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INDUSTRY NEWS 10 SEPTEMBER 2015 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com HOT NEWS Husqvarna Group acquires smart garden specialist Koubachi Effective July 15, 2015, Husqvarna Group acquired Zurich, Switzerland-based Koubachi AG, a pioneer and leader in the area of smart gardening. The acquisition brings extensive experience and competence from Internet of Things and home automation technology within gardening and plant care, strengthening the Gardena Division's positions in this field substantially. Koubachi's competence team, including its founder Dr. Philipp Bolliger, will join the Gardena Division. Koubachi's office in Zurich will be continued to be used as an innovation and development site for Gardena. Koubachi — the Internet of Things in gardening — has emerged from scientific work at ETH Zurich. The current product portfolio mainly consists of a cloud-based plant care system that includes sensors and mobile apps, along with an extensive plant library and unique algorithms, to make plant care better and easier. "The acquisition will increase and accelerate the value of Gardena's own smart garden concept, which will be launched starting in 2016," said Sascha Menges, president, Gardena Division, Husqvarna Group. "This concept connects automatic watering and robotic lawn mowing in a unique way, and is managed by a smart phone application. Joining forces with the Koubachi team will consolidate our leadership position within gardening." Kawasaki Engines launches Field Service Advisor Program Kawasaki Engines, a division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., announced July 22 that it is enhancing its existing dealer ser- vices capability with the formation and staffing of remote Field Service Advisor offices in four regional centers. The offices will be located in Atlanta, Ga.; Fort Worth, Texas; Eatontown, N.J.; and at the divi- sion's headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. The new Field Service Advisor Program, intended to facilitate closer contact between the company's highly trained technical per- sonnel and dealers selling and servicing Kawasaki's advanced line of engines, was effective immediately. Each location will be staffed by two field service advisors responsible for pro-active dealership visits, phone-based technical ser- vices, warranty review and questions, dealer training, and in-person technical assistance as needed. This program will complement the existing technical services team based in Grand Rapids, and will work closely with that group to ensure the most complete and quickest flow of information and sup- port to the dealerships. Tom Moskwa, senior manager, engi- neering and technical services, said, "This marks another of our continuing efforts to build on the relationships that exist with our dealer partners and offer a level of service that meets as many of their needs as possible." With four specialized offices support- ing the company's dealers, specific teams will have direct responsibility for dealers in selected states. Atlanta will provide coverage for Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Eatontown's coverage area includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. States covered from the Grand Rapids office include Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska and Hawaii. Fort Worth will be responsible for deal- erships in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. Earthway announces acquisition Earthway Products, Inc., the Bristol, Ind.- based manufacturer of EV-N-SPRED and Flex-Select spreaders, and White Castle of Columbus, Ohio, recently announced that Earthway completed its acquisition of the White Castle PSB Spreader Division and the Prizelawn brand. "As we welcome the Prizelawn brand into the Earthway family, we believe that their expertise and efficiency in commercial and professional spreader production will be a great complement to our own manufacturing capabilities and existing spreader lines," said Earthway President Lon Mast. "PSB'S high-quality standards and respect for their employees and dealers mirrored ours, making this a good fit with our existing culture." Earthway will design, engineer, manufacture, and distribute Prizelawn spreaders. The PSB Spreader Division's prior dealer network will still market the Prizelawn brand for Earthway, ensuring that consumers can continue to rely on the distribution network they have trusted for years.