Agrostroj to produce japanese professional-grade lawnmowers, thanks to CzechInvest

12 Mar. 2009 | CzechInvest | Contract on production of lawnmowers signed today.

Pelhřimov-based Agrostroj will begin production of large professional-grade ride on lawnmowers under the Japanese brand Chikusui Canycom. Annual production should total 1,000 machines with the retail price of CZK 250,000. The contract on cooperation, which was concluded with CzechInvest’s assistance, was signed today in Pelhřimov by representatives of Agrostroj and Chikusui Canycom.

“We first approached Chikusui Canycom with an offer of Czech manufacturers a year and a half ago at an investment seminar in Japan. Cooperation began to take shape about a year ago, when two representatives of Chikusui Canycom visited our office in Yokohama,” explains Alexandra Rudyšarová, acting CEO of CzechInvest.

From its expansive database CzechInvest then prepared for Chikusui Canycom a list of fifteen potential suppliers that could precisely meet the company’s requirements. “We had visited five of the selected companies and in the end we chose Agrostroj Pelhřimov due to the quality of its production and testimonials from its existing clients,” says Hitoshi Kaneyuki, president of Chikusui Canycom.

“Chikusui Canycom currently sells a large proportion of its products in Europe. However, exporting from Japan through half of the planet is relatively expensive and time-consuming, so we wanted to find a way to get closer to our European customers. After consultations with CzechInvest, it was clear that the Czech Republic was the ideal choice,” adds Hitoshi Kaneyuki. “Beside a manufacturing partner, which we have already found here, we are currently looking for a distributor for our technology in the Czech Republic.”

“By concluding a contract with Canycom, we have added a very interesting partner to our customer portfolio. We will manufacture finished machines on whose production and assembly we will cooperate closely with our Japanese partner, which should bring more Japanese know-how into our company, resulting in higher quality and rationalisation of production. In future this will become apparent particularly in the area of innovations and improvements of the subject of our cooperation. Of no less importance, and also very interesting, will be sales and marketing cooperation with Canycom’s sales network,” says Lubomír Stoklásek, CEO of Agrostroj Pelhřimov.

Agrostroj will be responsible for complete manufacturing of CM1802 lawnmowers, whose design and development were recently finalised at Chikusui Canycom. The machines will have Japanese transmissions coupled to engines supplied from USA. All other components will be produced in the Czech Republic. The CM1802 is currently available at the retail price of around CZK 250,000. Agrostroj plans to eventually manufacture 1,000 units per year in Pelhřimov.

more about Agrostroj Pelhřimov

Agrostroj Pelhřimov is the largest producer of agricultural technology in the Czech Republic, employing 1,200 people. The company’s turnover in 2008 was EUR 100 million with planned annual growth of roughly 5%. Agrostroj focuses on production of finished machines and tools; an ever greater part of its production involves cooperation with significant multinational companies in the agricultural-technology sectors and manufacturers of freight vehicles, construction machinery and forklifts. Such cooperation currently comprises 90% of the company’s production volume. More information is available at www.agrostroj.cz.

Contact to Agrostroj Pelhřimov:

Lubomír Stoklásek, CEO, Chairman of the Board of Directors, tel.: +420 565 360 201, e-mail: lubomir.stoklasek@agrostroj.cz, www.agrostroj.cz

more about Chikusui Canycom

Under the leadership of its president, Hitoshi Kaneyuki, Chikusui Canycom offers a broad range of agricultural, construction and forestry machines and utility vehicles. Founded in the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka in 1948, the company currently employs 198 people and its turnover is roughly EUR 40 million. More information is available at www.canycom.co.jp/english.

Contact to Chikusui Canycom:

Markus Stettinger, Sales department EU division, tel: +41 (0) 797966641, email: m_stetinger@canycom.co.jp, www.canycom.co.jp