Geneveys-sur-Coffrane (November 2009) - FELCO SA has launched a new accessory to increase the range of action of its famous electric pruning shears FELCO 810. Thanks to an ingeniously designed extension, the user can now cut branches up to a height of 4 metres.

The FELCO 810 is definitely one of the most sophisticated models in the FELCO range of tools. It is equipped with an outstanding cutting power, and is remarkably light and easy to handle thanks to its portable lithium-ion battery. With the new extension launched by FELCO, the range of the FELCO 810 has more than doubled, which increases the ease of handling and efficiency of this professional tool.

The new accessory will soon become a "must" for all arboriculturist, landscapers and gardeners in charge of the maintenance of parks and gardens. The pruning and trimming of trees and hedges can be done from the ground up to heights of approximately 4 metres, with a maximum of manoeuvrability for choosing the best angle to attack the branches. A ladder is no longer necessary, allowing you to save time and avoid falls.

The extension is a robust and light pole just over 2 meters long, in aluminium and polycarbonate components. It includes an electrical cord that connects the FELCO 810 to its battery, as well as an on/off switch. The electric pruning shears are attached to the end of the extension pole by 5 screws. The assembly and disassembly is quick and easy to perform thanks to the key supplied with the accessory. With a total weight of less than 3 kilos, the shears and extension pole are perfectly balanced, which makes them easy to hold.

For further information:
- Media (Press): Stéphane Poggi T +41 328 581 468
- Other questions: To find the right FELCO contact in your country: Contact Us

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Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane (CH) - The companies FELCO SA and VICTORINOX AG have entered into a co-branding agreement: from June 2009, the company based in Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane will assume responsibility for the marketing and sales of pruning and grafting knives manufactured by the company from the canton of Schwyz. FELCO SA, which specialises in the manufacture of pruning and cutting tools, can now offer the famous manufacturer of Swiss knives the benefit of its commercial links with professionals from the horticultural and arboricultural sectors.

One of the results of the agreement entered into by FELCO SA and VICTORINOX AG is that from the month of June 2009 a new product range will be launched including 8 different types of knives, grafting knives, budding knives and pruning knives, all carrying the logos of the two brands. Because of its network of subsidiaries and retail outlets established in more than 130 countries, FELCO SA will assume responsibility for the promotion and sales of this new product range, with the exception of the Swiss, German and Japanese markets where VICTORINOX AG already operates a specialised sales network. The main distribution channels will be centred on the wine-growing, arboricultural and horticultural sectors, as well as park maintenance and gardening.

For commercial and marketing director at FELCO SA, Stéphane Poggi, this agreement will allow the company situated near Neuchâtel to further extend its tool product range aimed at professionals in the horticultural and arboricultural sectors. "Of course, we are dealing here with a highly specialised market niche. However, it is also one that annually generates a significant level of demand because the market includes not only the grafting activity carried out by nurserymen, grape growers and horticulturists, but also florists who like to use very sharp knives when preparing bouquets and flower displays. These tools will allow us to get even closer to our end-users by presenting them with a wider product range that carries the same guarantee of quality and service that is true of all the other tools we manufacture".

The FELCO-VICTORINOX range includes eight tool types, three of which are available in two different models, one with standard alloy lining and one with solid brass lining. They include a light weight knife (two models), a rose budding knife (two models), with straight blade and bark lifter, a fruit tree budding knife with curved blade and bark lifter, an all-purpose knife (two models), an all-purpose grafting knife with a solid brass bark opener, a pruning knife with a slightly curved blade for grafting large trees and a pruning knife with a hardwood handle, ideal for desuckering.


VICTORINOX AG:

Founded in 1884, the company VICTORINOX AG is one of the flagships of Swiss industry. Its turnover in 2008 was 485 million Swiss francs and the company employs around 1,700 employees at its sites in Ibach (its headquarters, in the canton of Schwyz), in Porrentruy (watch factory), in Delémont (the Wenger cutlery works) and at its own retail outlets. It produces around 26 million knives and other pocket tools per year with a range of 900 different models. The company from Schwyz gained a worldwide reputation after the Second World War for its famous Swiss army knife.


For further information, please contact:

Stéphane Poggi, Sales and Marketing Director
T + 41 328 581 466
spoggi@felco.com
www.felco.com

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Geneveys-sur-Coffrane – Optimum use of resources and materials at FELCO lies at the very heart of the company's strategy. For the specialist manufacturer of pruning and cutting tools, the constant search for optimum environmental performance makes, first and foremost, economic sense: good management of energy and material consumption means greater efficiency and, hence, higher levels of profitability. For this reason, over the last few years, special efforts have been made to reduce water, electricity and natural gas consumption.

Water:
Water is an essential element at FELCO, particularly in thermal treatment and grinding processes. About ten years ago, the average water consumption per finished tool was 24 litres. As a result of far-reaching measures taken at the production level, water consumption per finished tool is now only 2.4 litres, a reduction by a factor of 10. This performance was partly made possible by the operation of an ingenious piece of machinery that somehow uses the waste material contained in the water emitted by the grinding machines as a reprocessing filter. Earlier machinery, based on sediment filtering techniques, required much greater volumes of water.

Natural gas:
The purchase of a new boiler has also allowed FELCO to considerably reduce its consumption of natural gas. In addition, the heat given off during the grinding processes is reintroduced into the heating system using a heat pump. As a result, between 2003 and 2008, consumption levels were halved, as were the amount of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

Electricity:
These efforts have also paid off as seen in the company's reduced electricity consumption levels. Between 2007 and 2008, electricity consumption has been reduced by just over 10% as a result of more efficient adjustments to the machinery settings and efforts to optimise the organisation of the production process.

Wastewater:
Wastewater is no longer released into the drainage system but is disposed of by a specialised company. Wastewater volumes are also being decreased. New production processes are making multiple operations on just one machine possible, thereby limiting the consumption of chemical agents and reducing waste.

Other:
Less spectacular efforts, but just as important for the protection of the environment, are also made every day within the factory at every level. A systematic sorting and intelligent recycling policy tackles paper, cardboard, wood, plastics, steel, aluminium and organic waste products.

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"Osec Export Award": Geneveys-sur-Coffrane - FELCO finished second in the "Osec Export Awards 2009", a competition organized each year by the Office suisse d'expansion commerciale (Swiss Office for Commercial Expansion - OSEC). The award was presented in Zurich at the beginning of April at the Swiss Foreign Trade Forum in the presence of the head of the Federal Department of Public Economy, Doris Leuthard and the main leaders in the Swiss export economy, including the managing director of Nestlé, Paul Bulcke.

Held each year, the "Osec Export Awards" are presented to Swiss companies that succeeded in positioning themselves in international markets in an exemplary fashion. The decisions are taken by a jury of five professionals. The main criteria for this award are the quality of the market approach, the objective difficulties in the target market and the sustainability of the expansion.

FELCO was recognized for its exemplary approach to the Brazilian market. The jury particularly appreciated the quality of its marketing approach and the results obtained in a highly dynamic market with a difficult reputation. FELCO finished second out of three finalists for 2009, the first prize going to the company K-Team (Yverdon) for its very original jockey-robot project intended for dromedary races in countries in the Middle East. The third prize was awarded to the company Lista which produces office furniture and industrial storage systems.

The jury was composed of five personalities from the business world, academia and the media:

- Pascal Ihle, Deputy Editor in Chief at the Handelszeitung;
- Peter E. Naegeli, Director/Chairman of the Board of Directors at Abegglen Management Partners AG;
- Martin Naville, CEO of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce;
- Hubertus Schmid, Chairman of the Chambres de commerce et d'industrie suisses (Swiss Chambers of Commerce and Industry - CCIS);
- Thierry Volery, Director of KMU-HSG (Institut suisse pour les PME - Swiss Institute for Small and Medium Businesses) and professor at the University of Saint-Gall.


For further information, please contact:

Mr Stéphane Poggi, Sales and Marketing Director
T: +41 328 581 466 or e-mail: spoggi@felco.com

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Revolutionary website now online

Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane (Switzerland) – On Monday 27 October 2008, the major specialist in cutting and pruning tools, FELCO SA, brought its revolutionary new website into operation. Based on software developed by the California firm Interwoven, the new site now allows FELCO SA to support its resellers’ sales promotional activities worldwide and to provide customer service with a new look, directly from its offices in Switzerland.

With its four subsidiaries abroad (in Germany, Belgium, France and Australia) and an active presence in more than 120 countries, the FELCO SA sales network has highly specific requirements in terms of its promotion: whether in the form of images or texts, information must be rapidly accessible throughout the world, easily adaptable to different media (advertising inserts, posters, electronic distribution, etc.) and available in multiple languages (FELCO has 13 working languages). In the past, resellers would receive CD-ROMs on a regular basis, which contained the documents and images necessary for their business. Under this system, it was extremely difficult to provide updates and to ensure compliance with the standards for presentation of the FELCO brand around the world.

The new site brought online by FELCO provides a highly efficient solution to all of these issues. The system was implemented by the London firm, TBSCG. The web server is directly connected to the multimedia content manager, which makes it possible to have a single image bank, for use in both printed publication and online distribution. All images displayed on the site come from the multimedia content manager, without the need to adapt or convert the images for the web: these functions are performed automatically. TBSCG also hosts the new site (server side), using very high speed Internet connections; the content management applications are however installed on-site at FELCO SA. This solution guarantees a high level of performance, both when publishing content and for online visitors to the site.

In addition to this unique functionality, the new site will allow users to select a FELCO tool, either by product category or by profession, or by browsing the full catalogue. The site also lists all spare parts, accessories and promotional items, and provides demonstration videos explaining how to maintain the various tools.

According to TBSCG, FELCO SA is now far ahead of the pack in terms of its management of multimedia content. The idea of managing a single reference image and of providing the option to place online orders for variations of that image in a number of different forms, for printed publication and for Internet use, is unique in the market. FELCO is already taking full advantage, having previously implemented this functionality for its printed publications three years ago.


Inset
TBSCG - The Banyan Solutions Consulting Group
Based in London, TBSCG employs a staff of around ten, supported by some twenty external consultants. It uses the following software products developed by the California-based company Interwoven:
- Interwoven LiveSite: website presentation software, which allows for creation of a high performance, multilingual web server that can easily be configured by the content managers, as required.
- Interwoven TeamSite & SitePublisher: content and website management software enabling the creation and publishing of content and of multilingual sites, as well as their “publication” to LiveSite. This software provides a “drag’n’drop” function, giving its users a tool for simple, intuitive, graphic management of web pages.
- Interwoven MediaBin: multimedia content management software.

Aside from FELCO SA, TBSCG also supports the online activities of companies like Shell (UK, NL), Unite (UK), Belgacom (BE) and Bucks CC (UK).


Address of new website: www.felco.com

For further information, please contact:

Mr Stéphane Poggi, Sales and Marketing Director
Tel.: +41 328 581 466 or e-mail: spoggi@felco.com

Mrs Catherine Schmid, Marketing Asset Manager
Tel.: +41 328 581 461 or e-mail: cschmid@felco.com

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FELCO, the legendary manufacturer of cutting and pruning tools, teams up with the great leather artisan, D&C Manufacture, to design and produce exceptional pruning shears.
The two FELCO Special Edition models, newly launched on the markets, have been considered veritable works of art and should delight both longstanding admirers of FELCO savoir-faire and collectors alike.

The two FELCO Special Edition pruning shears (FELCO 6CC and FELCO 8CC) are based on models FELCO 6 and FELCO 8 of the Classic range. Their parts, made of forged aluminium, have, however, been anodised to create a golden aspect that perfectly complements the sleek lines of the steel blade and anvil-blade of the cutting head. This elegance is enhanced by the fine leather casing of the shears' two handles, designed by D&C Manufacture. The two Special Edition models, sold with a leather case, are sheathed in black packaging with a most stylish effect.

The idea of producing a prestige pruning shear was born on the sixtieth anniversary of FELCO. Initially issued in a limited number, the series saw such success that FELCO decided to make it a regular product in its collection.

D&C Manufacture began its operations in 2001 as a fine leather workshop. The Swiss company specialises in productions combining leather with other materials such as wood, glass, fabric and metal. A supplier to the top brands in timepieces, D&C Manufacture develops original concepts to satisfy the highest demands. Based in Colombier, D&C Manufacture now counts some 12 employees.


For further information:
- Media (Press): Patricia Borloz: T +41 328 581 449
- Other questions: To find the right FELCO contact in your country: Contact Us

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FELCO, the world-leading manufacturer of professional pruning shears and cable cutters, is presenting a new look for its packaging of cutting and pruning tools.

The new packaging offers many advantages:

• a strong visual impact on shelf-space, while providing all the information that is of use to consumers, such as cutting capacity, handle size, whether for right- or left-handed users, technical specifications and information regarding maintenance and after-sales service.

• easy identification of the various ranges thanks to colour coding according to purpose: a red strip for pruning tools, metallic grey for tools used to cut cables or various materials, and beige for tools to clip the hooves of sheep and goats.

In 2003, the firm FELCO SA can look back over more than half a century of designing, producing and distributing ergonomic products that have made life so much easier for demanding professionals and amateurs throughout the world.

2005 will have been a very special year for FELCO, world leader in pruning shears and industry flagship in Neuchâtel, Switzerland: the firm celebrated its 60th anniversary, won French-speaking Switzerland’s Enterprise of the Year award, invested CHF 7.5 million in a 2,500 m2 factory extension, and among other developments, launched two ground-breaking models of professional shears.

A new range of professional tools

The new two-hand secateurs series FELCO 200 and FELCO 210 are the latest fruits of sixty years at the forefront of pruning technology. They combine unique know-how with an unparalleled mastery of cutting edge-technology.

The fact that they are completely interchangeable makes these top-class tools unique: the tubes come in three lengths and a choice of two materials (i.e. ultra-light carbon fibre or more economical aluminium). There is also a choice of two cutting heads (straight or curved). Note: the aluminium version will only be available for the 2006-2007 season.

Easier to use and more ergonomic than ever with their soft, non-slip handle grips, the 200 and 210 models are above all feather light. "Reducing the weight of our products has always been one of our primary ambitions," says Stéphane Poggi, FELCO's Sales and Marketing Director. "But to get there, we had to achieve the impossible: a carbon-aluminium link that is both effective and durable – something nobody had managed before."

For some months now, the engineers from Neuchâtel have succeeded in meeting that challenge. FELCO's management is particularly proud of the breakthrough - an incredibly robust carbon-aluminium link. The patented invention reduces the weight of two-handed, 60-cm pruning shears by a massive 39%. "Professionals will appreciate this significant improvement to user comfort," adds Stéphane Poggi.

When asked about the advantages of this modular product, one fruit grower enthused: "Being able to replace the straight head by a curved one spares me a great deal of effort. And the fact that it is possible to change the length of the tube in just a few seconds means I can have the right tool for every job. With the carbon fibre, you hardly feel the weight of the tool in your hands – it's incredibly light!"

Users looking for the lightest equipment will opt for the Expert range with carbon fibre tubes or with aluminium tubes. Those who simply require a tried and tested tool whose functions are identical but that is more economical to buy will be offered the tools from the traditional FELCO range.

An Expanding and Dynamic Family Business

Last year, FELCO decided to enhance both the flexibility and capacity of its manufacturing operations. The family business invested CHF 7.5 million of shareholders’ funds in factory extensions to implement its growth strategy.

When the world's leading manufacturer of pruning and cutting tools launches new products, everybody to do with shoots or branches holds their breath. This applies to professionals, of course, but also to amateurs who have been able to benefit from FELCO's expertise for some years now. One is tempted to say that it even applies to plants, since they do appreciate clean, precise cuts.
Waiting for these new products will definitely have been worthwhile, and an even larger clientele will now be able to benefit from the development of the range proposed by this Swiss company, which has chosen to expand in order to satisfy a wider public. The legendary quality of the brand, which exports to nearly one hundred countries, is now accessible at outright "charter-flight" prices.

Trees, bushes and plants are sensitive to the quality of the care they are given, and the use of efficient tools that do not inflict unnecessary damage on them is among their rightful demands. They show their gratitude in the form of fragrant, colourful flowers and flavoursome, healthy fruits.

The two new tools launched by FELCO bear the product numbers FELCO 300 and FELCO 310. They are distinguished by the shape of their cutting head: a classical curve for the former, and slim blades for the latter when access to the shoots that are to be cut is awkward. Which one will you prefer for the grape harvest? Quite honestly, experience has shown that this is a highly personal choice.

For the rest, the tools clearly belong to the same family, and have numerous features in common. Light and easy to handle, they have stainless steel blades: a first for FELCO and an innovation that will please all gardeners. Besides, they feature soft springs that render work much easier and require little strength. And not to be forgotten, the locking mechanism for opening and closing allows for single-handed operation. Naturally, the handles are ergonomically designed.

One small note: these are not pruning tools, but intended for cutting small shoots and collecting flowers and fruits. Nevertheless, in the displays at stores where these tools will be distributed, no confusion will be possible because the manufacturer clearly distinguishes the various product lines by clear labeling and color coding.

To be competitive to such an extent, this Neuchâtel company has found a manufacturing partner for these tools, which are produced under FELCO's control and according to its stringent quality criteria. Designed and developed in Switzerland, both tools are a fitting addition to the company's entire range because they meet the standards that have made its worldwide reputation: a cut that is always clean and precise, ease of handling, security for the professional or amateur user, plus product reliability and durability.

For further information:
- Media (Press): Patricia Borloz: T +41 328 581 449
- Other questions: To find the right FELCO contact in your country: Contact Us

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