AGCO
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AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AG) is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia. It was formed in 1990 when executives at Deutz-Allis bought out Deutz-Allis' North American operations from KHD, Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz, a German company that owned the Deutz-Fahr brand of agriculture equipment.
[edit] AGCO brands
AGCO manufactures or distributes the following brands of equipment:
- Challenger (tractors, combine harvestors, hay equipment)
- Farmhand (tractor loaders)
- Fendt (tractors, combine harvestors in Europe)
- Gleaner (since 2006, marketed as AGCO Gleaner) (combine harvestors)
- Glencoe (tillage equipment)
- Hesston (since 2006, marketed as AGCO Hesston and Massey Ferguson Hesston) (hay and forage equipment)
- LOR*AL (fertilizer applicators)
- Massey Ferguson (full-line of tractors, combine harvestors, equipment, ATVs in Europe)
- New Idea (since 2006, marketed as AGCO New Idea) (hay and forage equipment, manure spreaders)
- Rogator and Terragator (fertilizer applicators)
- Spra-Coupe (sprayers)
- Sunflower (since 2006, marketed as AGCO Sunflower) (tillage equipment)
- Tye (tillage equipment, seeders)
- Valtra (tractors)
- White (since 2006, marketed as AGCO White) (planters)
- Willmar (sprayers, application equipment)
[edit] Company history
The company was first called Gleaner-Allis Corporation, then rearranged to be Allis-Gleaner Corporation, or AGCO. The design for these tractors and combines were originally designed by Allis-Chalmers Corp prior to the sellout to Deutz-Allis. The Deutz-Allis line of tractors were renamed AGCO-Allis, and Gleaner became a brand of its own for combines. The Deutz-Allis brand continued in South America until 2001, when they were renamed AGCO-Allis. They continue in the lime-green livery. In 2001, AGCO Allis was renamed AGCO in North America.
In 1991, AGCO purchased the Hesston Corporation, gaining hay and forage equipment. Hesston had a 50 percent joint venture with Case International, now a part of CNH Global. AGCO purchased the White Tractor line from the Allied Corporation's White-New Idea company. In 1993, AGCO purchased the remainder of White-New Idea, gaining New Idea hay equipment and manure spreaders, and White planters.
Also in 1993, AGCO purchased the North American distribution rights to Massey Ferguson, a world-wide agricultural equipment company. In 1994, they purchased McConnell Tractors, manufacturer of the large articulated Massey Ferguson tractors. AGCO developed the Agcostar line of articulated tractors. Later in 1994, the Black Machine line of planters was purchased.
1995 saw the purchase of the AgEquipment Group, which manufactured tillage equipment and loaders under the Glenco, Tye and Farmhand brands. In 1996, acquisitions went international with the purchase of Iochpe-Maxion in Brazil. This was the Brazilian company that had rights to the Massey Ferguson brand and manufacturing in the region, as well as the Maxion brand of industrial equipment. This was also the year that AGCO purchase Deutz Argentina, the number one leader of tractors in Argentina. Also in 1996, AGCO purchased Western Combine Corporation and Portage Manufacturing in Canada. Western Combine had previously purchased the assets of the Massey Combine Corporation's combine operation, which had been spun of by Massey-Ferguson.
1997 was the year of the major purchase of Fendt in Germany, the leading German tractor company. Fendt is well known for its advanced technology. AGCO also acquired Dronningborg Industries in Denmark, the manufacturer of European Massey-Ferguson combines.
In 1998, AGCO made a joint venture with Deutz AG to produce engines in Argentina, and purchased the Spra-Coupe and Willmar companies. Spra-Coupe and Willmar are leading sprayer companies in North America.
For the year 2000, AGCO bought out its partner Case International in the Hay and Forage Industries joint venture. In 2001, AGCO purchased Ag-Chem Equipment, expanding its spreader business. That year, the Agco-Allis and White tractor lines were merged in North America to become simply AGCO, continuing in the orange color.
2002 was the year that AGCO purchased the Challenger Equipment line from the Caterpillar Corporation, giving AGCO a well-known brand name and high-power tracked tractors. AGCO further developed the Challenger line into: wheeled tractors, using tractors manufactured by Iseki, the Massey Ferguson factory and the Brazilian Valtra factory; combines, rebranding some Massey Ferguson -built combines; and hay equipment, using Hesston-built hay equipment. AGCO also purchased the Sunflower Manufacturing Company, which manufactures tillage, seeding and specialty harvesting equipment.
2004 brought about the purchase of the Valtra tractor company from the Kone Group, in Finland. Valtra has some licensing agreements with the Eicher company in India for tractor production, and also with the Hema group in Turkey. The purchase of Valtra also includes the Sisu engines.
2006 has seen a re-focusing of the various brands, and the reduction of individual brands. AGCO has announced plans to combine some, and make some only part of a larger brand. Examples include the Massey Ferguson 9635 Hesston self-propelled swather, and the AGCO 9365 Hesston self-propelled swather. Challenger has seen further expansion with the further consolidation of the AgChem brand into Challenger, and the introduction of Agritalia built tractors and an articulated Challenger tractor.
AGCO Jackson Operations in MN has four different business units. Three of the four business units are assembly operations namely Challenger, RoGator/Spra-Coupe, & TerraGator/Willmar/LOR*AL & the fourth one is Fabrication/Weld/Paint Shop. This Operations strongly believes in LEAN and the Operations Excellence/Continuous Improvement Group drives lean in a way, where there is own sense of ownership from the people. This Operations won the most improved award for 5S this year from AGCO Corporate. The Operations Excellence Group, part of the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Department drives Lean, Six Sigma and all Continuous improvement initiatives with a strong support from the Upper Management, who stronly believe in LEAN. This Operations believes in "Making KAIZEN a Way of Life" and typically 3-4 KAIZEN's are ran simulataneously in different business units with a cross-functional team every month. Week Long KAIZEN's, 2-day Mini-KAIZEN's & BPI's (Business Process Improvements) are part of peoples every day life in this Operations. During every KAIZEN/Mini-KAIZEN, the cross functional team focusses on eliminating/minimizing the 7 types of waste (DOTWIMP) (Defects-Overproduction-Transportation-Waiting-Inventory-Motion-Processing)& increasing the VAR (Value Added Ratio: VA/NVA). All CI/OPEX/LEAN initiatives focuses on improving productivity, effectivenesss & efficiency both from the business perspective and also from the shop floor perspective. "We Improve! Improve! & Continuously Improve @ AGCO Jackson Operations through KAIZEN's"
