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AgriArgo Appoint National Sales Director

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AgriArgo Appoint National Sales Director: Farm and groundscare tractor distributor AgriArgo UK & Ireland has expanded its management team with the new appointment of Ben Agar as Sales Director.

He joins the company based in Harworth, South Yorkshire from the UK office of a French manufacturer of light construction machinery. But before that he worked for 20 years at a global farm equipment company, half of which was spent in area sales and national marketing roles within the UK.

AgriArgo Appoint National Sales Director

Ray Spinks, AgriArgo managing director, said: “Ben comes to us with a great deal of valuable experience working across multiple farm equipment brands. He brings a fresh pair of eyes to the challenges we face in selling our products in an intensely competitive market.”

AgriArgo is the distributor of Landini and McCormick farm tractors in the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying the machines to farmers, contractors and other rural enterprises through a network of independent local dealers.

The company’s dealers also handle Valpadana turf and groundscare four-wheel drive tractors, with all products supported by a technical services team and a parts operation that holds several million pounds worth of replacement parts to support dealers’ own stock.

Ben Agar said of his appointment: “Although I enjoyed the stimulus of working in the construction equipment market, which was new territory for me, my heart remains in agriculture and I’m genuinely excited at getting stuck into the farm machinery scene once more.

“My impression is that today’s modern Landini and McCormick tractors are underestimated in some respects; their features, performance, build quality and reliability are up there with the best, so I’m looking forward to working with AgriArgo’s dealers and area sales managers to bring these very positive characteristics to the attention of end users.”

When not encouraging farmers to get more Landini, McCormick and Valpadana tractors working on British and Irish farms, Ben enjoys time at home in Kenilworth, Warwickshire with his wife and two children, and in his role as an inspector with the Special Constabulary providing support to the local Roads Policing team.

Get More With Toro Cylinders

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Get More With Toro Cylinders: Reesink Turfcare is reminding customers that replacing or upgrading to new Toro cylinders offers customers so much more than a perfect finish, among many other things they bring the best possible value, too.

Value, one of the most important factors determining purchasing decisions. Budget control is something all course managers and greenkeepers will feel the pressure from and getting value from what is spent is paramount. Which is what makes Toro cylinders such a sensible option. Here we look at the reasons why.

Get More With Toro Cylinders

With the workings of a cylinder mower so intricate, it would be unwise to upset the equilibrium by putting anything other than genuine parts in your Toro, and only genuine Toro cylinders balance with genuine Toro bedknives for the perfect fit.

Fitting an inferior ‘will-fit’ part against a genuine Toro bedknife removes the guarantee of a consistently accurate cut right down to 2.5mm, increasing the risk of turf damage. This means only genuine Toro cylinders give you the best fit and deliver the cleanest cut, promoting healthier turf and giving you an amazing after-cut appearance.

And because genuine Toro cylinders are built strong and fit in the cutting units so well, they wear less, so the need for constant cylinder grinding is less, meaning less maintenance and more efficient mowing operation.

Toro cylinders are also the only cylinders available in 5, 7, 8, 11 and 14-blade configurations to fit all cylinder mowers, including the Greensmaster and Reelmaster ranges.

Add to that Reesink’s parts backup is widely accepted as being second-to-none -15,000 Toro items, with performance parts delivered within 24 hours’ notice pretty much anywhere in the UK and 12,000 fast-moving lines are housed at the European distribution centre in Belgium with 48-hour availability. If all else fails, a 72-hour trans-Atlantic airfreight service comes into action calling on parts held at Toro’s Minneapolis manufacturing base. This is all at no extra cost to the customer and represents the kind of reassurance Reesink wants to give greenkeepers: minimum downtime, maximum productivity and more customer service.

In fact, it’s this approach, focusing on keeping the customer’s total cost of ownership as low as possible – a shared philosophy with The Toro Company, that has seen Reesink recognised by The Toro Company for outstanding performance in Parts, Service and Technical Training in the past.

 Contact distributor Reesink Turfcare’s Toro parts department on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Jacobsen Support Golf Tournaments

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Jacobsen Support Golf Tournaments: Jacobsen® turf equipment is an Official Supplier of The 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National, and is providing tournament support to the greenkeeping team throughout the competition as well as the HNA Open de France tournament taking place between 28th June – 1st July. Technical staff from the Ransomes Jacobsen facility in Ipswich, U.K. will support staff based at Ransomes Jacobsen France (RJF) in Toulouse throughout both competitions.

Jacobsen turf equipment is designed and manufactured by Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company.

Jacobsen Support Golf Tournaments

In 2016, Le Golf National signed a five-year preferred supplier agreement with Ransomes Jacobsen. The prestigious golf course, which belongs to the French Federation of Golf, has demonstrated its confidence in Ransomes Jacobsen France, which has supplied equipment to the facility since 2010.

 In addition to the course’s regular fleet of Jacobsen equipment, an additional 31 pieces of equipment have been delivered to support The Ryder Cup and HNA Open de France. The additional machinery consists of nine Eclipse 2 greens mowers, three SLF-1880 fairway mowers, three AR-3 rotary mowers, two Jacobsen Trucksters, four Smithco Lite rollers and 11 mower caddies. An additional three Eclipse 2 greens mowers will be delivered after the HNA Open de France, to assist with The Ryder Cup preparations.

Alejandro Reyes, Golf and Courses and Estate Manager at Le Golf National, said of the support provided by Jacobsen and RJF:

“Le Golf National has been in partnership with Jacobsen since 2011. The quality of machinery, the back-up support, and the product innovation are just some of the reasons we choose Jacobsen. Together, we have created a world-class golf course that will host the HNA Open de France, The 2018 Ryder Cup and the Olympics in 2024.

Jacobsen Support Golf Tournaments

“We are excited to use Jacobsen equipment during The Ryder Cup. I am confident that it will assist us in making the Albatros course absolutely spectacular for such a huge event. We are prepared for the HNA Open de France, and we will make sure that we maintain high standards all the way through until the Ryder Cup in September.”

Since opening in 1990, Le Golf National has hosted the Open de France 25 times. It consists of three courses: the Albatros, an18-hole championship course, on which the Open de France and Ryder Cup will be played; the Eagle, a second 18-hole course; and the Oiselet, a 9-hole course.

For more information, visit: www.jacobsen.com

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The 2018 ClearWater Cup

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The 2018 ClearWater Cup: The annual ClearWater Cup took place recently at Corhampton Golf Club with The South Coast Greenkeepers playing The Wessex Managers.

The club is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty and aims to provide members and guests with a quality golfing experience within a friendly and welcoming environment. All lived up to expectations and the greenkeeping team could be justifiably proud of the course. The excellent weather was an added bonus!

The 2018 ClearWater Cup

Highcliffe Castle’s Mike Cartwright captained the Greenkeepers and Barton on Sea’s Sean Trussel captained the Managers and a hard fought event took place; the mangers keen to take the cup from the greenkeepers!

Despite everyone’s best efforts, however, the match ended in a draw and so the Greenkeepers retained the trophy!

An enjoyable meal followed and Acumen ClearWater’s Matthew Mears presented the cup. Thanks were made for Acumen ClearWater’s sponsorship and to those involved in organising the event, hosting, preparing the course and, of course, the meal.

The 2018 ClearWater Cup

Congratulations South Coast Greenkeepers; maybe next year the Managers will prise the cup from them?

For more information, visit: www.acumenwaste.co.uk

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Ariens Company Announces Changes

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Ariens Company Announces Changes: Ariens Company has confirmed a number of organizational changes to the international business organization, aimed at putting more focus on the specific needs of the international market in the long-term.

“As we approach a new fiscal year, we have an opportunity to assess our business structure and make adjustments as part of our continuous improvement process,” says Larry Weyers, President, Ariens Power Equipment from their Brillion, Wisconsin HQ. “Ultimately we want to give the team control to develop the right products, for the right market, at the right time.”

Ariens Company Announces Changes

In the United Kingdom, Darren Spencer has been promoted to Vice President – EMEA and Asia. Spencer will have oversight and responsibility for all operations and business within Ariens UK and Ariens Scandinavia as well as developing business within Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Spencer has been with Ariens Company (through the Countax acquisition) since 1990 and has held various positions within the company.  He started as a Sales Assistant, and his career path has included roles as Operations Director, Director of Aftermarket and Distribution, General Manager for Australia and most recently as European Managing Director.

The company is also reorganizing its international business to have solid line reporting relationships directly to the businesses which they support. Accordingly, this will see the leaders in areas such as the Supply Chain, HR, Operations, Sales and Marketing report directly to Spencer.

Additionally, John Horn has decided to announce his retirement at the end of the calendar year.  During this transition, John will still partner with the Ariens UK and Ariens Scandinavia team and lead sales efforts. “We congratulate John on his upcoming retirement,” says Weyers, “and thank him for his dedication and years of service with Ariens Company.”

In the Americas, Ron Marcellus has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales – Americas.  In this expanded role, Marcellus will assume responsibility for growing and managing sales for North America, Central America, and South America.

“I am confident that these organizational changes and promotions will continue to position us for global success for the next fiscal year and beyond,” says Weyers.

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