Tag Archive for: 50%

50 years of excellence

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50 years of excellence: Irish Farm & Garden Machinery (IFGM) celebrates 50 years of business this year. The company, one of Europe’s leading independent distributors of outdoor power equipment, remains family owned and run, now managed by second generation Paul Butterly (Managing Director), and brother Kieran (Technical Director). Although retired, Mum (and co-founder) Eileen, continues to pop into the Dublin office around three days a week – just to ensure that the business continues to operate smoothly.

“We’re thrilled to have reached this milestone” says Paul. “This is a tough industry and the fact that we’re here in 2024, bigger and stronger than ever, is simply amazing”.

50 years of excellence

50 years of excellence

Asked how IFGM has successfully navigated multiple recessions, turbulent trading conditions and technologically driven changes in consumer demand over the past 50 years, Paul says: “We’ve always focused on keeping the company very nimble and this gives us a lot of flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions. We’ve been careful in the rate of our expansion, gradually building the business over time, only working with the very best brands in the industry. No matter what is happening in the economy, people will always buy quality product that offers the best value-for-money.”

In 2006, the business purchased U.K distributor Claymore Grass Machinery, now known as FGM Claymore, an acquisition that greatly extended the reach of the company. In 2022, the business was awarded U.K distribution rights for ECHO which, following the appointment in Ireland a few years earlier, made IFGM the third largest ECHO distributor in Europe.

The team at IFGM celebrated the anniversary during a special event held on the 28 February in Athlone. Dealers from all over the country, alongside special guests from Briggs & Stratton and Yamabiko, joined the Butterly family to celebrate this important anniversary.

Paul gave a special presentation that covered the history of the company, sharing anecdotes alongside the major milestones that made up the IFGM story. There were congratulatory video messages from garden machinery suppliers in New Zealand, Japan, and Italy, alongside special in-person presentations from Briggs & Stratton and Yamabiko.

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On your side for 50 issues, and counting…

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On your side for 50 issues, and counting…: When we launched Turf Matters back at the beginning of 2014, we had high, but realistic, hopes. We hoped that our readership would appreciate what we had to offer and that, perhaps, we might grow over the years to be a well-respected title.

With this, our 50th issue, we can look back with pride at having achieved that goal. We are definitely a respected title. We have won awards for our writing and our design and we are thrilled that more and more companies within the industry are deciding to share some of their marketing and advertising budgets with us. That is not something we ever take for granted, particularly in these tough times.

On your side for 50 issues, and counting…

On your side for 50 issues, and counting…

We are also pleased that so many have opened their doors to enable us to produce interesting features and over the last eight years these open doors have allowed us to showcase extraordinary work at virtually every major sporting venue in the country – not to mention the odd overseas assignment, which included a preview to the Ryder Cup matches at Golf National, in Paris.

We have also seen our digital presence grow and we now have over 22,000 on-line followers.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped to make Turf Matters what it is today and the promise that I make to you is that we will continue to work hard to produce the magazine you want to read and the digital platforms you want to visit.

Scott MacCallum, Editor/Publisher

On your side for 50 issues, and counting…

On your side for 50 issues, and counting…

Makita UK marks 50 years

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Makita UK marks 50 years: Makita UK is celebrating 50 years of trading in the UK. With over 100 years of heritage and since entering the UK market in 1972, Makita UK has been at the forefront of innovation and delivered a wide range of high-quality, durable tools that tradespeople across the country can rely on to tackle any job.

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Makita’s first UK office. For half a century, the company has forged a strong presence in the UK with a national network of distributors and merchant partners, as well as investment into four purpose-built Factory Service Centres and training facilities throughout the UK.

Makita UK marks 50 years

Makita UK marks 50 years

Makita is recognised as a market leader in the power tool market having built a reputation for delivering best in class, quality products for professional (and personal) use, to cover a wide range of construction sector applications as well as garden maintenance, landscaping and grounds maintenance tasks.

With over 100 years of experience, the company’s dedication to and investment in product development has resulted in a vast range of cordless machines that deliver the flexibility and safety needed for regular, professional use. Today, the company offers over 270 LXT and 50 XGT cordless models in its portfolio – a huge collection of highly durable machines that can tackle any task. With long battery life and short charge times, the LXT and XGT ranges ensure faster and more efficient work.

Kevin Brannigan, Marketing Manager at Makita said: “We are delighted to be marking our 50th year of trading in the UK. We are incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve since 1972 – and the vast array of cordless products and new technologies that we can offer tradespeople to aid their productivity and efficiency on site.”

To mark its 50th anniversary, Makita UK will be announcing a number of exciting promotions and product launches throughout the year.

To find out more about Makita UK and its wide range of cordless products visit: www.makitauk.com

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Jacobsen celebrates Dmytro Klipalo’s 50 years

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Jacobsen celebrates Dmytro Klipalo’s 50 years: Ransomes Jacobsen has marked Dmytro ‘Mick’ Klipalo’s 50 years of service at the Ipswich Turf Centre of Excellence with an event to commemorate his time at the company.

Dmytro’s family and colleagues gathered at the Ransomes and Jacobsen factory for a surprise celebration, where his outstanding service and contribution was recognised.

Jacobsen celebrates Dmytro Klipalo’s 50 years

Jacobsen celebrates Dmytro Klipalo’s 50 years

Dmytro’s father, Peter, moved to England after the Second World War having chosen England as his new adopted home, and it was in Ipswich where he met his wife, Patricia, and had two children, Dmytro and Marika.

In August 1971, when all mower production was moved to the current site in Ipswich, Dmytro joined Ransomes as an apprentice. After completing his apprenticeship, he worked his way through the ranks to become Quality Systems Engineer before taking on his current role as Quality Manager in October 2020.

His time with Ransomes and Jacobsen has coincided with significant company landmarks such as the London 2012 Olympics and the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National and numerous successful model launches – all of which Dmytro had a hand in preparing machines for.

Speaking about Dmytro’s time at the company, Vice President of Turf Simon Rainger said: “Dmytro is part of the fabric of Ransomes Jacobsen, and we are delighted to mark his 50th year here with this celebration.

“In this industry more than most, experience is vital, and we’re lucky to have a person working with us who knows so much about the factory, the products and the processes. Dmytro’s contribution really has been invaluable to us, and it will continue to be for as long as we have him here.

“I think it’s also important to mention his impact on our workplace socially. He’s always played in our inter-department five-a-side football tournaments and coached our staff team for the annual match against the Ipswich Town Football Club ground staff. He’s always willing to get involved and give up his time, and that’s part of what makes Dmytro so popular with everyone here.”

Dmytro has worked at Ransomes Jacobsen throughout a transformative time. When he began in the early 1970s, a Ford Cortina cost £968, the Ransomes Ajax just over £14, Intel released the world’s first microprocessor, and Texas Instruments released the first ever pocket calculator.

In that time, those different technologies have been amalgamated and have led to pedestrian and ride-on mower technology taking huge steps forward with the introduction of the fully electric Jacobsen Eclipse range and several advancements in engine technology that have led to cleaner running machines.

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GM3 At West Herts 50 Years On

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GM3 At West Herts 50 Years On: The first Toro Greensmaster 3 ride-on mower was sold to the West Herts Golf Club in Hertfordshire in 1969. And fifty years later the GM3 is back at the club where it all began, united with the person who sold it all those years ago.

Rochelle Bedford, marketing manager at Reesink Turfcare, the sole Toro distributor in the UK for golf and sports fields equipment and irrigation products, says: “As Toro celebrates its centennial milestone serving the golf industry across the world, it encouraged us to look back at how it all began for Toro in the UK.

Andy Smith – Course Manager and John Cockburn – (former) Oliver Landpower

 

“We discovered that the very first GM3 sold in the UK was still going 50 years later! Also uncovered was the club that bought the machine and who sold it!”

The person in question, John Cockburn, tells us how it all came about: “I was working for Flymo in 1968 when I was told we’d be receiving a prototype of a new machine to trial and debut at a three-day exhibition in Meyrick Park in Bournemouth. That machine was the Toro Greensmaster 3.

“I was working with two demonstrators, Graham Pooley and Geoff Urquhart, at the time and seeing as none of us had used the machine, we decided to ask Meyrick Park Golf Club, which neighboured the exhibition centre, if we could trial the machine there. They kindly said yes, so early in the morning of the first day of the show we cut all the greens at the club to see how the machine performed.

“We were all really impressed, and with a better knowledge of how well the machine worked we cleaned it down and returned it to our show stand. We were able to demonstrate the machine with more confidence and got good feedback from customers.”

And it was this positive response which led to Flymo ordering 14 machines when they launched, the first of which John promptly installed at West Herts Golf Club. Many things have changed over the years, but there are some constants. Installation training upon delivery and the brand’s reputation for producing long-lasting, reliable mowers to name just a couple.

John says: “The machines proved to be extremely reliable, doing a first-class job and quickly building up a good reputation. We easily sold all 14 of the GM3 mowers in that first year, along with others that followed.”

Andy Smith, course manager at West Herts Golf Club since 1993, says it was a ‘blast from the past’ having the GM3 back at the club: “Seeing the GM3 really took me back to how things used to be. West Herts is a Toro club through and through. From the very beginning it recognised the quality of Toro and all these years later, we still consider it to be the brand to be beaten.”

In the early-80s Lely UK, as now Reesink, took over the distribution of Toro and what has built up since is a reputation centered on reliability, durability and support, says David Cole, managing director of Reesink.

“The Toro Greensmaster 3 was an innovative ride-on product born from Toro’s established golf focus and it projected the brand into the UK as a producer of high quality, innovative golf equipment. Since then a mutual trust has developed between our customers, us as distributor and Toro which can be truly viewed as a partnership. We’re extremely proud to have represented Toro and its product values for so many years and we thank our UK golf customers for their long-standing loyalty, confidence and trust.”

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50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin

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50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin: 2018 marked a special milestone for the Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd John Deere agricultural and turf equipment dealership based near Lisburn in Northern Ireland, as it celebrated 50 years in business.

In honour of the occasion the dealership team organised a two-day exhibition in November at the nearby Eikon Centre, showcasing current John Deere tractors and machinery, as well as some historic – and iconic – favourites. Over 4000 existing and potential John Deere customers came to support this popular business and view the latest equipment on offer from the manufacturer.

50 Year Milestone For Johnston Gilpin

Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd dates back to 1968 when it was started by Donn McConnell on Waterloo Road, close to the location of the current dealership at Lisnoe Road. Donn’s son Randal McConnell is now managing director of the business, while Randal’s brother Neale runs the domestic groundscare division at another site just a few miles away.

“It was a superb event and we are very pleased with how it all went,” said Randal. “To see so many people come and support us was really encouraging and there were a few deals initiated that we will be following up!”

Company founder Donn McConnell also attended the show, along with a number of VIPs including John Deere Limited’s divisional sales manager Chris Meacock. “My father is still involved in the business and comes in every day,” Randal added. “He has taken a back seat over the last 10 years but still keeps an eye on things. He turned 80 this year, so it has been a big year for us all round.”

Tractors of all shapes and sizes were a dominant part of the John Deere display at the anniversary event, alongside self-propelled forage harvesters, combines and a special new airless radial tyre.

“We had almost the full current agricultural tractor range from John Deere on display, right up to the monster 9RX four-track machine,” said Randal. “We also launched the new 9900i self-propelled forage harvester in Northern Ireland. Among the other machines on display were combines, drills, compact tractors and the new X Tweel Turf puncture proof tyres from Michelin, as featured on John Deere’s ZTrak 900 Series commercial zero-turn rotary mower range.”

The turfcare department also showed a full line of commercial, domestic, golf and turf machinery as well as large displays from the dealership’s other suppliers. In addition, the E-Zone featured demonstrations of electric powered wheel loaders from Kramer, Mean Green Mowers and Cramer hand tools.

John Deere’s oldest tractor, the 100 year old Waterloo Boy, made an appearance, lent by local man Graham Crymble. Another of the vintage and classic tractors on display was a 1951 John Deere Model B that belongs to the McConnell family and was restored around 15 years ago.

“This has been an important milestone for us as a company to reach,” said Randal. “For us to be trading successfully and indeed expanding in today’s volatile business climate is a magnificent achievement. We see this special anniversary event as a show of strength, a sign of our professionalism and the culmination of my father’s hard work and dedication to the John Deere brand over the last 50 years.

“We are very proud as a family and as a company to be one of the oldest John Deere dealers in the UK and the oldest in Ireland. This show was probably the largest single indoor dealer exhibition of its kind in the country and was an indication of our enthusiasm to grow the business even further and become the pre-eminent John Deere dealer for Northern Ireland.”

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

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Cricket Groundsman 50 Not Out

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Cricket Groundsman 50 Not Out: A fun-filled evening of cricket was held at Duncombe Park Cricket Club on Friday, July 20.

A match between ex-players, known as The Legends, who were captained by Pete Humpleby, took on the current players, captained by Jonathon Leckenby.

Cricket Groundsman 50 Not Out

Following the match, a presentation of an engraved tankard was made to Alan Kent for 50 years as groundsman.

The chairman thanked Alan, on behalf of the club, for all his dedication and hard work over the years.

Thanks went to everyone who took part or supported the evening in any way.

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Save Up To £2775 And 50% Of The Cost Of A Battery With Pellenc

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Save up to £2775 and 50% of the cost of a battery with Pellenc: Etesia UK, the distributor of Pellenc battery-powered tools in the UK and Ireland, has announced a special offer which will see customers save up to 50% of the purchase price of the ULiB1100 battery.

A forerunner when it comes to lithium-ion technology and high efficiency “Brushless” motors, Pellenc has established itself as the number one choice in the “Zero Emission” professional power tools market for the maintenance of urban and green-spaces.

Save Up To £2775 And 50% Of The Cost Of A Battery With Pellenc

The combination of these two technologies makes it possible to eliminate direct emission of greenhouse gases and significantly reduce noise and vibration. It meets the users’ requirements for comfort and sustainability while offering excellent cost efficiency.

The Pellenc ULiB 1100 battery is equivalent to approximately 4,700 litres of fuel, at £1.18 per litre (as of 8.9.17) meaning that over the lifetime of the battery, users will be able to save up to £2775 when compared to petrol alternatives.

In addition to the above savings, from 1st November 2017 to 31st March 2018, users will also be able to save up to 50% of the cost of the purchase price of the battery.

With limitless options of commercial tools for commercial users available from hedgecutters to blowers, strimmers to pedestrian mowers – all powered by the ULiB 1100 battery which offers up to 1440 minutes of use on a single charge.

When purchased with one tool, customers will receive 10% discount on the purchase price of the battery. When two tools are purchased, customers will receive 20% discount on the battery. Three tools = 30% discount on the battery, four tools = 40% discount on the battery and 5 tools = 50% discount on the battery.

Pellenc supply tools and a range of batteries which are IP54 water rated and carry a full three-year commercial warranty – the first manufacturer to offer this on battery-powered tools, meaning that customers will have full peace of mind.

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk  where you can also find more information on Pellenc which is sold exclusively in the UK by Etesia UK.

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