John Deere recently acquired full ownership of three Deere-Hitachi joint venture factories and has begun new license and supply agreements with Hitachi Construction Machinery. The two companies have ended their joint venture manufacturing and marketing agreements.
The former joint venture factories will continue to manufacture Deere-branded construction excavators and forestry equipment; they will discontinue production of Hitachi-branded products. The locations will now be referred to as:
- John Deere Kernersville, Kernersville, N.C.
- John Deere Specialty Products, Langley, British Columbia, Canada
- John Deere Brasil Escavadeiras, Indaiatuba, Brazil
With the completion of this acquisition, John Deere now controls its excavator design, product, and feature updates, making it possible to more rapidly respond to customer requirements and integrate excavators with other Deere construction products.
“As we launch this new chapter, our legacy of innovation continues,” said John Stone, President, John Deere Construction & Forestry Division and Power Systems. “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.”