Jacobsen Fairway Mowers ready to leave the factory
Under the guidance of Malcolm
Parkinson, Operations Director, they have made many changes to their factory environment. They have introduced ‘Six Sigma’, an American business system that is designed to increase profits by eliminating variability, defects and waste. David and his managers hold regular structured meetings, and he always attends the quarterly review meetings with all Ransomes staff where he encourages them to have their say. At the same time he updates them the latest developments at the company. Refurbishments have also taken place to improve the working conditions in the factory. The installation of new flooring has reduced noise levels significantly and also increased operator comfort when standing or walking. A new spares automated filing system
has freed up valuable floor space, which can now be utilised for offices for the factory personnel.
A new paint plant, using powder paint technology, has also been installed. This can operate at lower temperatures, thereby reducing drying times. Information boards help keep the workforce informed of
management initiatives. There are plans to provide screens with the boards so that real time information can be displayed.
Malcolm and his factory staff are constantly monitoring their
performance. A marking system is used to monitor product quality and production.
A TYPICAL week for David involves at least three days in the office and two travelling around the country keeping in touch with organisations and sports governing bodies. He works very closely with his American counterparts, visiting the Jacobsen factory in Charlotte on a monthly basis.
When David is at the office he usually visits the factory floor each day, keeping up to date with his staff and all aspects of the manufacturing process. David sees his role as a delegator and facilitator. He believes he has a team in place to ensure that the company is run efficiently and profitably. The future success of the company, he recognises, is very much dependant on the quality of his staff.
Ransomes Jacobsen are committed to Chafers
CHAFERS are beetles that belong to the insect Order Coleoptera. Adult chafers are sturdy insects that cause no damage at all to amenity turf. Their grubs, however, can feed voraciously on turfgrass roots, causing direct damage to the turf and encouraging the destruction of the affected area by birds and mammals that choose to feed on the. In the UK and other parts of Europe there are
several different types of chafer. The adult beetles vary in size from Serica brunnea) to >35 mm (Cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha). The most commonly found chafer on amenity areas is thought to be the Cockchafer but since the grubs of these
chafers look remarkably similar, with minor differences apart from their overall size, it is difficult to be certain which chafer beetle will emerge from a given population of grubs. The chafer grubs have a characteristic body shape. They are described as fat white grubs that typically have a curved body shape, lying naturally in a 'C' shape in the rootzone. They have a hard head with well developed mouthparts, three pairs of legs at the anterior part of the body and an obvious, usually dark, rear end. Once the larvae emerge from the egg, they feed and increase in size over a period of several years. During the colder months, the larvae move deeper in to the profile and move up towards the surface when the rootzone temperatures increase. It can take 4 years for the larvae to reach a sufficient size to pupate prior to emerging as the adult chafer. Each female can lay around 20 eggs after which she may die, although it is possible for females to lay two or more batches of eggs. The larvae can take 4-6 weeks to emerge from the egg and will feed almost constantly until they pupate. I recently received an adult Brown chafer for
identification from a golf course in the UK. The overall length of the adult was 9mm and its body, including the wing cases, was a dark tan colour. The Cockchafer is generally around
manufactured in-h
... even cylinders are house
securing ISO 140001, which states that they must ‘strive to accommodate and promote sustainable working methods in pursuit of excellence’. Much has already been achieved with most of the materials used in production coming from sustainable sources and the introduction of electric and LPG powered mowers and transport vehicles. In 2007 Ransomes will be celebrating the 175th birthday of the Budding patented lawnmower. I am sure David, like many of his fellow employees, will be very busy not only celebrating this momentous occasion but looking to use the milestone build on the reputation of this famous, long standing, lawnmower company.
35mm in length and has reddish-brown, heavily ribbed wing cases. With regard to management of these pests, not only is there now an insecticide with label approval for use but, there is also a biological control available for use in amenity situations. This biological control option makes use of natural entomopathogenic nematodes - nematodes (microscopic round worms) that feed on insects. Once the nematodes have killed the grubs in the treated area, they will die out and, since they do not feed on plant tissues, these nematodes pose no potential threat to the health of the turf. Both management options will only be effective if they reach the grubs and, with the grubs moving through the profile, it can be difficult to know how much to irrigate to ensure contact is made. In some situations it may be worth applying a wetting agent prior to the treatment to ensure that the profile is uniformly wetted and product efficacy can be maximised. Further info available from Kendall Bioresearch Services,
www.kendall-
bioresearch.co.uk
Dr. Kate Entwistle The Turf Disease Centre Tel: 01256 880246
OF THE MONTH
pest
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