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NEWS ARTICLES

Woven Technology Proves a Hit in 2016 for GreenFields

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With the year coming to an end, it has been an exciting one for GreenFields and its two premium woven products- their hybrid turf system- XtraGrass and 3G turf- MX TriMension.

Installed in 2015, the XtraGrass pitches at both The Kassam Stadium and Ricoh Arena have each had recognition for their performance. The pitch at Kassam had an incredible first season with the club promoted and selection by the IFPA as the most improved pitch in League Two as well as a nomination by the STRI as one of the best three playing surfaces.

Also, the GreenFields Grounds Team who maintain the pitch at Ricoh Arena were winners at the IOG Awards for sports turf excellence. The two-man Grounds Team are responsible for ensuring the XtraGrass pitch is in optimum condition and can fulfil the busy schedule at the dual sports arena for Wasps RFC and Coventry City F.C. along with other fixtures.

Paul Milton, Commercial Director at GreenFields commented: “We are proud of our XtraGrass system and are delighted that the industry is recognising it as an elite playing surface for sports.”

XtraGrass combines the positive properties of natural grass with the strength and durability of artificial turf. Clubs can benefit from maximised usage and a greener pitch all year round.

Not to be left in the shadows, MX TriMension has also had its share of industry praise. Installed at top clubs around the world including Arsenal, Charlton Athletic, PSV Eindhoven and Celtic this surface is proving to be a top-class product with the triple W-weave technology resulting in an extremely high tuft bind making the turf fibres stand straighter than ever and ensuring optimum playing performance.

Joe Wallace, Head Groundsman at Falkirk F.C. who also have an MX TriMension pitch confirms this: “I think it’s one of the best pitches in the country. Every club should have one of these, as a groundsman it’s phenomenal to have the same quality of pitch in June as in December.”
This is reiterated by Premiership Groundsman, Paul Ashcroft of Arsenal F.C. who have MX TriMension pitches at their training academy: “The surface not only has to look good it has to play well too, and these do.”*

With more woven GreenFields pitches in the pipeline for 2017, it looks set to become another year to remember for the specialist sports turf company.

For more information visit www.greenfieldsturf.co.uk

Kubota Agriculture expands into Kent with Lister Machinery

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New £1.6m flagship depot to open in Spring 2017

Lister Machinery is investing over £1.6m to open a new depot in Ashford, Kent, which will become a flagship dealer for Kubota UK’s complete range of market leading machinery solutions.

The partnership, between two major players in the sector, will now mean that Kubota’s agricultural range of products will be available to the professional farming industry in Kent for the first time. The depot will also showcase Kubota’s high performance range of groundcare and construction equipment solutions, making it one of several dealers in the UK to offer Kubota’s full line-up of machines.

Rob Edwards, Kubota Agriculture’s Business Development Manager, commented: “As a business, Kubota has made a massive commitment and long term investment to become a global brand in the agricultural sector. By joining forces with Lister Machinery, it allows us to expand our agricultural offering into Kent and target this market on a local level, working alongside an extremely established partner.

“Kent is a really important county for the UK’s farming industry. It’s a diverse and productive mixed farming area which, with the addition of the specialist fruit, vineyard and forestry growers, makes it ideally suited to the Kubota Agriculture range. Being able to target this area with Lister Machinery is therefore an exciting opportunity to develop and grow our presence in the region.”

The new 20,000 sq ft Ashford depot, which is due to be officially opened in Spring 2017, is being transformed from its current use into a flagship machinery dealership. It will feature all the latest machines from Kubota’s agricultural range. This will include the company’s brand new range of implements, such as disc mowers, rakes, tedders, flail choppers, fertiliser spreaders, round balers and wrappers, as well as Kubota’s recently launched M5001 and MGX-III tractors, and its flagship M7001 Series that power their way up to 175hp.

In addition, the orange liveried manufacturer’s groundcare and construction equipment range will be on display, from walk behind, ride-on, out front and zero turn mowers, compact and mid-range tractors, through to RTV utility vehicles, mini-excavators, wheeled loaders and tracked carriers.

Charlie King, Commercial Director at Lister Machinery, said: “There is a massive opportunity to expand our offering in Kent. We have a 21-year heritage with Kubota’s groundcare and construction equipment machinery in this area and have developed an excellent reputation for providing a first class service and aftersales support to these sectors.

“Our aim now is to replicate what we have done in the groundcare and construction markets and target the farming industry with our new agricultural products. Joining forces with Kubota Agriculture allows us to do this and we are excited to be going on this journey with them and being able to offer the complete Kubota product line-up at our Ashford branch.”

Lister Machinery, part of the Lister Wilder Group, is due to open its new Ashford site in the Spring, which will be the first dealership in the UK that features Kubota’s new concept in dealer branding. Recently launched by Kubota’s European Agricultural Business Unit, this exciting and innovative dealer branding programme is designed to raise the bar in the machinery sector, creating a visual appearance of a dealership that pushes the boundaries and increases the end-user’s experience of the Kubota brand.

Rob Edwards concluded: “I am delighted to announce that Lister Machinery’s Ashford branch will be the first UK dealer that takes this new branding concept into its showroom. This is all about setting the benchmark in the machinery sector and we look forward to hearing the feedback from our end-user customers once this site officially opens its doors in the spring.”

Agricultural sales at Lister Machinery’s Ashford branch will be managed by Carl Cripps, the company’s Agricultural Sales Manager, along with another three sales managers. It will also include four dedicated staff for parts, two administrators and ten engineers in the workshop.

For more information call Kubota on 01844 268000 or Lister Machinery on 01233 619290

Iseki Tractors ‘Behind-the-Scenes’ at Olympia Horse Show

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Ransomes Jacobsen, the European distributors of Iseki tractors and mowers, recently loaned several Iseki tractors to the Olympia Horse show for the second year running. The show was held at The Grand Hall in Hammersmith, London.

The tractors on loan included the new TLE3400 with loader attachment, a TH4335, a TG6370 IQ, and both the TG6490 HST and the TG6490 IQ variants.

Tim Henson is the backstage manager at the London International Horse Show. He is responsible for the organisation and management of all activities and logistics before the show is unveiled to the public. Commenting on the build-up to the show, Tim said:
“We are extremely grateful to Ransomes Jacobsen for loaning us the Iseki tractors. I have worked at the London International Horse Show for 22 years now, and I wish we had these tractors back then!”

The Iseki tractors are used to move all of the equipment, such as the show jumps, in and out of the arena areas. The TLE3400 is Iseki’s new premium economy tractor. It features a three-speed hydrostatic transmission and an impressive lift capacity of 1000 kg, making it suitable for a range of tasks, including lifting and towing.

Commenting on the performance of the tractors, Tim said:
“The machines are very reliable; they have exceeded our expectations and deliver around the clock, which is exactly what we want when we have so much to do in such little time. We have five tractor drivers, and the feedback from all of them has been astoundingly positive. The tractors are extremely user-friendly; the operators haven’t had any issues working out how to use a tractor when jumping from one machine to the other. They are also particularly adept at navigating small spaces in and around the show areas, which of course makes life much easier for us; without doubt, we have saved ourselves a lot of time with these machines.”

John Quinton, U.K. and Ireland Sales Manager at Ransomes Jacobsen, said:
“We are delighted that a range of Iseki tractors have been used throughout the Olympia Horse Show. The TG6 and the TLE series of tractors are already proving very popular in the municipal, grounds maintenance and agricultural markets, and we are very excited to showcase these machines at the Olympia Horse Show each year.”

Parting thoughts from David Withers

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Following his recent departure from the position of President of Jacobsen, David Withers offers some final thoughts.

I think you probably know my history that I joined Jacobsen in the UK in 1992 as a Regional Sales manager, and then had a variety of increasingly senior roles within the organization became Managing Director of Ransomes Jacobsen (the Ipswich UK based subsidiary of Jacobsen) in 2004 a role I held until the move to the President’s job in Charlotte in 2011. Then, as you know earlier this year Textron announced the merger of Jacobsen with Textron Specialized Vehicles. This included moving all activities out of Charlotte and into Augusta.

As such my role would have moved to Augusta and I decided that this was not something that I wanted to do and felt that the timing was right for us to start looking at moving back to the UK. I also think that the merger of the 2 brands will work better if it is truly integrated and I think that integration will be easier and more complete without there being an incumbent President of Jacobsen in the mix.

As regards the future as yet I have no plans, it has been a busy time planning the integration and all my thoughts and energy have been on working to ensure a smooth transition where our customers are only impacted positively. Once I actually leave Jacobsen at the end of the year I will start to look at what opportunities there are and decide what we want to do next. I am hopeful that I can stay in this industry as I have so many friends and relationships that it would seem sad not to continue to build them in the future albeit with another company.

Thinking about the future of Jacobsen in its new home I think there will be opportunities to build on what we have achieved these last years and also to leverage the 2 brands together to win more business. What I mean by that is there will be the ability to leverage the EZGO and Jacobsen brands into the customer base. If a golf course or group are purchasing a lot of Jacobsen equipment but also a golf buggy fleet competitive to EZGO, then maybe in the future it will make sense to buy it all from one company and get additional advantages due to the increased volume of business going to one vendor.

In addition the product line-up has truly been refreshed these last few years and the new products are well set to continue to win more business in the future, I think as well the product plan that is already in place will continue to deliver great “customer delighting” platforms over the next 5 years.

  • The philosophy that I bought to the role was based on what we referred to as the 3B’s:
  • Building Relationships with our customers is the most important thing we can do.
  • We must Build a great machine that makes our customers lives easier.
  • Backing our products up for the whole life of the machine is key to our customer’s success.

I think that If Jacobsen stays true to these tenets then the company will only continue to grow and succeed as it has these last years and I wish the company and all its wonderful employees and customers every success for the future.

I have loved my 24 years with Jacobsen it has all been an amazing experience and such a privilege to lead this iconic company for the last 5 or so years, so whilst sad to be leaving I am also excited to see what the next chapter in my career may bring.

Daniel Madsen Wins Trip to Wembley with Jacobsen

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daniel-madsenIpswich, Suffolk (November 17, 2016) Daniel Madsen is the latest winner of the Jacobsen New Groundsman of the Year award. Turf equipment manufacturer Jacobsen and local dealer Svenningsens co-sponsored the prize that included a trip to work alongside the groundsmen at St. George’s Park, England’s national team training facility, and a tour of Wembley Stadium with Head Groundsman Karl Standley.

Daniel is the grounds manager at Telia PARKEN Stadium, the home of F.C. Copenhagen and the Danish national football team. Having grown up as an F.C. Copenhagen fan, Daniel has now spent 10 years at the club that is regarded as the most successful club in the history of Danish football. Daniel has played a crucial role in preparing the pitch for every game played at the stadium which includes Champions League fixtures, the most recent being the visit of the reigning Premier League champions, Leicester City F.C.

The Groundsman Association Denmark (GDA) nominated Daniel for the award as a result of the pitch being voted as “Denmark’s best pitch” two years in a row. This accolade is achieved by the captain of the opposing team rating the pitch from 1-5, with the highest ranking pitch at the end of the season winning the award. Commenting on being nominated, and winning the Jacobsen New Groundsman of the Year award, Daniel said:
“It was a huge privilege to just be nominated for the award. My peers are the ones who voted for me to win, so it really means a lot to me that my work has been recognised in this way. I have to also acknowledge the work of my team. There are only three of us, and between us, we maintain the training ground and the stadium, so there is a lot of work to do! The stadium is multi-use so as well as preparing the pitch for football, we also have to prepare for concerts and other sporting events, which comes with its own challenges.

“I hope to be able to continue the good work in the years to come. I am particularly looking forward to the challenge of preparing the pitch for the 2020 European Championships, which marks the 50th anniversary of the competition. Telia PARKEN Stadium will host three group games and one round of 16 game. I hope to be able to make it to Wembley for the final once my work is done!”

Commenting on the prize of working alongside F.A. Head Groundsman Alan Ferguson and his team at St. George’s Park and the trip to Wembley Stadium, Daniel said:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in England. I have been blown away at the size of St. George’s Park, and I have also been surprised how open it is to the wider community. For example, I have been told that Burton Albion train here every day and I have seen the Australian national rugby league team here as well. It’s fantastic to see a world-class facility that is so versatile and well-used.

“My trip to Wembley was also a great experience. Wembley is the Mecca of football and it was exciting to be able to stand on the pitch and go behind-the-scenes of a place which has hosted so many memorable sporting moments. I would like to thank Jacobsen for making the experience possible; I have learnt a lot which I hope to be able to take back with me to Copenhagen.”

For more information visit www.textron.com