Toro 2008 Annual Report Download - page 12

auto-reversing cooling fan, a powerful full-time 4-wheel drive, and Micro-Irrigation Market. Products for the micro-irrigation market
an optional climate-controlled cab. In fiscal 2008, we also intro- include products that regulate the flow of water for drip irrigation,
duced the Toro Workman MD Series line of mid-duty utility vehi- including Aqua-TraXX drip tape, Aqua-TraXX PC (pressure-com-
cles, featuring the Superior Ride Quality (S.R.Q.) system that pensating), Blue Stripe polyethylene tubing, and Drip In drip line,
provides operators with extra handling stability and optimized all used in agriculture, mining, and landscape applications. These
comfort. products are sold primarily through dealers and distributors who
then sell to end users for use primarily in vegetable fields, fruit and
Golf Course Market. Products for the golf course market include nut orchards, vineyards, and landscapes. We also offer a product
large reel and rotary riding products for fairway, rough and trim life-cycle management program that includes a recycling service
cutting; riding and walking mowers for putting greens and specialty and permanent identification for ease of installation. In fiscal 2008,
areas; turf sprayer equipment; utility vehicles; aeration equipment; we enhanced our Aqua-TraXX line of premium drip tape with a
and bunker maintenance equipment. We also manufacture and Proportionally Balanced Cross-Section (PBX) design. The Aqua
market underground irrigation systems, including sprinkler heads, TraXX PBX advanced emitter design provides growers with spac-
controllers, and electric, battery-operated, and hydraulic valves. ing and flow rate selections to fit different soil type, crop, and
Our golf course irrigation systems are designed to use computer- application needs.
ized management systems and a variety of technologies to help
customers manage their consumption of water. Our 835S/855S Residential – We market our residential products to homeowners
Series golf sprinklers are equipped with a unique TruJectory fea- through a variety of distribution channels, including outdoor power
ture that provides enhanced water distribution control as well as equipment dealers, hardware retailers, home centers, mass retail-
uniformity, nozzle flexibility, and system efficiency. Our Network ers, and over the Internet. These products are sold mainly in North
VP Satellite provides an upgrade path to customers with existing America, Europe, and Australia, with the exception of snow
controllers, while our Turf Guard wireless soil monitoring systems removal products that are sold primarily in North America and
are designed to measure soil moisture, salinity, and temperature Europe. We also license our trade name to other manufacturers
through buried wireless sensors that communicate through an and retailers on certain products as a means of expanding our
Internet server for processing and presentation to a user through brand presence.
the web. In fiscal 2008, we introduced the innovative ProCoreWalk Power Mower Products. We manufacture and market
Processor that processes and disperses aeration cores in a single numerous walk power mower models under our Toro and
pass, reducing time and labor required for turf aeration clean up. Lawn-Boy brand names, as well as the Pope brand in Australia
Late in fiscal 2008, we acquired a versatile line of deep-tine Soil and the Hayter brand in the United Kingdom. Models differ as to
Reliever aerators, featuring long tines that are driven into turf cre- cutting width, type of starter mechanism, method of grass clipping
ating channels to turf rootzones and breaking up compacted layers discharge, deck type, operational controls, and power sources, and
of soil. are either self-propelled or push mowers. We also offer a line of
Residential/Commercial Irrigation Market. Turf irrigation products rear roller walk power mowers, a design that provides a striped
marketed under the Toro and Irritrol brands include sprinkler finish, for the United Kingdom market.
heads, brass and plastic valves, and electric and hydraulic control Riding Products. We manufacture and market riding products
devices designed to be used in residential and commercial turf under the Toro brand name worldwide and under the Hayter brand
irrigation systems. These products are professionally installed as name in the United Kingdom. We also manufacture riding mower
new systems and can also be used to replace or retrofit existing products and attachments for a third party under a private label
systems. Most of the product line is designed for underground irri- agreement. Riding products primarily consist of zero-turn radius
gation systems. Electric and hydraulic controllers activate valves mowers that save homeowners time by using their superior
and sprinkler heads in a typical irrigation system. We also offer maneuverability to cut around obstacles more quickly and easily
wireless rain and freeze switches on some products in an effort to than tractor technology. We also sell lawn and garden tractor mod-
conserve water usage. Our IntelliSense and Rain Master con- els, as well as a rear engine riding mower manufactured and sold
trollers self-adjust their watering schedules based on current envi- in the European market. Many models are available with a variety
ronmental conditions. In fiscal 2008, we introduced the T5 Series of engines, decks, transmissions, and accessories.
of rotors, featuring the compact body and footprint of a 4 inch
Home Solutions Products. We design and market home solutions
rotor, but with a pop-up height of 5 inches. In fiscal 2008, we also
products under the Toro and Pope brand names, including electric
introduced the Irritrol I-PRO Series of spray heads that combine
and battery operated flexible line grass trimmers, electric blowers,
a pressure-activated wiper seal and an advanced formula lubricant
to clean stem debris and virtually eliminate troublesome stick ups.
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