Held at Silverstone on March 14 2019, Hako clients from throughout the UK joined in celebrating Hako UK's 40-year anniversary, which included equipment demonstrations, new launches, high-level seminars and some adrenalin fuelled laps around the track.

There was a birthday dinner for some of Hako's VIP guests, and among the 100 or so invited guests were representatives from Tesco, BT, The Trafford Centre, York University,  Briggs Equipment, the NIC Group, City of London Corporation and DPD to name but a few.

'It really was a great day. We had some very high-quality customers join us ' many of who came from far afield to support us and we have had some lovely feedback,' said Hako UK's managing director, Sylvie Giangolini.

'The equipment demonstrations were particularly valuable and I think many customers had not realised the broad range of equipment we have. It was fantastic not only to be able to showcase it but also to carry out live demonstrations.

'Another key element of the day was for our customers to meet the aftersales and demonstrator teams. Forging great, transparent relationships with customers is at the core of our philosophy and a day like this helps build those relationships.

'The seminars proved very useful for our guests and I was particularly pleased to see how interested some of our customers were in the PMD session outlining the many finance options available.  I think the overall flexibility in hiring and renting Hako equipment came as a surprise to some'

One of the stars of the Silverstone event was the Roboscrub 20, heralded as the next generation of robotic floor care. The advanced AI system enables the robot to navigate complex, real-world environments and is designed to work safely and efficiently alongside employees and can still be used manually when required.

'Initial response from customers has been very positive,' said Frank Ulbricht, a member of Hako's executive Board in Germany. 'While such equipment is still in its early stages there is no doubting that this is the future as there is a shortage of workforce in the UK and throughout Europe and robotics will be very cost efficient.

'Hako UK has made some amazing strides forward over the past few years and Sylvie has a fantastic team around her. I am very happy to see so many customers here to join them in celebrating this milestone birthday,' said Frank.

The event-filled day was followed by a gala dinner, which proved to be a first-class networking event for all those who attended. 'It has been a great day and a tremendous evening, we are delighted to have been a part of it,' said Jason Airey, managing director of CMS Supatrak, Hako's telematics partner.

'There were some really good contacts there, we learned a lot about the product range and we also met a lot of the Hako team,' said Jason. 'All in all an excellent event'

Another key partner is Briggs Equipment UK who is the national dealer for Hako with a network of 600 mobile engineers across the UK and a three-hour guaranteed response time to machine breakdowns.

Among the Briggs team at Silverstone was Leigh Mason, business development director who commented: 'We were delighted to be at the celebrations and, as always, impressed by the Hako line up, particularly the Roboscrub. Exactly what the demand for it remains to be seen but it is certainly a conversation piece which we will be having with our customers.

'Hako has a unique family culture both among its staff and among its customers, the company manages to retain very close links with its market and that was very evident from the Silverstone day,' said Leigh.

Chris Sockett, landscape and amenities manager at York University said it had been a thoroughly enjoyable and well-organised day.

'It was great to see the product range you have in one place and also good to meet other members of the Hako team who are equally enthusiastic about what you have to offer.  The depth of knowledge and passion about the products was evident from speaking to the sales team and equally the technicians that came along too.

'The future sounds exciting and as current users of battery vehicles and tools it is safe to assume we will be keeping an eye on the new City Masters when they are released'