Talasey is one of the UK’s leading independent suppliers of landscaping solutions. It’s recent move to new, much larger premises in Scunthorpe – which has already become a Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) Centre of Excellence – only tells half the story of the company’s ambitions.
The cornerstone of its growing success is how its ever-increasing commitment to landscapers is enabling the company to offer more opportunities for training and support and is driving up standards, skills, experience and confidence in installing landscaping products.
Home improvement projects featuring stone paving remain as buoyant as ever. There is, however, a growing trend for other products, including vitrified porcelain paving and composite decking, cladding & fencing– especially with many households looking to create outdoor spaces with a wow factor.
Gaining the knowledge and skills to install products such as composite decking, cladding & fencing and vitrified porcelain paving is exactly the reason why the company founded the Talasey Training Academy (TTA) – as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting and raising standards within the industry.
Talasey Training Academy
Like Talasey’s head office, the TTA has a new home as part of the move from Doncaster to Scunthorpe – and having greater space means the company can showcase a far greater range of installations so that landscapers can be inspired by all the different products that are on show in the Product Showroom and also installed around the grounds.
The TTA offers two broad areas of training. The first is product awareness courses that are designed to provide attendees with the knowledge to understand the company’s landscaping products. Each day-long course comprises four sessions covering natural paving (including Pavetuf – products to aid the installation, maintenance and protection of hard landscaping), Vitripiazza vitrified paving (also including Pavetuf), Luxigraze artificial grass and Piranha composite products. A core part of this includes product-specific features and benefits, as well as key brand information.
The other set of courses revolve around product installation and offer a blend of classroom and practical learning, providing delegates with knowledge and understanding of installing landscaping products in a domestic setting. The courses are suitable for landscaping contractors, designers, apprentices and anyone new to the landscaping industry. Currently, there are courses including the installation of stone paving, porcelain paving, artificial grass, and composite decking and cladding materials. There is also one covering basic site setting out and preparation for domestic landscaping projects.
Talasey On Tour
Supporting landscapers isn’t just confined to the TTA: the company’s Talasey On Tour initiative brings a mobile showroom to the doorsteps of landscapers – usually located at their local merchants. They are staffed by a knowledgeable team who are on hand to help landscapers understand product features and benefits and how sales potential can be maximised. Its mini product awareness courses and demonstrations also provide great opportunities to touch, feel and see its products first hand.
Designer & Installer Network
Talasey has created an exclusive network of landscapers and installers whose work has been vetted by the company and exemplifies the very highest standards of landscaping. Affectionately referred to as “Fight Club” by the company’s Landscape Consultant Ray Stephenson because of the exclusiveness of the network, this is a growing community of businesses and individuals who are the industry’s cream of the crop. One of the main benefits of this is that members are able to collaborate and share ideas with each other and also draw on Ray’s experience of 40 years being on the tools and having worked on some of the UK’s most prestigious projects.
Ray’s sole role at Talasey is to parachute into projects and provide help and assistance to ensure contractors deliver stunning projects using its products. This role takes him the length and breadth of the UK to support network members.
He also puts new products through their paces and has spearheaded testing of the recently launched 16 mm porcelain paving to check the performance and durability compared to 18 mm and 20 mm slabs, which includes the cutting and laying of slabs.
In addition to Ray’s support, network members also get wider Talasey support, which includes a sample service where samples can be sent directly to landscapers’ prospective customers to help them make decisions about which materials to use.
Annual awards
To celebrate the quality of the network’s projects, Talasey runs an annual awards scheme to showcase the best of the best when it comes to installations using its products. As well as scooping individual awards, all the winners are treated to a day out at the company’s box at Doncaster races.
For further information on Talasey visit Independent Suppliers of Landscaping Solutions – Talasey Group.
