John Deere sells SABO to Mutares

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John Deere sells SABO to Mutares: John Deere has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell SABO Maschinenfabrik to Mutares SE & Co. The transaction is contingent on regulatory approval by the Federal Cartel Office Bundeskartellamt, Germany’s national competition regulator.

SABO manufactures lawnmowers and other outdoor power products and markets them to homeowners, municipalities, and gardening and landscaping companies. The Gummersbach, Germany-based company was founded in 1932 and has been a subsidiary of Deere & Company since 1991. SABO has approximately 125 employees.

John Deere sells SABO to Mutares

John Deere sells SABO to Mutares

Mutares, based in Munich, is a private equity firm that currently owns 13 companies in the automotive and mobility, engineering and technology, and goods and services industries.

SABO will maintain ownership of its brand assets and its operations in Gummersbach. The company will continue to produce walk-behind lawnmowers and handheld outdoor power products, marketing those machines through its existing network of more than 1100 specialised dealers in Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Switzerland.

Employees, customers, suppliers, dealers and distributors should notice little change in daily operations, according to Deere and Mutares.

“SABO is a leading brand for high quality walk-behind mowers and handheld power products in Europe, and the company is well positioned for growth with its line of battery-powered machines,” said Tim Merrett, John Deere’s Vice President, Turf and Compact Utility Platform.

“However, Deere is shifting its focus to key production systems that will allow our machine technology to be a differentiator. Further investment in walk-behind lawnmowers was no longer a strategic fit for our global business.

“Deere is not exiting the turf care business. John Deere will continue to produce a wide range of lawn and grounds care equipment for residential, commercial and golf course maintenance use,” said Merrett.

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Fleet of ISEKI’s for Blundells

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Fleet of ISEKI’s for Blundells: ISEKI UK & Ireland, distributors of ISEKI compact tractors and mowers alongside their local dealer MST based in Tiverton, recently sold a fleet of ISEKI machinery into Blundell’s School in Devon.

Amongst all the other tasks you need to get to grips with when starting a new job, Graham Cox at Blundell’s School in Tiverton was also tasked with upgrading the groundcare fleet of machinery, with the aim of it being more economical and cost efficient.  So, following on from what his Estate Bursar Ian Barnes, Deputy Head Groundsperson Richard Hutchings and the grounds team had started, Graham began looking into what was on the market.  Having contacted a number of local dealers ISEKI and MST came up trumps!

Fleet of ISEKI's for Blundells

Fleet of ISEKI’s for Blundells

Graham explains further; “we knew our two previous 36hp tractors needed an increase in power to 50hp in order to run the specialist sports turf equipment around the site. The schools overall strategy is to significantly improve its sports pitches and gardens and it fully supports the development of the team and the equipment necessary to do that.  MST brought out the ISEKI TG6495 IQ on demo for us to try, it was perfect for the jobs we require.  The dual-clutch transmission offers excellent control for when we are aerating, allowing accurate work to be carried out easily no matter who operates the machine.  The drive function is great when towing implements around the site or on the roads allowing us to travel quickly from one job to the next.

“The TG6495 IQ tractor’s are extremely comfortable, especially with the air con cab, which when you are maintaining 110 acres of grassland by verti-draining or mowing this is vital for my staff to avoid fatigue.  In the peak of the season the tractor and operator will be out over 20 hours a week just mowing so the renowned reliability of the ISEKI built tractor along with the ease of use was imperative.  They certainly have a great reputation and I can easily see why.

“We had loader brackets fitted to both TG6495 IQ tractor’s with one loader supplied so the machines are as flexible as possible in their uses here at Blundell’s. The gardeners use the tractor’s with loader for moving bulk material around the site, whilst we use them for grounds maintenance with implements attached.

“As part of the package we also required new ride on mowers for the gardens and fine turf areas.  After trying a variety of manufacturers we found the ISEKI SXG323 to be the quietest, most productive and comfortable.  The 48” deck was a better size and more manoeuvrable than the previous mower we had, allowing a very clean finish even in the smallest of areas.  With a number of large gardens and fine lawns on site the SXG323 collector mower is used extensively to take Blundells to a new level in presentation.  The large 550litre capacity collector with high tip allows us to get around a large number of areas before emptying.  Plus the SXG323 does truly cut and collect leaving a excellent and clean finish every time even in wet conditions which is great for my team to be as productive as possible with less downtime due to the weather.

“The deal also included a TXGS24 23hp tractor which is used on the astroturf pitches and running the SISIS Quadraplay on sports pitches.  It has a surprisingly high lift capacity for its size at 540kg plus it can take a front loader,  back hoe and centre mounted mowing deck if required but we didn’t need this for us.  It is lightweight and manoeuvrable ensuring we can maintain the pitches to the highest standard whilst creating minimal damage to the turf with the tractor.

“Scott Struthers at MST was responsive and very easy to deal with, we had a large range of demos and competitor quotes but MST made the decision simple; quality products at a financially viable cost plus the excellent service and back up provided, they offered the full package.

We have been very lucky, the school has supported the grounds department to enable us to produce top quality playing surfaces and grounds maintenance across the site with the best equipment.  The purchase will pay off for years to come with continued improvement of presentation at the school plus the renowned quality and longevity of the ISEKI equipment.”

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Familiar face returns to Symbio

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Familiar face returns to Symbio: Turf managers in the South West of England will note the presence of a familiar face in the region after Neil Carter rejoined Symbio in a sales and advisory role.

Neil has more than 30 years of horticultural experience behind him. RHS qualified, he then completed an HND in Golf Course Management at Cannington College in 1996. A diverse greenkeeping career followed at venues including the Manor House at Castle Combe, Paris International, Dartmouth Golf & Country Club and the London Golf Club. He initially joined Symbio at the turn of the millennium and spent a decade with the Surrey-based soil biology specialists before starting a successful gardening business in his local area.

Familiar face returns to Symbio

Familiar face returns to Symbio

He rejoined the company in March and is looking forward to working with customers in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and Gloucestershire again. “It’s great to be back, and at an exciting time for Symbio. The team has grown significantly; the breadth of expertise our customers have access to today is incredible. New product research and development has continued and it’s fantastic to see additions such as Symbio Biotabs and Incision join mainstay products like Thatch Eater and compost teas in a portfolio that’s helping turf managers across the country.

I was reassured to see the company ethos completely unchanged. It remains driven by people with a passion for a biological approach that delivers results. It’s also positive to see that through education and networking, many more sports turf managers recognise that healthy soil is essential for sustainable improvements to playing conditions and also for problem solving and that there’s a growing appetite for managing turf with that as a priority.”

Neil can be contacted on 07928 574550 and by email at neil@symbio.co.uk.

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Greenkeeper airlifted to hospital

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Greenkeeper airlifted to hospital: The course manager of Pitlochry Golf Club is expected to make a full a recovery after being involved in a terrifying accident on the Perthshire course yesterday.

Stuart Griffiths, 44, was taken by air ambulance to Ninewells Hospital where his injuries are said to be serious but not life-threatening.

According to reports, he was trapped under a tractor after getting into difficulties on an embankment.

The Courier reported that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dispatched six appliances to the scene shortly after 8am on Thursday morning, with winch lines, cutting gear and a rescue board, while the Scottish Ambulance Service attended with a trauma team and special operations team, as well as the air ambulance.

Fortunately, a tweet from the club’s official Twitter account this morning confirmed that he is recovering well.

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Food aid project signs off on a high

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Food aid project signs off on a high: Organisations across Staffordshire today said a big thank you to JCB as the company served up its last meal under its ‘Food for our Communities’ initiative.

An idea of Carole Bamford, wife of JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, the scheme swung into action in March at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic to support those most in need.

Food aid project signs off on a high

Food aid project signs off on a high

Since then, more than 35,000 meals and over 8,000 sandwiches have been delivered to the vulnerable in Stoke-on-Trent, Uttoxeter, Rocester and Biddulph. Dishes made at JCB’s World HQ in Rocester included cottage pies, macaroni cheese and Bolognese.

The NSPCC – JCB’s nominated charity – is one organisation which has distributed the meals in Stoke-on-Trent, delivering almost 4,000 to families in the Chell, Chell Heath and Fegg Hayes areas.

Jennie Hammond, NSPCC Together for Childhood Development and Impact Manager, said: “We would like to thank JCB for such a generous donation at a time when some families might have struggled. The meals have been really appreciated by each family which has received them and the scheme has had a very positive impact on the community.”

More than 15,000 JCB meals were also distributed across Stoke-on-Trent by the Burslem-based Hubb Foundation to children and families in need. Founder Carol Shanahan said: “The impact of JCB’s ‘Food for our Communities’ project has been immense. It has supported families in Stoke-on-Trent when their need was at its greatest and help like this will never be forgotten.”

More than 8,000 sandwiches were made for distribution to the homeless in Stoke-on-Trent and for inclusion in food parcels for vulnerable people in the Uttoxeter and Biddulph areas. JCB also supplied St. Michael’s Church Support Group in Rocester with 100 meals a week for villagers who were in need. Over the course of the initiative the JCB team used around seven tonnes of potatoes, more than 3.5 tonnes of minced beef and almost two tonnes of both pasta and onions

In India – where JCB has factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur – the scale of the initiative to support local communities was even greater and more than 175,000 meals were served up during the project.

As well as providing thousands of meals, JCB has also donated vital PPE to front line workers. JCB and its employees also volunteered to produce visors for the NHS. Inspired by these efforts, JCB-sponsored athletes, slalom canoeist Adam Burgess and triple jumper Ben Williams, took on a marathon weight lifting challenge and have so far raised more than £2,400 for the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

JCB’s kitchens in Staffordshire were supported with the provision of food from organic farms at Daylesford in Gloucestershire. Daylesford – founded by Carole Bamford – has supplied organic beef mince to the project, with staff working seven days a week to support the food aid initiative.

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