Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. and Jacobsen, both Textron Inc. companies, will combine their operations by the close of 2017 in order to optimize efficiencies and better serve the companies’ shared customers and distributors.

Jacobsen is a manufacturer of professional and “prosumer” turf care equipment under the Jacobsen, Dixie Chopper, and Ransomes brands. Textron Specialized Vehicles designs and manufactures several vehicle and equipment lines for commercial and consumer use, including E-Z-GO golf cars and personal transportation vehicles, Cushman commercial vehicles, Bad Boy Off Road side-by-sides and ATVs, and TUG, Douglas, Premier, and Safeaero ground support equipment to serve the aviation industry.

The marriage of the two companies will allow them to better serve their shared customers in golf and other industries, and operate more efficiently through a common supply chain and efficiencies of scale in manufacturing and back-office operations.

“The combination of Textron Specialized Vehicles and Jacobsen will be nimble, optimally sized, and well equipped to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Kevin Holleran, president and CEO of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. “We are working carefully to ensure a seamless transition that is invisible to customers. We will maintain the level of support and service — before, during, and after the sale — that both Jacobsen and TSV customers expect and demand.”

As part of the integration, Jacobsen’s operations in Charlotte, N.C., will relocate to TSV facilities in Augusta, Ga., with the first phase of relocation expected to be completed by the end of March, and all operations planned to be relocated by the close of 2017. Jacobsen’s field sales and service teams will remain in place, and its operations in Coatesville, Ind., and Ipswich, U.K. will continue.