Continental Landscapes, a national grounds maintenance contractor based at Weston-on-the-Green in Oxfordshire has taken delivery of a fleet of Ransomes Jacobsen commercial mowing equipment from their long-time dealer PA Turney Ltd, to support their newly-won contract for Leeds City Council.
The fleet, with a retail value in excess of £650,000, was delivered for the start of the 2012 season in early March, and consists of 19 HR3300T out-front ride-on rotary mowers, 10 ZT zero turn pedestrian rotaries and three HR6010 batwing rotary mowers.
Mark McLaughlin is Continental's operations manager for the five-year contract, which is managed from three depots strategically located across the city.
“We were awarded the contract in September following a rigorous tender process earlier in the year. As we are effectively working for three Arms Length Management Organisations (ALMOs) under the guidance of Leeds City Council we have appointed three contract managers, one at each of the three depots. The equipment will be divided equally between the depots and this provides the flexibility to move dedicated mowers to other areas of the city, should the need arise.”
Leeds is one of the fastest growing cities in the United Kingdom with a population of 790,000 and is the second largest Metropolitan district in England. Executive Board Member for Environmental Services Cllr Mark Dobson said,
“As a council we are determined to provide the residents of Leeds with the best possible grass cutting service, and the acquisition of this new mowing equipment will play a major part in helping us achieving this goal. The maintaining of our green spaces is extremely important, not only in keeping our communities clean and tidy, but also in creating a positive impression to first-time visitors. This new equipment will perform a vital role in us doing that.”
Continental's contract is for five years with a five year option and covers a large geographical area.
“Our territory ranges from Wetherby in the north, east to the A1, down to the M62 in the south and beyond Pudsey in the west,” Mark McLaughlin explained. “It also includes the city centre and a considerable part is maintaining the green space within the city's housing estates. We are also responsible for verges and central reservations on the high-speed roads and for the verges on the minor roads. The council has retained responsibility for parks, cemeteries and roundabouts.
“To fulfil this contract and provide best value to the residents of Leeds we must have equipment that gives us high productivity and reliability. That's why we have selected mowers manufactured here in the UK by Ransomes Jacobsen, for the majority of this contract. We have used the HR3300T out-front rotary on other contracts in Poole, Liverpool, Hounslow and Cherwell and they have performed exceptionally well.”
Tom Dew, Continental's national plant manager added: “We worked closely with Ransomes Jacobsen during the initial design stages and subsequent field testing of the HR3300T some five years ago. It has been a significant workhorse on numerous contracts and I'm confident it will continue to deliver the quality of finish that the residents of Leeds would expect.
“Not only have we worked closely with the manufacturer, we also have a very credible working relationship with their dealer, PA Turney. The support we receive from the team at Turney's is first rate and they are a significant partner to our business.”
