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An Italian Japanese fusion

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An Italian Japanese fusion: Scott MacCallum joined the media pack on a visit to Italy.

It seems like a marriage made in heaven. Italian flair and imagination combined with Japanese efficiency and drive. That is exactly what has been achieved by the purchase of Gianni Ferrari by the Kubota company in 2022.

An Italian Japanese fusion

An Italian Japanese fusion

Even in that very short space of time the Japanese influence has been felt in the traditional and characterful, Gianni Ferrari factory in the outskirts of Bologne, and Kubota’s overall product portfolio has been significantly expanded, particularly through Gianni Ferrari’s excellent zero turn mower range and the launch of the XC3 and XC4 into the UK market.

The introduction of the new models like the FC2-221 and FC3- 221 has expanded the company’s portfolio for commercial users.

The Kubota power and influence now driving Gianni Ferrari is truly immense. Kubota is a 3 trillion yen company which, given the complication of so many zeros, makes my estimate of £15.6 billion open to some scrutiny. However, they operate in 120 countries and have sold 5.5 million tractors worldwide and 30 million engines so it is huge by any measure.

In buying Gianni Ferrari Kubota ensured that the gap in their offering for large sized ride on mowers was removed and means that as Kubota celebrates 50 years in the European market, it is strongly placed to build on the success started in 1974.

Since becoming Kubota Gianni Ferrari the company has introduced some efficiency solutions within the factory, removing one wall to make the production line less complex and bringing in light blue trolleys containing frequently required parts rather than the engineer having to return to a central point every time one was needed.

It is a common misunderstanding that Gianni Ferrari and Enzo Ferrari, of Formula 1 fame, are related in some way. As it happens Ferrari is the Italian form of Smith, and is a very common name on some areas of the country.

With the experience and support of Kubota globally, Kubota Gianni Ferrari have been working hard over the last two years to embrace the very best of the Japanese Kaizen approach to processes and manufacturing – which was evident in the streamlined approach to production visible during the factory tour.

In addition, Kubota’s advanced digital marketing has been used to communicate with Gianni Ferrari users about parts and service availability through Kubota dealers.

The assembled press, including all of the major industry titles in the UK, were also able to learn more about the current and ongoing developments within the product range such as the ‘conversion’ of the PG XPRO into the Kubota FC3- 261, and the FC4-501 which has become one of the most powerful, comfortable and operationally equipped mowers on the market.

While the unprecedented rainfall from the ironically named Storm Boris put paid to seeing the range in action, spirits were not dampened as all enjoyed gaining an insight into the approach – both now and that of the future – and the fascinating company ethos by speakers including Kosuke Ota, Vice President of Kubota Gianni Ferrari S.R.L.

Further presentations were also delivered by Henry Bredin, General Manager and Matt Wilson, Groundcare Product Manager, of Kubota (UK).

“It’s been fantastic to witness first-hand the enthusiasm and passion among the Kubota Gianni Ferrari team and to be able to share this with the media from the UK and Ireland was a real pleasure,” said Matt.

“All of us at Kubota are incredibly excited about the bright future we have with the FC range, not just in traditional groundcare applications, but also in other guises where it can also support the maintenance of artificial sports surfaces.”

An Impressive Lineup from SISIS at SALTEX

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An Impressive Lineup from SISIS at SALTEX: At this year’s SALTEX, SISIS (Stand E082) will present an impressive lineup of turf maintenance equipment, each designed to address specific needs in the care of sports pitches, golf courses, and other fine turf areas.

Here’s a closer look at the standout products that will be on display:

Quadraplay

The Quadraplay is a versatile and compact machine that offers a complete solution for turf maintenance. This all-in-one system allows users to perform up to four different operations simultaneously, such as aeration, brushing, rolling, and surface grooming. With its easy-to-attach system and adjustable features, the Quadraplay is ideal for use on sports pitches, providing a cost-effective and time-efficient way to keep playing surfaces in top condition. Its multifunctional design makes it an invaluable tool for grounds persons looking to achieve a professional finish with minimal effort.

An Impressive Lineup from SISIS at SALTEX

An Impressive Lineup from SISIS at SALTEX

Auto Rotorake MK5

The Auto Rotorake MK5 is a powerful scarifier designed to remove thatch, moss, and organic matter from the turf surface, promoting healthier grass growth. Equipped with a range of interchangeable blades, the Auto Rotorake MK5 provides precise and efficient scarification, helping to improve drainage and reduce the risk of turf diseases. Its adjustable depth settings and ergonomic design make it suitable for a wide variety of turf types, ensuring that it meets the high standards required for maintaining pristine sports fields and ornamental lawns.

Multitiner

The Multitiner is a versatile aerator designed for effective turf aeration, which is crucial for maintaining healthy grass and soil. The Multitiner is suitable for use on various turf surfaces, from golf greens to football pitches, and offers a range of tine options to suit different aeration needs. Its unique design allows for easy handling and manoeuvrability, making it a practical choice for grounds persons looking to improve soil compaction, water infiltration, and root development. The Multitiner is renowned for its reliability and efficiency, providing consistent aeration results with minimal disruption to the playing surface.

Variseeder

The Variseeder is a precise overseeder designed to deliver accurate seed placement and even distribution, essential for promoting strong and uniform grass growth. This machine is perfect for renovating worn or damaged areas, as well as for establishing new turf. The Variseeder features an adjustable seed rate and depth control, allowing for customised seeding to match specific turf conditions. Its user-friendly design ensures that operators can achieve optimal seeding results quickly and efficiently, making it an excellent choice for groundskeepers looking to enhance turf density and quality.

Dart

The Dart is a high-performance aerator specifically engineered to provide clean penetration into the soil, enhancing aeration and promoting healthier root systems. It is particularly effective for use on compacted areas and high-traffic sports surfaces such as bowling greens, croquet lawns, cricket squares and ornamental lawns. The Dart’s unique design allows for maximum soil penetration with minimal surface disruption, ensuring that playing surfaces remain smooth and playable. With its robust construction and easy-to-use features, the Dart is an ideal choice for grounds persons looking to maintain the health and resilience of their turf.

The SISIS team will be available throughout to provide expert advice, answer questions, and demonstrate how their innovative products can help improve turf quality and maintenance efficiency.

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact SISIS on 01332 824 777 or visit www.sisis.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow SISIS on Twitter or Instagram @SISISMachinery and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery 

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Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

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Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale: Mark Piper, the Greenkeeper at Maldon Bowling Club, Essex, has overseen a remarkable transformation in the quality of the club’s green. Thanks to a range of Dennis and SISIS machinery, particularly the SISIS Supaturfman and the Dennis FT510, the once-struggling surface has become a point of pride, earning Mark the prestigious Bowls England Greenkeeper of the Year Award.

Three years ago, Maldon Bowling Club’s green was plagued by bare patches and moss infestations, rendering it barely playable. The situation was disheartening for long-standing club members, prompting Mark to take action.

Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

Maldon Bowling Club: An Award-Winning Tale

“It was very demoralising, especially for the people that had been at Maldon for a long time – this club has been a big part of their lives,” says Mark. “The local authority was managing the maintenance, and we weren’t really getting anywhere with them. I thought that the only way forward was to do it ourselves.”

Recognising the need for comprehensive maintenance solutions, he turned to a range of Dennis and SISIS machinery from the Howardson Group.

Key to the transformation was the SISIS Supaturfman, an independently powered heavy-duty aerator renowned for its effectiveness in sports turf maintenance. Mark credits the Supaturfman with tackling the persistent moss problem by addressing its underlying causes rather than merely treating the symptoms. Through regular aeration, the green became healthier and more resilient, laying the foundation for long-term improvement.

Complementing the Supaturfman, the Dennis FT510 emerged as an integral part of Maldon Bowling Club’s maintenance equipment. Offering a 51cm working width and versatile interchangeable cassettes, the FT510 provided unparalleled flexibility and performance.

Maldon’s members are particularly impressed with the verticutting cassette according to Mark: “The more experienced bowlers like it when I use the verticutter because it gives them the pace that they want.”

Mark also highlights the FT510’s roller clutch drive and variable clip rate, which ensure a smooth finish and precise control, essential for achieving the desired playing surface quality.

Mark’s dedication, coupled with the reliability of the equipment, propelled Maldon Bowling Club to new heights, earning accolades and fostering a thriving community of bowlers.

“Membership has gone up approximately 30% in the three years that we have been doing the green, and I like to think our work has contributed towards that,” says Mark. “The club is certainly getting a much better reputation and it was nice to be able to turn it around – the Dennis and SISIS equipment has massively helped.

“What I would say to clubs who find themselves in a similar position to what we found ourselves in, is to try and go it alone – it is not as difficult as people think. If you have dedication and commitment, then the Howardson Group can help you with the rest, in terms of equipment, advice and training.”

Despite the remarkable progress, Mark remains committed to ongoing enhancement. Challenges such as excessive sand content in certain areas present opportunities for further refinement. Hosting prestigious tournaments like the Essex County 4’s Finals attests to the green’s newfound acclaim.

Through the integration of the SISIS Supaturfman and the Dennis FT510, Mark not only revitalised the green but also the spirit of the club. His story serves as an inspiration to greenkeepers everywhere, demonstrating that with determination and the right tools, even the most daunting challenges can be overcome.

Further information about the range of maintenance products available can be found by visiting www.dennisuk.com / www.sisis.com.

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and SISIS @SISISMachinery. You can like the Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK and www.facebook.com/SISISMachinery. You can also view the latest Dennis and SISIS videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers and www.youtube.com/SISISMachinery.

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

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Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface: After intensive in-house operations to relieve severe compaction failed to deliver the desired results, the decision was made to undertake a full renovation on one of the pitches at Hove Prep School in Sussex.

Word of mouth led Grounds and Gardens Manager Adam Bedson to speak with AMS Contracting Ltd who he cites, from the outset, delivered outstanding customer service and confidence in their capability to fix the situation to the standards required – which they did, to the satisfaction of the school and pupils alike!

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Outstanding Service leads to an Outstanding Surface

Hove Prep School is one of three sites belonging to Lancing College, with its own sports facilities supporting a packed programme of year-round play and coaching. “It became evident that years of overuse had contributed to severe compaction problems that became almost impossible to recover” explains Adam, who has been at the college since 2019. “Kit we hired failed to rectify the problem so we reached out to Ashley and Myles Strange at AMS who immediately put us at ease.”

“Having not conducted a project of this scale for a good number of years the Bursar naturally had a lot of questions, which the AMS team answered in-depth and in a timely manner. The level of care and knowledge shown definitely helped to secure the funding we needed to get the project underway in the summer of 2023.”

The full pitch renovation included surface removal, soil profile upgrade, laser-levelling, seeding and nutritional programme, conducted by a team of four operatives under the guidance of Ashley and Myles. “We felt in safe hands every step of the way. What really stood out for me was the hours the team were prepared to work – on site from sunrise and non-stop until the early evening. They understood our need to get the work, which also included renovating our cricket square, complete in the window available in order to get the surfaces back into play as quickly as possible.”

The results, Adam says, speak for themselves. “Within seven days we went from a sandy field to seeing the green hue of germination. Since then, we’ve nurtured the pitch to full strength and coverage and the pupils are now enjoying playing on it.” He continues, “This wet start to winter has also highlighted how incredibly well the pitch drains now. Within an hour of the rain stopping, the pitch is playable which was previously unheard of.”

“The sports staff are over the moon and everybody is really invested in protecting the asset we now have. The success of this project signals the start of a fantastic partnership between ourselves and AMS Contracting, and we’re already in touch with the team about what’s next!”

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Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub

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Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub: Tubex has expanded its Tree Shelter Collection and Recycling Programme by offering hubs around the UK where tree shelters can be dropped off to be recycled, completely free of charge.

The scheme is a joint initiative with charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), which opened several hubs of its own in 2021.

Green-tech - an Official Drop-off Hub

Green-tech – an Official Drop-off Hub

There will be a total of 14 national hub locations. As well as YDMT’s sites, Tubex’s parent company Berry Global will provide five of the hub locations, while landscape supplier Green-tech is also supporting the scheme by offering their premises in North Yorkshire for shelter collection.

Green-tech’s Sales Director Richard Gill comments, “Tubex aim is to increase accessibility and proximity whilst limiting any unnecessary costs for end users, so that people are not discouraged to recycle shelters at end-of-life by having to fund and organise their disposal process. Green-tech is delighted to get involved and offer our support. We are the biggest distributor of tree protection products in the UK and feel we have a duty to offer practical solutions to removing plastic that has served its purpose, from the environment.”

Tubex will be covering all costs after the bags of used tree shelters are dropped at the hubs, including bailing, washing, recycling and re-pelletizing the material so that it can be used to create more shelters.

As well as all types of Tubex shelters all Polypropylene shelters that are manufactured by other brands can also be recycled at the hubs.  They can be identified by a small ‘PP’ symbol on the tree shelter.

Marketing & Product Development Director from Tubex James Taylor explains, “We are so pleased to be able to announce the launch of our recycling hubs with the support of YDMT and partners – since its inception, our plan has been to continually progress the Tubex Collection and Recycling Programme and offer the opportunity for our customers to recycle their shelters locally. Our hubs now provide a convenient way to ensure that shelters will be handled responsively at end-of-life, completely free of cost to the customer.”

For those who still want to use the original Tubex Collection and Recycling method where shelters are collected directly, Tubex will still be offering their standard dumpy bags for £39, which can hold 350-400 1.2m tree shelters with a minimum collection amount being six bags.

For more information on Tubex free tree shelter collection hubs email: https://tubex.com/sustainability/tree-shelter-collection-recycling-programme/

For further information or to order recycling bags call Green-tech on 01423 332100 or email tradecentre@green-tech.co.uk

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