Industry
“These management tools don't cost pounds or dollars and, if UK facilities are going to survive and grow, we can certainly learn a lot from our American cousins about customer service”
vive and
t was another typical wet November morning in the North West of England when six Golf Course Managers met up at Manchester Airport. David Cole (Loch Lomond GC), Stuart Yarwood (Lymm GC),
I
Jeremy Hughes (Llangollen GC), Grant Peters (Linlithgow GC), Graeme Beatt (County Sligo GC) and I met up with Andy Campbell and David Timms of Ransomes Jacobsen. Andy is the company’s Regional Sales Manager for Scotland and Ireland, whilst David is the Regional Sales Manager for the West of England and Wales.
Andy and David had put together a ten day trip of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, and what a trip this was! Over the following
week and a half we would take in US Open venues, factory tours and University trial plots, culminating in three days at the Penn State University Turf Grass Conference.
Our destination that morning was Charlotte, North Carolina, the home of Jacobsen’s Headquarters in the US. The prospect of temperatures in the high teens was something to look forward to, not to mention a round of golf the following morning at Carmel Country Club to all get to know each other. This was a perfect setting to break the ice. The five star services at the private members club were second to none and the stunning course was the perfect back drop to kick off the Lion Tour 2012.
Over the following day we had a fascinating tour of the facilities, including the production and
manufacturing plants. Covering the vast expanse of factory floor were
production lines for each of the models in the Jacobsen range. It was interesting to see the Jacobsen Eclipse start its life as a bare chassis, and then see wiring looms and engine added, along with its wheels and shell, to finally its logo and final checks.
Its journey didn’t finish there. Each machine was then put through rigorous tests on a hydraulic machine to
simulate travel over different terrain, with repeated lifting and lowering of their units. Once the machine had passed quality control it was ready for
ent terrain, ous
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