Obart becomes Tsurumi
1 September 2023
Tsurumi Pumps UK Ltd is the new name of Obart Pumps, effective from 1 September. The name change follows the acquisition of Obart by Tsurumi (Europe) GmbH back in 2020, when the pump supplier first became part of the global network of companies that belong to Tsurumi Manufacturing Company of Japan.
Matthew Hill (above), Managing Director of the newly renamed business said: “Following the acquisition in 2020, it is a natural step forward for us to become known as Tsurumi Pumps UK Ltd so we form part of a single brand with a single vision. Tsurumi - pronounced 'Sir-roo-me' - is becoming much more visible in the UK and is often associated with quality and reliability.
“This transition will lead to a positive impact for our customers, allowing us to build on our position as a market leading supplier of submersible and engine driven pumps. Nevertheless, it is very much business as usual. All staff and management will remain in place supported by myself as MD and we will continue to operate from our existing head office and warehouse in Maidstone.
“All our existing products and brands will remain unchanged. We will continue to offer Tsurumi, Speroni, APP, Honda, Faes and Umbra products alongside our own trusted Fit&Flow, DryMax and Floodmate product ranges,” Matthew continued.
The company has been a Tsurumi distributor since 1975 and the firm’s pumps are used widely across construction, civil engineering, wastewater treatment, tunnelling and domestic applications.
Matthew’s father John first discovered Tsurumi pumps at a trade show in America in 1974, when he purchased Tsurumi’s compact single phase 110V pumps. His company was the first to hire out lightweight, portable submersibles in the UK and he soon went on to selling them through Obart Pumps to other hire companies.
John Hill played a key part in creating the 2in 110V submersible pump market, which is invariably in the top 20 of tools in the fleets of tool hire companies across the UK. He went on to sell the larger pumps made by Tsurumi.
Tsurumi was formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1924 and manufactures more than 1 million pumps per year. The company has five factories, two in Japan and others in Taiwan, Vietnam and China. It claims to have developed the world’s first contractor’s submersible pump in 1954.
Tsurumi Pumps UK is the sole supplier of Tsurumi pumps in the UK market and contact details and ordering processes remains unchanged. The website URL and email address will change to ‘tsurumi.co.uk’, but ‘obartpumps’ will be redirected for the foreseeable future.
Read the earlier Q&A interview with Matthew Hill here.
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