Magazine - Ransomes Jacobsen Equipment to be used to prepare Rugby World Cup Pitches

By Peter Driver in Industry on 20th Jun 2007 13:00

Ransomes Jacobsen, the Ipswich-based manufacturer of grounds maintenance machinery, is supplying equipment to the majority of stadia being used for the IRB Rugby World Cup in France, which begins on 7th September.

Twenty teams will be split into four pools with the first two from each pool advancing to the quarter-finals. A total of 48 matches will be played before the winners are decided in the final at the Stade de France in St Denis on 28th October. Of the 12 venues being used for the global spectacle, nine will be using mowing equipment from Ransomes Jacobsen, including the Ransomes Mastiff, renowned as the 'gold standard' for the preparation of prestigious sports pitches.

Ransomes Jacobsen's French subsidiary was approached by ATE, the technical supervisory organisation for pitch maintenance at the event, to supply additional mowers and were delighted to help. Laurent Proupin, Managing Director of the Toulouse-based distributor said, "France is very proud to be hosting the Rugby World Cup and we, at Ransomes Jacobsen France, are overjoyed to be supplying equipment for this prestigious tournament. The competition will be seen by a global audience and it will be our mowers that have prepared the majority of the pitches."

David Withers, Managing Director of Ransomes Jacobsen added,
"Last year it was the FIFA World Cup; now this year it's the IRB Rugby World Cup. Once again, a major global sporting event is using equipment manufactured here in the UK and Ipswich in particular. Producing some of the finest mowing equipment available is something that we can all feel very proud about."

Ransomes Jacobsen equipment is being used at the following stadia:

Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux; Felix Bolllaert, Lens; Velodrome, Marseilles; La Mosson, Montpellier; La Beaujoire, Nantes; Parc des Princes, Paris; Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne; Stade Toulouse and Murrayfield, Edinburgh.

Ransomes Jacobsen is a subsidiary of Textron Inc., an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, 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, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

Read more articles in Industry, by Peter Driver or from June 2007.