Tag Archive for: Invests

BASF invests in growth

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BASF invests in growth: Leading pest control solutions manufacturer, BASF has invested in new vessels at its specialist nematode production facility, which is the only one of its kind in Britain. The operation produces nematodes used by amateur gardeners and commercial growers globally as a natural pest-control solution for slugs and other pests.

Based in Littlehampton, the 4,000 m2 facility has been producing up to 12 trillion nematodes every month, but the installation of the new vessels in which to grow them will see this increase by 14% per month, whilst also creating a more robust manufacturing process, ensuring reliable supply to customers.

BASF invests in growth

BASF invests in growth

The project was conceived at the end of 2020 and work began in earnest at the beginning of 2021, with completion due at the end of Q1 2022.

As is the case for the other 6 manufacturing vessels already on site, the new equipment was designed and manufactured to exacting requirements in Burton upon Trent, a town famous for its brewing – which is apt, as the vessel is reminiscent of a brewery fermenter, with similar technology employed in its production.

The 316L Stainless Steel vessels, with ground and polished welds for sterility, are designed and tested to withstand 150ºC, 5.2 barg pressure and full vacuum, with a cooling jacket built into the shell, to prevent the nematodes from ‘cooking’ by the heat generated from their mass reproduction. Even when empty the vessels weigh an astonishing 7,150 kg.

The vessel installation took place over a weekend, but the mammoth task of mechanical and electrical installation will take approximately 10 weeks, with work due to begin this month.

Thomas Goddard, operations manager at BASF Agricultural Specialities commented: “This is an exciting time for the company, as we invest in our resources, which reflects the growing appetite for biological pest control and our unique place in the market.”

For further information about nematodes, please visit https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/ and follow basf_nemasys_uk on Instagram.

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Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

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Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere: Based in County Meath in Ireland, the newly built state of the art Karlswood Stables has been a major project for owner and Olympic show jumping medallist Cian O’Connor.

These grand equine facilities extend to 20 stables for his own horses, and another 24 are under construction for others. On top of that the complex boosts its own indoor arena and outdoor grass ring, sand ring, gallops, hacking trails and spa facilities for horses.

Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

Karlswood Stables invests in John Deere

With the grounds extending to a total area of 68 acres, the Karlswood team required a reliable range of machinery and equipment to maintain the grounds and keep the grass well-trimmed. Being familiar with the benefits of the John Deere brand, Karlswood farm manager Derry McIntyre contacted Noel Bennett of local professional turf dealer Dublin Grass Machinery with a shopping list of the equipment required.

The machinery now supplied includes a new John Deere 4066R compact tractor, 1600T wide area rotary mower, X950R commercial rear-discharge, rear-collect diesel lawn tractor and an electric TE Gator utility vehicle.

Derry explains the purchasing decision by highlighting brand reliability and ease of use. “As this is a brand new complex, we have a lot of lawn and grass areas that have to be kept meticulously presented to maintain the high standards synonymous with Karlswood,” he says. “The self-propelled X950R and 1600T rotary mowers are superb tools to cut the grass around our all-weather arena and lawns.”

Powered by a 66hp diesel engine, the John Deere 4066R compact tractor features a ComfortGard cab and an eHydro three-range automatic transmission with simple to use TwinTouch forward and reverse pedals, plus four-wheel drive as standard.

Derry and his team have already been putting the tractor to good use, and praise its ease of use and versatility. “The 4066R carries out a number of tasks all over the site,” he says.

“For example, we spend around one and a half hours a day raking the arena, and there is a front-mounted mower attachment to provide extra grass cutting help around the hacks and the outside of the farm. We also have a scarifier for maintaining the grass areas, so the tractor has a real multitude of uses.”

As many John Deere Gator operators know, this popular utility vehicle is an extremely useful vehicle to have on any sportsground, farm or woodland. At Karlswood Stables the electric TE Gator is no exception, and has also proved extremely handy.

“The Gator is a fantastic tool to transport various pieces of equipment such as grass strimmers, hedge trimmers and other hand tools to various parts of the farm,” says Derry. “This vehicle makes it easier for us to travel around the site, and with the load bed space on the back to carry materials as well as tools, it is another reliable workhorse here at Karlswood Stables.”

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Sutton United invests in Reesink

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Sutton United invests in Reesink: Securing Football League status is an historic achievement and for Sutton United Football Club in south London, it led to a £550,000 pitchworks investment in the club’s home ground, including a new hybrid pitch and irrigation solution from Reesink Turfcare comprising a SRC Ranger control system and Toro sprinklers.

FA regulations stipulate that 3G artificial pitches are not fit for purpose in Division Two and above, which is why Sutton United made an urgent review of its existing 3G pitch and lined up leading sports pitch specialist, Agripower, to make preparations for a full install in the downtime between the 2019/20 and 2021/22 seasons.

Sutton United invests in Reesink

Sutton United invests in Reesink

Jerry Anderson, director at Agripower, comments: “We were given a conditional order in May 2021 as the club edged towards promotion and remained on stand-by with a view to removing the existing 3G pitch and replacing it with a hybrid alternative in the narrow window between seasons.

“Once the club had confirmation of its promotion to the Football League we started immediately, deploying a five strong-team working full-time between the end of May until early August. It was a quick turnaround!”

Agripower installed a hybrid pitch system which comprised of high-grade natural grass. Once the old system had been removed, the pitch was rebuilt with a hybrid carpet over a base rootzone, with the carpet infilled with a similar rootzone before seeding.

Supporting the hybrid pitch was a comprehensive Toro irrigation system, which comprised of a network of 350m of ring main pipework, 200m of lateral pipe, 16 value in head Infinity sprinklers and eight B series in-pitch sprinklers in the field.

Jerry continues: “We used the new SRC Ranger control system, which has scheduling capacity for up to 100 stations and web-control, along with Toro Infinity sprinklers on the outside of the pitch and Toro B-Series sprinklers on the infill.

“As well as a new pumphouse and pumps, a match pitch of this kind also requires a higher water flow rate which is why we installed wider diameter pipes and manual watering points for localised watering. It’s particularly useful for high-impact areas such as the goalmouth or when clubs like to slick-up the playing surface at half time.

“The Toro irrigation system is very good and we particularly like the fact that the Infinity sprinklers are top-serviceable, minimising disruption to the hybrid carpet. We have also been impressed with the on-site support from Toro distributor, Reesink Turfcare, who were on-hand throughout the entire project.”

The new pitch not only validates Sutton United FC’s place within the Football League, but it enables the team to maximise playing time. A grass pitch can generally withstand three to six hours of playing time, whilst its hybrid equivalent can deliver up to 18 hours of play.

Adrian Barry, vice chairman at Sutton United Football Club, comments: “The team at Agripower did a tremendous job replacing our previous 3G surface with a grass pitch in a tight time frame such that we were able to host Football League matches in August. Having an excellent irrigation system is, of course, pivotal to the continued provision of an excellent playing surface and feedback from all users has been terrific in this regard. We thank everyone involved for their support and hard work as Sutton United embarks on this exciting new journey in its history. “

To find out more about the SRC Ranger control system and Toro irrigation range of sprinklers, call Reesink Turfcare on 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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The Grove invests in stars of the future

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The Grove invests in stars of the future: The Grove, Hertfordshire’s ultimate country escape, today announces two important promotions within its green-keeping team to continue its long-running heritage of developing the golf industry’s stars of the future.

Since opening in 2003 a host of young talent have crafted their skills at the Top 100-ranked venue, under the leadership of Golf Course and Estate Manager, Phillip Chiverton, who has been at the forefront of The Grove’s green-keeping operation for 20 years.

The Grove invests in stars of the future

The Grove invests in stars of the future

The latest green-keepers to rise through the ranks of the young team are 27-year-olds Sam Reid and Callum Herbst.

Sam is The Grove’s new Head Green-keeper, with immediate effect, and Callum is promoted to Deputy Head Green-keeper. Both joined The Grove in 2012, Herbst as an apprentice, and Reid as a casual worker, while studying at Buckinghamshire University.

Reid’s rise to Head Green-keeper status has seen him help prepare the championship course for The British Masters in 2016, achieve an R&A Greenkeeper Scholarship in 2018, and work with the course’s world-renowned architect, Kyle Phillips, during an extensive bunker redesign and rebuild project in 2020.

Herbst’s journey has included being a Toro Student Green-keeper of the Year finalist, along with work experience during the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in the USA, and at the French Open at Le Golf National.

Commenting on the promotions, Phillip Chiverton, said: “In Sam and Callum we have two certain agronomy leaders of tomorrow. The Grove has always invested in young talent and we have a rich history of coaching green-keepers through the early stages of their careers.”

A consistent development programme with scope for continual internal promotion has seen many of The Grove’s young stars go on to secure senior industry roles at other world-renowned golfing destinations, including Trump International Golf Links in Scotland, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, San Roque Club in Spain and Abu Dhabi Golf Club, UAE.

“While our day-to-day objectives always remain keeping The Grove in pristine condition all-year-round – something our customers consistently recognise us for – it is also important we offer the next generation of green-keeping stars a platform from which to succeed and prosper. Seeing young talent develop at The Grove and then go on to prosper in all corners of the globe is hugely rewarding.”

The Grove proudly covets its position as a premium open-to-all leisure facility and one of the UK’s Top 100 golf resorts, just 18 miles from central London.

It’s 18-hole parkland golf course, the only venue in the UK to have hosted a World Golf Championship event in 2006, won by Tiger Woods, continues to receive critical acclaim and was recently ranked within Europe’s Top 100 Modern Courses, by Golf World.

The World Golf Awards has also named recognised The Grove as ‘England’s Best Golf Hotel 2021’.

The Grove’s 18th-century Mansion houses 26 rooms, suites and lounges decorated with a 21st-century spin on vintage glamour. There’s also the thoroughly modern West Wing with a further 189 deluxe, superior and family rooms. Many of these rooms have balconies/terraces looking over the immaculate Formal Gardens.

For further information: www.thegrove.co.uk

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Kubota Invests in Escorts Limited

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Kubota Invests in Escorts Limited: Kubota Corporation (Headquarters: Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan; President and Representative Director: Yuichi Kitao; hereinafter, “Kubota”) announced today that it will invest in an Indian leading tractor manufacturer, Escorts Limited (Headquarters: India, Chairman and Managing Director: Nikhil Nanda; hereinafter, “EL”).

Through this investment, Kubota intends to increase its presence in India – the world’s largest tractor market – as well as its commitment to the competitive tractor market, which has massive growth potential, thus further expanding its business.

Kubota Invests in Escorts Limited

Kubota Invests in Escorts Limited

Tractor produced by EL started distributing through Kubota’s sales network in worldwide.

Background and aims

  • The tractor market in India is one of the world’s largest in terms of unit sales and expects to expand further. In 2008, Kubota established Kubota Agricultural Machinery India Pvt. Ltd. (hereinafter, “KAI”) as a foothold in the Indian market.
  • At present, local manufacturers are playing key roles there, and they are all enhancing partnerships with foreign-affiliated manufacturers. In February 2019, Kubota established a joint-venture tractor manufacturing company with EL and mass production is due to start this July.
  • Through this capital tie, the two companies intend to deepen their cooperative relationship further and, by leveraging each other’s strengths, create synergy across a broad range of their business, including development, production, sales, distribution, and parts procurement, in a bid to extend their reach in the Indian market.
  • Meanwhile, the competitive tractors which currently form the core of the Indian tractor market, are gaining popularity in other markets around the world. Kubota hopes to expand its global reach in those model market by tapping into EL’s parts procurement networks and capability to reduce cost.

Investment scheme

  • EL will issue new equity shares to Kubota on a preferential allotment basis (subject to shareholders’ and necessary regulatory approvals) pursuant to which Kubota will hold 9.1% of EL’s paid up share capital.
  • The total amount of investment will be approximately 16 billion yen.
  • Subsequent to the preferential allotment to Kubota, EL will undertake a reduction of its share capital from the shares held by the Escorts Benefit and Welfare Trust (subject to receipt of necessary approvals) of such number of equity shares as are being issued to Kubota under the preferential allotment. Post the capital reduction, Kubota’s stake in EL will increase to 10%.
  • About the investee
Company name Escorts Limited
Representative Nikhil Nanda, Chairman and Managing Director
Location Faridabad City, Haryana State, India
Year of establishment 1944
Business Manufacture and sales of agricultural equipment, construction equipment, and railways-related equipment
Sales Approx. 100.0 billion yen (approx. 62.0 billion rupee; for the year ended March 2019)
Number of employees 11,000 (including non-regular employees, current as of December 2019)
  • Future developments

 

  • After going through the necessary procedures and subject to receipt of requisite approvals, the investment is likely to be completed by June 2020.
  • To further facilitate and strengthen the collaboration with EL, Kubota will sell 40% of stake in KAI to EL, in addition to this investment.
  • Going forward, Kubota aims to establish a joint research and development center with EL to develop products that are optimized for the local market and shorten the development period.

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