Lüscher Gartenbau-Baumschulen relies on Japanese Tech and Yanmar Equipment
Lüscher Gartenbau-Baumschulen AG is based to the west of Zurich. Founded in 1956 as a “one-man business”, the company now realises all aspects of garden and landscape design: from small detached house gardens to parks.
The right construction machinery for the job comes from Yanmar Compact Equipment: “I’m a big fan of Japanese technology and Yanmar engines – they are known for their durability and performance,” says Managing Director Hanspeter Lüscher, explaining his choice.
After completing his training, he travelled to Tokyo for a year at the end of the 90s to immerse himself in the millennia-old Japanese art of gardening: “The Japanese see beauty in the used, imperfect and in the simplicity of architecture. At the same time, they are extremely progressive when it comes to technology. That inspired me.”
With its 70 employees, Lüscher is one of the largest family-run horticultural companies in Switzerland. Lüscher is characterised above all by its combination of horticulture and tree nursery. More than 4,000 different plant species from the company’s own breeding programme are grown here. “The Swiss attach great importance to beautiful gardens,” says Hanspeter Lüscher, “I always like to incorporate natural elements from Japanese garden design such as stones, water, plants, wood and sand, which create a harmonious, balanced landscape, into my work here.”
The fascination for Japanese culture sparkles in Hanspeter Lüscher’s eyes. Not even three years go by without him travelling to the land of the rising sun at least once. Inspired anew by each trip, he brings a piece of Japanese culture back home to Switzerland.
Lüscher’s team is mainly active in the Zurich region. The currently most extensive and best-known project that Lüscher is continuously overseeing is the Lewa Savannah – a 5.6-hectare enclosure at Zurich Zoo, which is home to rhinos, giraffes and zebras, among others. In addition to skilled manpower, the right machines are needed to keep it in optimum condition. Hanspeter Lüscher relies on the wheel loaders from Japanese manufacturer Yanmar: “The new V7-HW wheel loader is particularly popular with our employees – an absolutely unique machine whose combination of easy handling, intelligent safety features paired with operator comfort, high payload and outstanding performance is unrivalled worldwide.”
Two V7-HW please!
“Basically, I was happy with the old machines,” remembers Hanspeter Lüscher, “but the engines were just no longer working to the standard that we require. Initially, I wanted to replace them with Yanmar engines. RUBAG, my trusted dealer for more than 20 years, provided me with the new V7-HW wheel loader from Yanmar for the time that some of the machines were in the workshop. And then it “clicked” – what a generational leap!
“What my drivers like best is the perfect all-round visibility of the driver’s cab, which is particularly useful on narrow terrain. In addition, the V7-HW hardly swings out at the rear, its shear point is significantly lower, which makes it more stable. This results in less damage and fewer accidents. And the low height is simply ideal for transport. So I abandoned my initial plan and ordered two new Yanmar V7-HW wheel loaders directly from RUBAG,” says Lüscher of his spontaneous purchase decision.
The future of landscaping
The third wheel loader is already being planned – it will be the new, fully electric Yanmar V8e: a powerful combination of performance and sustainability that has been developed to meet the highest demands of modern construction environments: “Environmental protection is also a major issue in our industry. Digitalisation, innovations such as e-mobility and more efficient engines are becoming increasingly important, while megatrends such as biodiversity in cities are shaping our business. We are prepared for this and need the best, most sustainable machines. Yanmar is the ideal choice for us here,” says Lüscher with conviction.
The new V8e will be used at Lüscher’s transshipment centre in the future. And the two V7-HW skid steer loaders are also proving to be real Co2 heroes: “Every year, 600 new trees are planted with their help,” says Lüscher proudly: “Together, they bind around 9.42 tonnes of Co2 per year, which is roughly equivalent to the annual consumption of a two-person household in Switzerland.”
