December edition 2

AND THE WINNER IS……
ABOVE (top): Jeans for Jeans, (Middle): Wear it Pink (Bottom): Pudsey Day
As you are all aware
of the charity events
that have been
happening over the
last couple of
months, we all looked
a bit mad but managed
to raise over £100
pounds for the 3 of
them. A big thank you
to all who gave
contributions!
Congratulations to
the Genes for Jeans
winners
•Rachel Dymott
•John Johnson
•Liz King
Winner for Wear it
Pink
•John Johnson
Internal News
THE KUK’S FAVOURITE NEWSLETTER - December 2014
Congratulations to
Lee Skinner who
won the naming of
the newsletter. He
was enthusiastic
to share the fact
that ‘knews’ was
inspired by his
thoughts on the
silent ‘K’.

orner
★"Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game
in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to
guess the name of the person delivering each blow. "Hot cockles" was still a
Christmas pastime until the Victorian era
★A Christmas club, a savings account in which a person deposits a fixed amount
of money regularly to be used at Christmas for shopping, came about around
1905.
★A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared
with mustard.
★According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their
doting owners.
★An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian
Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring
good luck.
★At lavish Christmas feasts in the Middle Ages, swans and peacocks were
sometimes served "endored." This meant the flesh was painted with saffron
dissolved in melted butter. In addition to their painted flesh, endored birds were
served wrapped in their own skin and feathers, which had been removed and set
aside prior to roasting.
★Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten.
The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a
good source of nutrition.
★There are two Christmas Islands.The Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean was
formerly called Kiritimati. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is 52 square
miles.
★Mistletoe, a traditional Christmas symbol, was once revered
by the early Britons. It was so sacred that it had to be cut with
a golden sickle.
★More diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time (31
percent) than during any other holiday or occasion during the
year.

M7001 Series Launch
in
Once upon a time there was a
Japanese company called Kubota.
This company manufactured many
diverse products including tractors.
However, these were only little
tractors, known in the industry as
‘Compacts’. Kubota had dreams of
competing with the larger tractors
in the playground and set about its
mission to start to realise this
dream – the dawn of the F37
project.
This dream was achieved in
September 2014 with the launch of
the new M7001 series of
tractors.
No-one knows how the project
became titled F37 but the
prototype was born and everyone
was very excited as this marked the
beginning of a new era in the
Tractor division. The product
comes in three models of 130, 150
and 170 horse power each with a
powerboost to enable the engine
to go up to 150, 170 and 175 HP
respectively. It also comes with a
choice of Powershift (much the
same way as the automatic
transmission in a car), CVT
(constantly variable transmission)
which was explained to me as the
premiership of automatic
transmission and hydraulic
transmission.
The range is to be called the M7001 range –
M7131, M7151 and M7171. It wasn’t always
to be the M7001 – initially it was the ‘M7’
but it would appear that this is a model of
BMW car so it was then changed to the
M7001. This doesn’t actually change
anything as the designation on the machine
will show as M7131.
No doubt everyone is aware that these
tractors will be manufactured in the new
factory currently being refurbished in
Dunkirk, France. This factory will be the
global manufacturing and distribution hub
for the new tractors. However, not all the
components will be manufactured in France
– as an example the cab and engine will
both be manufactured in Japan with the
transmission being built in Germany.
Many of the KUK staff have spent a
considerable amount of time between KE
(Kubota Europe) and KUK in terms of
understanding the new product and
working on various project teams in order to
plan and execute the launch of the product.

The feedback from the dealers was very positive about the M7001 series with comments
such as ‘can’t wait for it to arrive to be able to sell it’, ‘it is about time’, ‘excellent product’
etc. Comments you would hope for when talking about a £70k+ product.
So, when can we expect to see the tractor – we recently had one of the prototypes in the UK
for a period of time undertaking ‘real work’ with a local farmer. This was to really get to
understand the capabilities in practice rather than in set up situations. We also had it at the
last employee meeting for all staff to be able to have a look around it.
This launch took place in September at
EuroDisney, Paris. The launch was conducted
over a number of days in order to focus on the
different European Countries/languages. The
launch for the UK dealers took place on 25th and
26th September with a conference on the first
day to introduce the product and its features etc.
The second day focused on the
demonstrations of the product using various
different implements so that the dealers could
see the tractor undertaking many different
activities to enable them to really get a good
‘feel’ for the product.
In terms of our competition – due to
the horsepower of this range of tractors
we are now entering into a new market
sector for Kubota, that of over 135 HP,
heavy duty and true agricultural
tractors. This sector is already well
established with John Deere, Agco,
CNH, SDF and Class being the main
competitors. This is going to be a
tough market to penetrate.
The first global and public showing of the
M7001 will be at the Eima Show (Italy) in
November 2014. The first product to be
built in Dunkirk is expected to come off
the
production line in April 2015 but in limited
numbers. We are hopeful that we will have
three tractors to be on our stand at the
Lamma show in January 2015

What have KUK already actioned in order to assist us with market penetration into
this new area? Some time ago we recruited an additional Dealer Manager and also
a Product Manager for the Agri business to start to develop the relationships,
market research etc ahead of the new product being launched. At this point the
existing Dealer Managers were set the task of focusing on the groundcare range of
products and we recruited a Product Manager for this range also. However, we
have now also made the decision to split the division completely. This means that
we will no longer have a T&GC Division headed by Adrian Langmead as the
Business Development Manager (BDM) – T&GC but instead we will have a Business
Development Manager – Agri and a Business Development Manager – Groundcare
with the Dealer Managers/Product Managers/Demonstrators etc following their
current product range. Therefore we will shortly be commencing the recruitment of
one BDM – obviously Adrian will be in one of these positions.
Many photographs were taken at
the launch and we also have a
short video of the M7001
available on the intranet for
everyone to see.
And so the dream has turned into
a reality and the next stage in the
evolution of Kubota – we now just
have to sell it!
Written by Candice
Dillingham from an
interview with Adrian
Langmead.

Kubota Saddled up
to complete the
Tour De Vale 2014
On the 8th of June, a number of riders
from all across the Kubota departments,
took place in the Tour De Vale bike ride
for charity. This event takes place every
year with a record of 1837 riders taking
part for 2014, raising money for British
Sports in Wheelchairs.
Kubota managed to raise over £1000
towards this worthy event, with all riders
completing the race and receiving a
medal for the challenge…and later a
beer in hand to finish the day off.
A special thank you to all riders who
completed either the 15, 35 or 55 miles
contributing to a combined total of
1025m! It was a great day out and we
hope to compete in this event every
year as a contribution to the community.

Free Bacon Rolls and refreshments were given
out whilst the children enjoyed playing on the
small pedal tractors and exploring the
machines on display.
Neil Winfield was especially great throughout
the day, assisting with children having a go on
the Digger, putting tennis balls in certain
coloured buckets.
Following the Kubota open morning, we
participated in the carnival parade with
Kubota custom floats made to suit world
sports, as well as making an appearance down
at the recreational site where the carnival was
held.
The day was a success and our overall aim was
to show what we offer as a local business in
Thame and hope to make an impact, so that
every year is a challenge to be bigger and
better than the last.
On the 14th of June, Kubota UK limited
combined their open morning with the local
Thame Carnival that takes place every year,
for the likes of the community to celebrate
what the town has to offer.
On the morning of the event, Kubota had
arranged a complimentary bus with a specific
route, to allow people from the community to
hop on and enjoy a visit to Kubota. With a
giant archway of Digger arms, the public were
invited by staff and management, to help the
interested visitors view the display of Engines,
Tractors, Groundcare and Construction
machines available.

Josh has started his long awaited
racing within the Mini stox cars,
following his Granddad George
Hamstead, who raced for many years
doing the F1 Stox Cars. He built many of
his own cars and raced for many years
with the race number 405. Later on his
son Anthony longed to race but his dad
said ‘no, too much money’ but Anthony
was determined to race and he brought
his first Rebels Stox Car back in 1996.
He carried on to race for 17 years
winning nearly every title and became
the No1 car, taking the world champion
title in 2001, then retired in 2013 to
allow Son Josh to race and buy his first
car.
The drivers have to have their cars
scrutineered every week before they race
to make sure their cars are up to the rule
book, that means their seat belts are fitted
correctly and they must all have a licence
for the track, you cannot just turn up and
think it will pass, there are lots of rules to
follow first. In terms of safety as like any
sport it is dangerous and all health and
safety rules must be followed even if you
are just in the pits you must be aware of
fast cars at all times.
DRIV3R #205
JOSH HAMSTEAD

Following in the family footsteps Joshua
started racing at the age of 10 in 2013
and now has been racing at Standlake
arena Oxford for the last 18 months –
doing OK.
He has won a few trophies but actually
managed to ‘rite off’ his first Mini which
resulted in a visit to the hospital and
has also caught his dad on fire twice!!!!
But a new mini was bought and all is
going well. The first year Josh did have
to have a passenger to sit next to him
while leaning to drive at Standlake -
Aaron Hamstead his cousin, and also
good friend Gary Jacobs, who are both
race drivers themselves. I think Josh
has given them both a scare from time
to time !!! Joshua also race’s with the
number 405 after his granddad. This
type of racing is a non-contact sport so
it’s all about good driving skills and
speed.
Josh has now also got himself an ORC
Mini Stox which he races at
Hednesford, Birmingham, Aldershot,
Northampton and many more places.
Unlike the other racing this formula is a
contact sport and therefore a lot more
aggressive, but Josh is doing well and
already has a few trophies much to his
delight, especially as he drives on his
own in this category.
Joshua is very competitive and likes to
do well - things don’t always go to plan
but as all the drivers will tell you that’s
racing. Joshua really enjoys the
challenges of this category driving with
number 205.
It takes a lot of hard work to keep the cars
up to scratch for the next meeting, always
needing to check the engine, wheels etc..
Joshua’s job is to keep it clean and painted
and looking good for each meeting.
There is a point chart at each meeting for
the top ten, in much the same way as
Formula 1. Obviously Joshua’s dream is to
be the champion.
The meeting’s take place at the weekends
and most bank holidays - you can look
this up on the web site of Standlake Arena
and also on the Rebel racing web site
under links that will show you all the ORC
Mini dates and venues.
So it would be great to see anyone there,
Josh loves his racing and hopes to
continue for many years he has now given
up his football as he doesn’t have the time
to concentrate on both - racing is very
tiring after a meeting and school work also
has to come first.
So one day he might be the next Lewis
Hamilton who knows?

A big thank you to
all the parents and
children that
attended the
Children’s Xmas
Party. We all had a
wonderful day and
hope the kids loved
their presents from
Santa (AKA Steve P)
Dave C-Champion of Aunt Sally 2014

Liz Law: “I stayed in the Pilgrim Hotel
halfway between Ross on Wye and
Hereford and cycled a circular 55 miles
to Chepstow, returning via the Forest of
Dean and had a few drinks in the bar
afterwards to assist recovery. The
Kubota cycle shirts were worn by both
Tony and myself
Debbie enjoyed
a Jazz River
Cruise with her
family down
the Thames
What did you use your 35 year
experience voucher for??
Elaine also
stayed in the
same hotel as
Liz and had a
two day break
visiting the
Forest of Dean
We used our voucher for
a Pizza restaurant in
London called "Fire and
stone“
Our voucher covered
myself, Dawn, Dawns
Mum and Dad for a
starter, main and a
bottle of wine.
We also took some friends
and made a night of it.
Food was great and I
would recommend this
as a voucher option to
anyone!
Gareth Collins

2014 has been a great year for KUK – Not only did we celebrate the milestone of 35 years
serving the UK and Irish markets, we achieved record results, Launched several new product
lines, expanded and enhanced our facilities, increased our headcount by another 6%, to
mention just a few key points.
So let’s take a look at some of the above in more detail.
Results
View from the
Bridge
Although there are still a few trading
days of December, our results to this
point show that we have achieved a
turnover in excess of £190m against
our plan of £189m (our previous year
was £149m). This 25% in growth
overall has mainly been driven by the
Construction and Engine products
which sold in excess of our plan.
However Tractor & Groundcare and
Parts are both very close to their plans
and showed good growth over the
previous year
Tractor & Groundcare
Overall, KUK achieved retail sales ahead of our plan, and we grew sales by 15%
compared to the previous year. This is all the more impressive when you consider
that the tractor market was quite weak, which resulted in an increase in our market
share. Ride on mower sales were very strong due to an extended season and
improving market. RTV sales were hampered by the later than scheduled arrival of
the new RTV X900’s.
Wholesale deliveries will be just shy of the plan, but 14% higher than 2013.
Tractor & Groundcare products delivered a turnover of £49m against a plan of
£48.5m, which compares to £43m in 2013.

New Products
During 2014 we saw a number of new products launched to our dealers and end user customers, including
the F90 commercial ride on mowers, the B50 range of compact tractors, the U27-4 mini excavator, the
new RTV X900, the new STW compact tractors and our line up of spark ignition engines was enhanced.
Overall, over 20 new models were introduced which are now helping us to maintain our position as
market leaders.
I would like to thank everyone again for all their hard work and effort that they give every day, which
contributes heavily to the success of KUK, and ensures that we can strengthen the business even further.
Please keep up the good work for 2015 and beyond!
In the meantime, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and Happy New year to you and your families.
Construction
Sales of Mini excavators were outstanding in 2014 thanks to the
economic recovery improving market confidence. Plant hirers really
appreciate the quality, reliability and residual value of our machines,
and this year saw significant gains in the 5 – 8 ton sectors with U48,
KX057 and KX080-4 seeing strong demand. We also introduced the
U27 in April which went down really well in the market.
The sales delivered a turnover of £91.4m against a plan of £91.2m,
which compares to £62.4m in 2013.
Engines
Engines has also had a fantastic year driven by market
improvements stimulating demand for construction
machines in North America and the UK.
Unit sales are 20,939 against a plan of 18,890, which
also compares to 18,178 engines in 2013.
These unit sales equate to £37.7m against a budget of
£37.6m compared to £32.8m in 2013
Parts
Parts sales increased in 2014, due to the
introduction of new initiatives such as the
lower cost rubber tracks for excavators and
aggressive pricing strategies on our
excavator under carriage parts. We also held
sales campaigns to encourage dealers to
carry higher levels of parts stock which
boosted the volume of parts. The new terms
and conditions that were implemented in
January 2014 certainly help boost sales as
well.
Service
As you all know, we opened the new
wing of the service training facility
to allow consecutive training courses
to be held to keep up with growing
demand in this key service. We also
introduced Kubota care at the
beginning of the year which is now
starting to take off really well and
help boost sales in the Agricultural
range of tractors.

Ben Rose will be
transferring into the
role of Process
Controller working in
the Business Solutions
& Planning
Department with
effect from 5th
January 2015
- Brian Ward has been promoted to the role of Assembly Manager with his
reporting line changing from Supply Chain to R & D. Hence he and his
Assembly team will report to Stuart McClimont from 1st January 2015.
- Robert Hickman will be transferring into the Business Solutions and
Planning Manager in the new role of IT Support Technician.
- We have Leana Horton joining us on 5th January 2015 as National Account
Manager in Construction.
- In addition Kerry Higby and Elaine Bennett are also joining us on 5th January
2015 as Sales Administrators working within the SCM function.

Paul Jacobs stock
car
This edition we are featuring Paul
Jacobs’ hobby. The reason we have
chosen Paul is due to the fact that for
his long service award from Kubota he
choose new tyres for his Formula 2
Stock Car.
So I caught up with Paul to get a
better understanding of this hobby and
what it entails, other than expensive
tyres!
Many years ago Paul used to do Stock
Car racing. In fact he started when he
was 15 with banger racing and gradually
progressed. However as with many other
people, a wife (Eleanor) and children
came along and he neither had the time
nor resources to be able to continue at
that stage.
However, four years ago conditions were
right for him to be able to return to one
of his passions.
The entire Jacobs family are involved in
the Formula 2 Stock Car racing theme.
Paul along with both his sons – Ricky and
Gary now do the racing each having their
own cars. This is very much a family
‘thing’. The wives and children all support
the hobby, go along to the racing and are
generally racing‘groupies’ - Even little
Kayden is involved, Paul’s grandson (2
years old).
This is part of what motivates Paul to
continue. They are a bit like the three
musketeers’ – ‘All for one and one for all’
as they only race if all three can attend.
They work on their own cars but then
help each other, go to the events
together with the truck they have
purchased to take the cars to the events
etc – a real family affair.
Paul, Ricky and Gary mainly race at Standlake,
near Whitney, but have been known to put in
a few laps at Grimly (Midlands) and Ringwood
(New Forest area), this year undertaking 11
meetings with each meeting having three
races, across a season from March to
November, with the cost of the car,
maintenance, fuel, entrance fees etc it is not
an inexpensive hobby.
The cars are purpose built using a box-section
chassis, 2 litre Ford pinto engine (highly
tuned) ford escort axle casing, the rest is
home built as there is a detailed specification
which each driver has to have with their cars.
(Although they are not allowed on the road.)
This means that they are very even in
competition so it is things like the set up etc
of the car which can then differentiate it to be
able to a be a winner – as Paul was in 2013,
when he was the SA points Champion. He
narrowly missed retaining the Championship
this year by a mere five points. All I would say
is watch out next season as he is coming back
fighting!

In terms of the standard racing there are four levels or ‘tops’ as they are known – White
tops are the beginners and start the races on the actual start line. Then there are the
Yellow tops who are more experienced and start ¼ lap behind, followed ¼ lap behind
that by the Blue tops and then finally the
Red tops who start ¾ lap back from the start line. This really gives the less experienced
drivers the
chance to race. Paul, Gary and Ricky are now all Red tops. One of Paul’s proudest
moments was the first time both of his boys started their first race as he could see them
on the start line where he was further back and watch them start the race – ‘there my
boys’.
Keep up the
good work you
Jacobs’ – we
want to see
more trophies.
So what is there for the future for Paul and his family in terms of racing - basically more
of the same.
Paul has made the decision to continue racing for as long as his boys wish to continue.
All of cause
would love to progress to the next stage ie Brisca (which is the recognised body) or
Brisca F1, but at present are happy doing what they do – especially when you consider
that the third generation of
Jacobs are about to take to the tracks (albeit on a mobility scooter base and only 2 years
old!). Paul
says it is like an addition – very intense.
In terms of Gary and Ricky – well Gary came third in the
Championship in 2012 and Ricky is improving all the
time. Paul is currently building a miniature of Gary’s car
for Kayden which is using a mobility scooter motor –
obviously he will be one to watch for the future!
In terms of the racing the winner in each heat receives a trophy and then
in the final the top three are each awarded a trophy. A relative new
arrival in the Formula 2 Stock Car racing is the dawn of the Grand
National. This consists of 20-25 laps of the oval circuit with the winner
starting the finals a lap down.
In the 2012 season Paul started the lap down and managed to get to third position which
was a record for Standlake. This year he had got to fifth but then, unfortunately the race
was ‘red
flagged’ or he would have won.

December edition 2

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