on a number of large areas. I could be using it on a golf course but then you can also put road wheels onto it and use it as a highway sprayer.

“This is my first season of using it and I have noticed that it is significantly easier to use and has improved efficiency. On the highways, our main customer was wanting to move to night work and work at higher speeds - and this machine has enabled us to do this. I can now work at speeds of up to 45km per hour if required.”

With the Complete Group offering a comprehensive suite of services on a national scale, it is vital that the company continues to adapt to new technology – according to Chris.

“Investing in new technology is so important to us – if you are not going forward then you are going backwards and the only way to go forward is to keep up to date with the latest chemicals and invest in the best state-of-the-art equipment.”