Tag Archive for: Begins

Awards season begins for Toro

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Awards season begins for Toro: Entries for Toro’s renowned Student Greenkeeper of the Year Awards 2025 open on 1 March.

Lecturers and employers can give their students the chance to unlock life changing opportunities by nominating them, or student greenkeepers can have faith in their own abilities and put themselves forward.

Awards season begins

Awards season begins

Aside from industry-leading prizes which include, for both award winners, all-expenses-paid trips to the USA to visit Toro HQ, R&D and manufacturing, educational opportunities, and a one-week work experience placement at a prestigious UK or overseas golf course, it’s as much the long-term benefits winning and taking part bring that make it worthwhile entering.

Jon Cole, Divisional Business Manager at Reesink Turfcare, award sponsor and main award judge, says: “The awards are the only in the industry to recognise young greenkeepers in such a way and bring extraordinary rewards for those who reach the finals.

The awards

These are some of the biggest prizes available in the industry, alongside an invaluable platform for young professionals to use to take their career to the next level.”

The finals on 9-11 September will be held at Rudding Park in Harrogate.

This award-winning family-owned luxury resort is home to two previous winners of the Toro Student Awards – Matthew Milligan who won in 2021 and John Norwood winner in 2019.

Finalists get to meet and compete with the best student greenkeepers in the country and network with influential industry leaders, increase skills and knowledge to enhance professional development and build lasting relationships in the greenkeeping community.

What the awards can do

David Timms, Reesink’s National Accounts Manager and young award judge, says: “The awards act as a massive stepping stone in these greenkeeper’s careers and taking part holds a lot of credence with future employers.

Entering couldn’t be easier and could be the beginning of the next stage of their lives.”

But really what it comes down to is passion. Passion for the industry and in the belief that a greenkeeper’s role makes a difference.

These are the reasons why the awards are the longest standing in the industry and why Reesink, Toro, organisers BIGGA and all the judges believe in them so whole-heartedly.

As John Keenaghan, 2024 BIGGA President and young award judge, confirms: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for young greenkeepers to show their passion in the greenkeeping world.”

For more details and how to apply head to reesinkturfcare.co.uk/students-awards. Entries can made from 1 March to 11 April.

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Construction begins on Avant Tecno UK’s HQ

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Construction begins on Avant Tecno UK’s HQ: Construction has commenced on the new multimillion pound headquarters for Avant Tecno UK at Suffolk Business Park in Bury St Edmunds.

The development of the 32,200sq ft facility is being led by Churchmanor Estates and built by SEH French.

Construction begins on Avant Tecno UK’s HQ

Construction begins on Avant Tecno UK’s HQ

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 19 to mark the start of works with representatives from Avant Tecno UK, SEH French, Churchmanor Estates, Robinson Arnold, Holmes Plant & Construction, LSI Architects, Conisbee, Richard Utting Associates and members of West Suffolk District Council.

Due for completion in August 2024, the site will be home to the company’s UK operations. The company says it will boast dedicated dealer training facilities, flexible collaborative workspaces, efficient and automated warehouse technology, and a technical workshop.

The new development will see the company move from its rural base near Thetford, where it has been located since it began operating the in the UK in 1994.

Raimo Ala-Korpi, Managing Director of Avant Tecno UK, commented: “This ceremony marks the start of an exciting era for Avant Tecno UK.

“Avant has enjoyed a sustained period of growth in recent years and, as a consequence, we have outgrown our existing warehouse and office facilities. Our new purpose-built UK headquarters represents a significant investment and is a commitment to the future for our dealers and end user customers.

“We’re looking forward to seeing work get underway on the construction of our new premises.”

Avant Tecno UK provides multi-functional loaders for use in various areas including farming, landscaping and construction.

Neil Pryke, Contracts Manager for SEH French, said: “The team is thrilled to be involved in this project to deliver Avant Tecno UK’s new headquarters.

“Suffolk Business Park is a great example of the opportunities available in the county for large companies like Avant, and we are honoured to be supporting them in their growth.

“Our appointment is testament to the quality of work we deliver, and we look forward to working with partners on this exciting development.”

Matt Cloke, Development Director at Churchmanor Estates, commented: “Avant Tecno are the acknowledged market leader in their sector, and so we were delighted to be asked to work with them to bring to life their vision for a new bespoke UK HQ, warehouse, and showroom.

“This is an important investment not just for Suffolk Business Park, but for West Suffolk as well, and we’re looking forward to seeing the project progress over the next 10 months.”

For more information, please visit www.avant.co.uk

For more information on the developer please visit www.churchmanor.com

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A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

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A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter: Lloyds Mowers and Hunter Grinders will be making their first BTME appearance since being acquired by the Howardson Group, manufacturers of the Dennis and SISIS brands.

This strategic alliance signals exciting times for the two well respected brands.

A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

A new era begins for Lloyds & Hunter

Lloyds has always manufactured and supplied products that deliver on performance while requiring minimum maintenance. The Paladin pedestrian mower is a classic example of a quality product that can stand alone and deliver the cut today as it has done, for many decades. Also on show will be the Lloyds Leda Gang Mowers.

Hunter Grinders is known worldwide in golf and stadia for their grinding performance on cutting cylinders and bottom blades. The company has steadily built up a reputation for supplying strong, accurate, precision grinders.

BMTE visitors can find Lloyds Mowers and Hunter Grinders on stand 140. Company representatives will also be on hand throughout the event to talk about the products in more detail.

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Jacobsen production begins in UK

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Jacobsen production begins in UK: Production of the first-ever HR800 has been completed at the Ransomes Jacobsen Centre of Excellence in Ipswich, England.

The completion of the first-ever fully built Jacobsen HR800 mower is a seminal moment for the brand. Production has been moved to the factory in Ipswich, UK so investments in skills and developments in mower production could be focused on a single facility. That skill and expertise has been channeled into the new HR800 high-performance large area rotary mower.

Jacobsen Production Begins in UK

Jacobsen Production Begins in UK

Jacobsen Key Account Manager Andre Andrade, who hails from Augusta, GA has observed the progress of the mower throughout the build and is excited to see the HR800 kick-off Jacobsen production in Ipswich.

“It has been great to start production of the HR800, and to see the first fully assembled machine is exciting,” Andre begins. “Bringing all Jacobsen production to England is an important step for us, and everyone at the factory has been eager to get it underway. The situation with Coronavirus has caused challenges all over the world, but for us, it has solidified our relationship with our colleagues in America who have assisted our Production Team Leader, Matt Pipe, during construction.

“Matt has worked almost singlehandedly, producing this mower, and as a result, we now have someone who is an expert. When it comes to customer support, that will be a huge asset because in Matt we have someone who can offer in-depth advice because he has an insight into that machine that no one else has. Over time that knowledge will be shared with the engineers in the factory and the sales team, so we will all have a strong understanding of the product as we do with the others we produce here.”

The mower Matt has dedicated his time and efforts to is Jacobsen’s most powerful with the widest cut. Productivity is a crucial aspect of every turf maintenance operation, and with the HR800, Jacobsen has created a mower that works where you need it to and when you need it to.

Completing this project has taken over two months, from picking parts from pallets to the finished mower. It has been Matt’s biggest challenge in his eight years at Ransomes Jacobsen and one he has taken great pride in.

He explains: “I’ve been here for eight years, and I was around for the BETA build of the MP, so to be able to do this is quite something for me. I’m really proud of what we produce here at the factory, and I’m proud to be able to say that I was the first to build the HR800 in the UK.

“It has been a unique opportunity to learn everything about this mower because we started with technical drawings and parts on pallets through to the finished product. Doing that means I’ve been able to use what I already know and work with the production engineers on certain areas, and Antans Lukisis on the hydraulic system so I’ve constantly been learning throughout the process. I think that’s what has made it so enjoyable.”

The HR800 features a powerful 74hp Kubota® turbo diesel engine that takes the 192 in. (4.9 m) width of cut wherever you need it, and onboard systems ensure consistent professional mowing in the harshest of conditions.

MARBAIN® Boron Alloy Steel blades deliver the cut quality you’d expect from a Jacobsen unit. Whether you’re cutting golf course roughs, racecourses, or parks and minimal required maintenance gets you cutting quickly and keeps you there until the job is done.

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Jacobsen begins a new era

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Jacobsen begins a new era: Jacobsen has started a new era of end-user focused products with the launch of the AR530 rough mower.

The AR range has been redesigned from the ground up with the focus on re-establishing Jacobsen’s commitment to engineering best in class mowers with their famous quality of cut.

Jacobsen begins a new era

Jacobsen begins a new era

To achieve this, customers and dealers participated in one of the largest ever research programmes commissioned at Jacobsen to establish the everyday challenges greenkeepers and groundsmen face. The results focused on features, quality and durability. These were crucial elements in the design process for Jacobsen Product Manager, Lee Frie.

Lee explained: “We had a machine that did well in the market, and we learnt a lot in seven years, so this was really a ground-up redesign of a good machine that we wanted to make better.

“We wanted to improve the experience of cutting with the AR and the results you get from it, and I think operators are going to find quite a bit different about this machine. We’ve improved the cut quality as well as the after cut appearance with grass clipping dispersal. We’ve also improved the traction system, so it does a fantastic job of climbing and side hill performance.

“The ergonomics are greatly improved, and it’s much easier for operators to get on and off because you don’t have to climb over the units. All of the controls are at the user’s finger tips, so it’s very easy to operate, and I think they are going to see a vast improvement.”

Nothing has been taken for granted during the redesign, and that includes the quality of cut. The new AR models are available with five or seven floating 58cm articulated contour rotary decks, with the AR530 providing a cutting width of 2.3m and the AR730 – which is due to launch in September 2020 – 3.15m.

The new TrueDeckÔ design uses smaller decks to follow tight undulations and provides the best power per width of cut ratio on the market. This eliminates clumping and produces a better after cut appearance while height of cut adjustments can be made quickly and easily.

To harness the cut quality, the traction system has been enhanced to a best in class standard using SureTrac IIÔ 4WD. This parallel-cross diversion hydraulically powered traction system, with momentary 4WD differential lock, provides superior traction when climbing difficult contours and slide slopes by transferring power from the wheel that slips to the one that grips. Using this system allows the AR to glide over hilly terrain with acute undulations while giving an even cut by utilising the weight transfer system.

The sound level of the machine has been lowered to make it quieter for the operator and to reduce passer-by noise. Vibration has also been looked at in detail. Overall operator exposure to vibration is a health and safety requirement but that aside it is often a subtle thing, and it can make users feel tired during their working day, but with the reduced vibration levels, using the AR minimises operator fatigue.

The seat position and  InCommand II control system have all been adjusted for maximum comfort and productivity while the new step design has been installed to make getting on and off the machine significantly easier.

All of these features have been combined into a Stage V compliant unit that has been assembled with a commitment to high-quality engineering and a promise of outstanding performance and service.

For a demonstration of the new AR530, contact your local Jacobsen dealer or visit https://www.jacobsenbuilt.com/.

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