Ipswich, Suffolk - May 17, 2010 - Ransomes Jacobsen, the Ipswich-based turf maintenance equipment manufacturer, has unveiled a dedicated product demonstration team to promote their range of turf care products to the golf and municipal sectors across the UK and Ireland. Ransomes Jacobsen, a Textron Inc (NYSE: TXT) company.
This new team consists of three newly appointed demonstrators equipped with 18 tonne Volvo FLH 290 rigid bodied trucks with beavertail platform, hydraulic folding ramps and a 3.5 tonne electric winch. A further demonstrator, based in Scotland, will operate with a 4x4 vehicle and dedicated trailer. Supporting the on-road team will be two permanent technicians with full workshop facilities, including hydraulic ramps and lifting frames, based at Ransomes Jacobsen’s headquarters in Ipswich. The new team will report directly to demonstration manager Matt Gough.
Rupert Price, UK & Ireland sales manager at Ransomes Jacobsen said, “We have been contemplating this approach to product demonstrations for some time, and felt that now was an opportune time to implement this strategy. Bringing demonstrations in house will give us greater control over how our equipment is presented to end-users.
“Our dealers have been doing a decent job, but there has been a level of variability in how demonstrations have been conducted. Now, using our own fully trained staff with support from head office, we can ensure that all demonstrations are of the highest quality and give us an improved chance of winning business.
“We are determined to achieve a significant increase in market share over the next four years in all sectors of the market. Therefore, we have committed considerable resource to this new strategy and, in the long-term, we are convinced that the payback will be winning more business.”
The new demonstration team is comprised of:
John Clifford, a former demonstrator with sprayer manufacturer Gambetti Barr; Robert Hayward, who previously worked for Ransomes Jacobsen’s dealer, Ernest Doe and Sons; Harvey Doughty, a familiar face to many in the industry as he has been Ransomes Jacobsen’s dedicated delivery driver for many years while working for haulier Kelsa Trucks; and Ian Bridges, in his new role as product support specialist for Scotland and Ireland.
The two technicians supporting the demonstrators have been recruited from within Ransomes Jacobsen. They are David Land, a test and development engineer and Phil Self, a test engineer from the company’s assembly line.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. For more information visit: www.textron.com.