Ariens Company acquires Kee Mower brand
Ariens Company announced Jan. 14 that it acquired the intellectual assets of the Kee Mower brand of products. The high-wheel walk-behind mowers are used by rural property owners, landscape contractors and municipalities to cut underbrush, remove heavy overgrowth of tall grasses or weeds, and conduct tight trimming around and under structures such as fences. The company plans to sell Kee Mowers under the Gravely brand of products available through independent power equipment dealers.
“We plan to rationalize the product lineup with input from our dealers to ensure we have the right specifications for the market,” said Dan Ariens, president of Ariens Company. “Because production of these products stopped nearly eight months ago, we also will have to take some time to re-establish the supply chain.”
Ariens will produce the Kee products at its manufacturing facility in Opp, Ala. The company expects to have the program complete in 60 days and start production within the next 90 days, according to Ariens. The company did not acquire any product inventory as part of the sale and, therefore, will not be able to fill any outstanding orders that may exist.
Kee Mowers have a 50-year history in the outdoor power equipment segment. The products were most recently manufactured by Hoffco Power Equipment.
Established in 1933 in Brillion, Wis., Ariens Company is a leading manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for both consumer and commercial use. The company’s premium brands include Ariens Sno-Thro and Ariens zero-turn mowers for consumers; Gravely, EverRide and Great Dane commercial lawn equipment for professional landscape contractors; and Gravely Turf products, Parker debris-handling equipment and Locke reel mowers for the sports field sector. Ariens’ affiliates, Stens Corporation and its Australian counterpart, Bynorm Group, supply replacement parts to the outdoor power equipment industry. Visit www.ariens.com for more information.
