John Deere and Hitachi Construction Machinery are celebrating 30 years of business.
The Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corporation was established in 1988 to combine the strength of the two brands in manufacturing, marketing and parts distribution.
Deere-Hitachi has manufactured over 55,000 hydraulic excavators for the North, Central and South American markets since the start of operations as a joint venture.
Deere-Hitachi president Jon Chase says the partnership is “unlike any other joint venture in the industry”.
“Combining the strength of Hitachi’s world-leading hydraulic excavator technology with the resources and might of the 180-year-old John Deere brand, the alliance produces excavators for the world’s best customers,” he says.
As a result of a relationship dating back to the 1960s, Hitachi Construction Machinery and Deere & Company collaborated to reach an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) supply agreement in 1983 for the manufacturing of construction excavators.
Since then, three joint venture companies with manufacturing facilities were established in North Carolina, British Columbia, and São Paulo, Brazil.
The 1 million-square-foot Deere-Hitachi manufacturing facility in Kernersville, North Carolina, brings together the latest in technological innovation and a skilled workforce of over 800 employees to produce 13 to 47 tonne excavator models.
The state-of-the-art facility uses high quality materials, advanced welding robotics, machining centers, plasma plate-cutting machines and cranes capable of transporting as much as 25 tonnes.
The Canada and Brazil facilities specialise in producing equipment that meets regional customer needs.
The Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products in Langley, British Columbia, established in 1988, was the first in the industry to manufacture purpose-built forestry excavators, with a focus on 26 to 46 tonne forestry swing machines.
Deere-Hitachi Brazil produces 13 to 35 tonne excavator models for the Latin and Central America markets.
