Deere & Co. is the sole owner now of three factories formerly operated by a discontinued joint venture of John Deere and Hitachi Construction Machinery, and it has begun new license and supply agreements with the former partner. The agreement to end the 33-year joint venture was announced in August 2021.
According to Deere, ending the joint venture means that it controls the design and product and feature updates for its excavator product line, which it will integrate with other Deere construction products.
John Stone, president of John Deere Construction & Forestry Division and Power Systems, stated: "Going forward, we can leverage technology developed for other product lines and production systems across the Deere enterprise and extend those advanced solutions to Deere-designed excavators, strengthening the entire product portfolio.”
The three plants produce Deere construction excavators and forestry equipment in Kernersville, N.C., Langley, British Columbia, and Indaiatuba, Brazil.
While these plants formerly produced Hitachi-branded product, Deere will continue to offer excavators through a new supply agreement with Hitachi.
The new marketing agreement means that Hitachi has assumed distribution and support of its own brand of excavators.
"As we launch this new chapter, our legacy of innovation continues,"
"We continue our mission to answer the fundamental need for smarter, safer, and more sustainable construction so our customers can shape tomorrow's world."
