Kubota Build For The Future

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Kubota Build For The Future: £1.2 million has been invested by leading machinery manufacturer Kubota UK to enhance operational performance and continue to set the highest health and safety standards at its UK headquarters in Thame.

The investment, part of the Kubota UK’s commitment to provide its customers with a first class service offering, includes expanding its office and meeting room space by renovating a previous storage building into state-of-the-art office facilities.  The Thame site has also had groundworks resurfacing completed to enhance traffic flow around the site, as well as refurbishment works carried out to its industry leading Training Academy and Research & Development (R&D) centre.

Kubota Build For The Future

The improvements also include a new cantilever racking system that will help streamline its inventory, offer more space to hold stock and help maintain its ‘first in, first out’ (FIFO) supply method. In turn, customers will experience an even better service, ensuring they receive the required machinery parts exactly when they need them and in the best condition.

Supply Chain Manager at Kubota UK, Solly Wilson, said: “The investment into our operations at Thame is a great example of our commitment to future proofing our business, ensuring the right infrastructure is in place and that we are always operating efficiently and safely.  By doing so, we can maintain the highest levels of service that we provide our customers.

“The new office and meeting spaces for example give us the opportunity to continue to grow and evolve as a business.  In the last 12 months, staff numbers at Thame have increased, highlighting the need for additional capacity.

“The new cantilever racking system also means we are far better equipped to allocate, monitor and transport products more effectively.  FIFO is a widely-known supply chain method where stock is rotated quickly so that no item sits in the warehouse for too long. If this process isn’t maintained to the highest standard, stock can spend significant periods of time on the shelf, taking up valuable space and potentially becoming obsolete, causing cost issues. It’s simple in theory, but each product has its own unique characteristics that will affect the overall operation depending on how well it’s dealt with.

“With this in mind, it’s vital that we’re able to operate at maximum capacity, not only from an operations point of view, but also from a customers, who need their orders delivered in a timely fashion and in first class condition.”

For more information on Kubota UK and its extensive range of heavy machinery solutions, visit www.kubota.co.uk or call 01844 268000.

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Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course

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Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course: Europe’s largest ever Supercross course in a stadium has been built using Bobcat compact equipment, in unusual and demanding conditions.

JLFO built the track for the Paris SX leg of the French ‘SX TOUR’ Supercross Championship in the versatile new U Arena in Nanterre in the outskirts of Paris, which was opened in October 2017.  This event had been held for more than 30 years at the Palais Omnisports venue in Paris Bercy, before relocating for the last three years to the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d’Ascq.

Bobcat Equipment On Supercross Course

To build the track for the Paris SX held on 18-19 November, JLFO teams employed a fleet of machines including three Bobcat compact loaders, a Bobcat compact excavator and a Doosan wheeled excavator to move and shape nearly 4000 m3 of soil to prepare the largest Supercross course ever completed inside a stadium in Europe.

JFLO, Supercross Track Specialist

Based in La Bastide-l’Eveque in France, JLFO specializes in organising events in the car, motorbike and quad bike sectors.  With more than 200 major events to its credit, JLFO has forged a strong reputation in the construction of off-road tracks for car, motorbike and quad bike racing, as well as handling all of the logistics to accompany the events.

Many Constraints

The work of the Bobcat and Doosan machines in Paris comes off the back of the Supercross SX events held the last three years in Lille, where the JLFO teams had used a fleet of Bobcat equipment to meet the challenge presented by only three days being available for assembly of the track and just one night for the disassembly, skillfully handling thousands of cubic metres of earth, while at the same time protecting any grass surfaces.

The challenge of installing the track for the Paris Supercross SX in the U Arena was just as immense.  The deadlines were the same with three nights for building the track and only one night to dismantle it.  The first job was to protect the lawn and the soil during the weekend. The construction of the track also had to be done at night by the teams in Nanterre.  So for three nights, JLFO teams were mobilized to deliver the soil and build the slopes, bumps and other obstacles as required for the track.  The Supercross course was finalised on the Thursday before the event, with pilot tests carried out on the Friday.  The biggest challenge was dismantling the track overnight on between the end of Sunday and Monday.  No less than five earthmovers were used, including a Bobcat E62 compact excavator, two Bobcat T870 loaders, a Bobcat T650 loader and a Doosan DX165W-5 wheeled excavator.

Nearly 4000 m3 of Soil

 The volume of soil used to prepare the track was considerable: comprising nearly 4000 m3 on a floor area of ​​10.000 m2.  The soil was transported in ten 20 tonne trucks from a location in Aubervilliers, six kilometres from the U Arena.  The soil was spread in five layers by the Bobcat compact excavators and loaders to create the bumps and hollows of the track.  Only the Freestyle bump was an intrinsic structure in itself, which saved about 400 m3 of soil – it was also covered with earth.

Jean-Luc Fouchet, Founding President of JLFO, explained: “Our three Bobcat T650 and T870 loaders and the Bobcat E62 compact excavator allow us to work with the utmost efficiency.  When you make a hump in the track, you can climb on it and compact it. We can modulate it and we do not need another machine. With compact track loaders, you can quickly move to stand back, look at the shape and correct it if necessary,”

The Bobcat T870 loaders are the largest loaders the brand has ever made. To achieve the feat of preparing and dismantling the track in such a short time, JLFO used three experienced Bobcat drivers.  For the duration of the event, Bobcat loaders and compact excavators were at work for the regular repair of the track after the races.

In total, a team of 70 people completed the assembly of the SX track in Paris over three nights and for the disassembly over the last night. The event welcomed over 40,000 spectators on the Saturday and Sunday.  As an operational partner, Bobcat invited some of its customers to attend the show over the weekend.

The team was mobilized again on Monday 20 November in Lyon for the next stage of the SX Tour championship.  As well as Lyon and Paris, Bobcat is also partnering with JLFO to prepare the Supercross tracks at the Montpellier and Amnéville events that form part of the Championship.

For more information on Bobcat and Bobcat products, visit www.bobcat.com

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Reach For The Top With Echo

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Reach For The Top With Echo: Safety is a great consideration when cutting high hedges, so dispensing with the need for ladders, steps and platforms is good news. The ECHO HCA-265ES HD articulating hedge cutter is the newest addition to the ECHO range and offers an overall length of 2446mm (cutting length – 536mm), making it ideal for cutting tall or wide hedges without the need for a platform or ladder. Operators can adjust the angle of the cutting head with one hand, helping to reduce downtime for repositioning. The cutting head also includes nine cutting angle presets through 135° for maximum versatility. 

Looking over this new hedge cutter it’s easy to see why ECHO has become a world leader in the development of hand-held power equipment for professionals. Clearly the designers understand the requirements of the applications and optimise performance, durability and ergonomics. In other words, ECHO has considered the environment in which the machine will be used, and the job it will be doing with no compromise to quality. The HCA-265ES HD features a heavy duty magnesium gear case with needle bearings caged in the cutting head, providing added durability and less downtime. The cutting head itself can be folded 180°, making it easier to transport and store between jobs – ideal for the professional user. The hedge cutter also features triple edged blades and a faster cutter speed stroke rate – 4696 (1/min). This effective combination provides a faster slicing, cutting action, ensuring a clean and tidy finish. The blades on the cutting head are nickel-plated and laser-cut for long lasting sharpness, helping the HCA-265ES HD to tackle a variety of different hedges.

Reach For The Top With Echo

The HCA-265ES HD features a powerful 25.4cc professional grade engine, capable of tackling the toughest of jobs. There is also an Easy Start system which allows the user to start the machine faster and with little effort. The shaft grip handle has been ergonomically designed, with the controls grouped close together for ease-of-use, better manoeuvrability and control. A tool-less air filter cover allows for easy access even with gloves on, making it easier to clean the air filters while the commercial-grade felt air filter helps to keep dust and debris away from the engine, ensuring longer service intervals and better engine performance. All of which adds up to reduced down time in maintenance, leaving the professional more opportunities for increased productivity and able to take on extra jobs. Take a look at the ECHO range and one thing overall is apparent. ECHO only builds equipment to one standard and that’s professional. ECHO tools are hardworking, tough, durable and dependable, and an exemplary two-year professional warranty shows this. Find out more from your local authorised ECHO dealer.

You can also visit www.echo-tools.co.uk or call 0800 597 7777 for more information.

For more information go to www.echo-tools.co.uk/shop/hedge-trimmers/hca-265es-hd/

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Rigby Taylor Statement

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Rigby Taylor Statement: Peter Corbett, the company’s Chemicals Product Manager says, “Rigby Taylor is delighted that the EU has renewed the licence for glyphosate.”

“The loss of this important active would have cost local authorities many hundreds of millions of pounds to replace with alternative means of vegetation control.

Rigby Taylor Statement

“The industry now needs to take on board the importance of using this active ingredient correctly and in a sustainable manner.

“Rigby Taylor is working on a product stewardship package for glyphosate, which will include all the elements of best practice. The package will include advice and recommendations for managers, operators and other end users on how to use it correctly. There is also a need to educate the general public on its safety profile.

“We expect the UK authorities to re-affirm product labels in the next few months and Rigby Taylor will include these in the stewardship package.

“A key element to ensuring we can continue to have glyphosate as a cost-effective management tool for vegetation management will be to use it in a programme with other products to achieve the desired outcome. Rigby Taylor will also address this issue in its forthcoming stewardship programme.”

Rigby Taylor’s Chemicals Product Manager Peter Corbett says the company will be announcing a product stewardship package for glyphosate, which will include all the elements of best practice.

For more information go to www.rigbytaylor.com

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