Director TreeStyle Pty Ltd and Husqvarna Australia HTeam Ambassador – Kiah Martin, listened carefully when a colleague told her of his experience with Husqvarna X-COM Active communication headset.
“Listen up…are you receiving, over?”
I’d recently been in contact with New Zealand colleague Chris Walsh, Managing Director of TREETECH Specialist TreeCare, to find out about his company’s purchase of the new Husqvarna X-COM Active communication headsets.
Chris, who is also immediate past-president of the International Society of Arboriculture, has been working in the arb industry for over 30 years, starting as an apprentice in turf management and horticulture. But after meeting a Kiwi arborist who had just returned from working in Australia, Chris quickly moved on to “a cool job” in arboriculture, to “better care for trees as key players in the environment.”
Experienced
Chris’ company employs between 80-120 staff covering all manner of arb work, including utility clearance, privateand municipal-project work, consultancy jobs, and planting and watering contracts. TREETECH also has a training division, so preparing new staff for work melds beautifully with his passion for climbing trees, caring for trees and educating people. Chris has always been inspired by growth and ways of “…learning to do it better”.
Working in the tree industry since 1993, Chris has seen a lot of change, from the introduction of petrol blowers to the inclusion of high-performance battery chainsaws throughout the company fleet. For the past 12 years, Chris has incorporated professional Husqvarna products into the business and has most recently focused on the inclusion of a game-changing bulk order of Husqvarna’s X-COM Active communication headsets.
Everyone benefits
I wanted to hear what someone with a large business thought of these new simultaneous communication systems, and who better to ask than Chris? He’s as passionate about the arboriculture industry whether he’s on or off the tools.
Asked what he looked for when selecting professional arboricultural gear and equipment, Chris replied, “You have to have the right tools,” and went on to add that “durability, reliability, price effectiveness, product support, working with good people, and long-term relationships with suppliers” were the key to a good fit. He also said he had nurtured these things through a fruitful and enduring association with Husqvarna.
I asked him what he loved about Husqvarna products.
“Everything! But mostly reliability, innovation and seeing how far we’ve come with all the feedback helping to refine products and move them to industry quickly.”
“A good example is the X-COM Active headsets,” he continued. “They’re a no brainer. I don’t understand an employer who doesn’t buy these. Companies really need to have a think about the health-and-safety and productivity benefits they would get from having this system, and the professionalism that comes from it. These are all really key things.”
“I talk to professional tree companies who tell me they have eight staff, and they can’t afford to buy this system. My response is that they can’t afford not to! Having them is a breakthrough!”
I was interested in Chris’ take on how good communication benefits TREETECH teams and did he think this had a flowon effect on productivity?
“Good teamwork comes down to good verbal communication,” Chris pointed out, “whether you’re using a comms set or talking to each other face to face. From fuelling the truck in the morning, chatting with team-mates on the way to the job, to working onsite with the comms units, talking with the team out front and back of a property simultaneously, chatting with the client about job details or talking with the traffic guy – everyone on the channel is up to speed, with less frustration and the whole team is acting professionally.”
“Everything is spoken clearly and softly, and your people are understanding what you’re saying. It reduces the stress. Everyone is in the loop with the X-COM units, and nobody forgets the communication.”
Better workflow
Another benefit Chris mentioned was a communication range of over 400 metres.
“The range is good,” he said. “You can actually bounce off the next person – that is, if your recipient was 300-400 metres away, they could then be a comms point for the next person a block or so over and relay the message back.”
We discussed that with X-COM units in service, onsite angst around miscommunication or misunderstandings was gone, creating a calmer workplace with better flow. Teams were more professional, with improved communication ultimately resulting in better overall productivity.
Chris started in industry “…when cell phones weren’t in use yet; we went door knocking and did drive-by appointments.” Over time he’s seen much change where all communication modes have improved. This has meant “more work and a safer environment.” And with X-COM Active MultiPoint Bluetooth® connectivity, Chris now has access to hands-free private phone calls on the job, without losing touch with the team.
So aside from his ‘new favourite’ product – the crystal-clear intercom of the Husqvarna X-COM Active helmet mounts which are a purpose-built design for tree crews and forestry workers – I wanted to know what Chris’ ‘old favourite’ tree-care product was, and I got a very decisive answer: “T540i XP®! No fuel, less noise, no fumes. Better work!” he said.
Game changer
Chris remembers the days of always using walkie-talkies with travel towers, cranes, split-team site-clearance work, or even just climbing at height near busy roads. Or worse still, constantly yelling call-and-responses to teammates over the noise of industrial machinery and equipment, and disturbing the clients, neighbours and passers-by.
Two-ways were a great solution for these situations, but could be frustrating to use, especially while working aloft. Now we have communication tools designed specifically for work in our industry, everyday tree work has become more efficient through more effective, realtime communications on both simple and complex projects. No more waiting your turn to communicate with your team or pauses or restrictions on when you can deliver your message. No more frustration around the inability to talk concurrently with separate teams or workers on the same job site. And with the X-COM Active’s ability to enable up to 10 teammates to communicate simultaneously without any delay, and with high audio quality in noisy work conditions across three private channels, as Chris reiterates again and again, “It’s a game changer!”
Excellent product
From a safety perspective, Chris mentioned that when using the X-COM Active system teams could be avoiding countless near misses.
“When we’re working around grinders or diggers, we can clearly say to the driver, ‘Hey, I’m coming up on your 12 or your six or nine’,” he explained. “They then know where we are.
“And when reversing trucks into driveways, everyone can hear everybody talking directly and calmly, without yelling at each other.”
And with the in-built two-way, noisecancelling boom microphone, “…you can quietly say ‘left-hand down’, ‘watch the data box’ and so forth. So it helps prevent a lot of potential incidents. That is a huge thing for us when using heavy machinery.”
We’ve made do thus far with intercom options from other markets wrangled into service but not specifically fit-forpurpose. Chris said TREETECH “ran through radios, motorbike kits and other brands, and things were improving, but when they got the Husqvarna X-COM units, they just blew us away.”
Way of the future
Full duplex intercom enables tree workers to have efficient and natural conversations without delays or interruptions, and as with TREETECH’s set-up, there is the added benefit of fully integrated head, eye and ear protection when pairing Husqvarna’s X-COM Active, helmet mounts with a Husqvarna Spire™ Vent Arborist helmet. With this system, Chris’ teams are well on the way to improving their safety outcomes and professional industry presence.
Chris is unsurprisingly stoked to be going forward with the latest technology from Husqvarna and agrees the Husqvarna X-COM Active communication headsets are an invaluable tool for all arboricultural environments where clear and uninterrupted communication is crucial.
For those new to the industry and looking to work with these powerful communication tools, working with professional arboricultural companies with a focus on safety and sustainability should certainly make it likely these next-generation products will be available to you.
With Chris using and recommending professional Husqvarna products for over a decade, his love of the brand has translated to starting a new Husqvarna dealership, GreenGear Limited, where his belief in the battery vision can now be fully realised.
Thanks Chris, for taking the time to share some of your experience with the readers.
“Message received, over.”
To learn more of Husqvarna X-COM Active, visit husqvarna.com or scan the QR code.