Ipswich, England: Textron is to relocate all manufacturing of Jacobsen professional turf equipment to its facility in Ipswich, in England’s East Anglia district.

The move will begin this autumn and be completed in stages over the next several months.

A company statement said the move will enable Textron to focus its investments, skill, and improvements in mower production on a single facility, and leverage existing resources and expertise at its Ipswich facility.

The plant, which currently builds Jacobsen and Ransomes mowers, is the oldest manufacturer of motorised lawn mowers in the world, in operation for more than 187 years. 

The United Kingdom facility will produce mowers for all regions, including North America. Jacobsen will maintain its sales and customer-care teams in North America, and its network of North American distributors, to serve its customers in the United States and Canada. 

“We are excited to establish our Ipswich facility as the worldwide manufacturing centre of excellence for Jacobsen equipment,” said Simon Rainger, Vice President of Turf for Textron Specialized Vehicles. “This move will enable us to operate more efficiently, and expand on the legacy of innovation and quality that our Ipswich plant has built over its long history.” 

Jacobsen, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation, continues to develop new products to serve its customers around the globe.

The brand will launch a robust slate of new mowers this year, including the quiet, highly efficient Eclipse 360 ELiTE electric greens mower powered by Samsung SDI lithium-battery technology, and the new AR530 and AR730 contour rotary mowers, designed to be safer, easier and more cost-effective to maintain and operate.