Preferred Supplier status with Myerscough College

Myerscough College, the Further and Higher Education centre of excellence for land-based professions, has renewed a preferred supplier agreement for an additional five years with Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd, the Ipswich-based turf maintenance equipment manufacturer.

As a result of the agreement local dealer Burrows (GM) has recently delivered over £185,000 worth of equipment for use by students in the Sportsturf faculty and the greenkeeping team responsible for the college's nine-hole golf course. The equipment includes walk-behind mowers, ride-on greens, tees, fairway and rough machines; electric and petrol-powered turf utility vehicles and a pedestrian aerator.

One of the mowers delivered was the very latest hybrid-powered machine, the Jacobsen Eclipse 322. It has been supplied with greens and tees cutting units and Myerscough are the first training establishment in the UK to have access to this revolutionary new mower, which has dispensed with hydraulics and uses electric power for all onboard systems, components and controls.

Commenting on the new agreement, Stewart Brown, head of Myerscough's Sportsturf faculty said, "Ransomes Jacobsen were the incumbent preferred supplier, but to ensure that we got best value we went out to all of the top three major manufacturers. Whilst quality of product was a major factor, the college directorate wanted a partner who could demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and on-going training. The presentation from Jim Whitton and Alan Prickett supported by the environmental credentials of Ransomes Jacobsen, won the day.

"The directorate were impressed with their use of biodegradable oils in their equipment, their ISO14001 accreditation, demonstrating that environmental management is at the core of their business and their ELMO recycling initiative that enables mowers and other grounds care equipment to be recycled at end-of-life in a socially responsible manner."

Ransomes Jacobsen will continue to sponsor two student awards, one at Further Education level and the other at Higher Education, provide branded clothing as well as participating in student development by supplying workshop manuals, operator training materials and undertaking tutorials both at the college and at their training facilities in Ipswich.

Stewart Brown concluded saying, "This is an exciting partnership and will be of great benefit to the College. The students will have the use of the very latest equipment available to the industry, which helps us to maintain our position as the premier provider of Turfgrass education in the UK."

For more information on Ransomes Jacobsen visit: www.ransomesjacobsen.com