The story
New Holland history is the sum and integration of four agricultural brands that merged: Ford, FIAT Trattori, Claeys, and New Holland.
Founding
New Holland Machine Company was founded in a horse barn in 1895 by Abe Zimmerman[2] in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and began producing agricultural products, including a feed mill, to help the local farming community. The company was incorporated in 1903.
In 1947, the company changed its name to Sperry New Holland, due to a takeover by the Sperry Rand Corporation. The same year, it made a major breakthrough in hay harvesting technology with the introduction of the haybine mower conditioner (which remained in production until 2023). In 1964, Sperry New Holland bought a major interest in Claeys.
Claeys was founded in 1906 by Leon Claeys, a Belgian mechanic. This firm started to build threshing machines, and in 1909, built a factory in Zedelgem, Belgium, where one of New Holland's plants is still producing harvesting products. By the 1960s, Claeys was one of the biggest combine manufacturers in Europe.[3]
In 1975, Sperry New Holland introduced the world's first twin-rotor combine, a successful technology that is still used today.
Ford
In 1986, Ford bought Sperry New Holland and formed Ford New Holland Inc.
Before this acquisition, Ford had a long history in agricultural machinery production. In 1907, Ford came out with the prototype for the world's first mass-produced, gasoline-powered tractor, named an "automobile plow". Ten years later, this tractor went into actual production. It was renamed the Fordson Model F, and produced by a new business, Henry Ford & Son Company.
In 1939, Ford introduced the three-point hitch (three-point linkage) on the 'N' tractor series, known as the Ford Tractor with Ferguson System or Ford-Ferguson the world first mass produced Ferguson System tractor. A very successful tractor family, so much so that every tractor today is based on them. In the 1980s, Ford was one of the major players, and its tractor division had been responsible for a number of industry innovations, including the use of power hydraulics, rubber pneumatic tires, diesel engines, and the three-point hitch. This hitch was originally developed by Harry Ferguson, but was widely used on Ford tractor.
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FIAT Trattori
Fiat Trattori was present in the agriculture machinery industry since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1918, the FIAT Model 702 tractor was launched and went into full production a year later at the car and truck plant in Turin, and won the International Ploughing Contest in Senlis (France). Model 702 was the first FIAT agricultural tractor, as well as the first Italian tractor to be built on an industrial scale. In the 1930s, FIAT's founder, Senator Giovanni Agnelli, wanted his tractor to become an integral part of Italy's agriculture, so he began an association with the Italian agricultural co-operatives. The company kept on growing, and by the end of the 1970s, FIAT Trattori had built over a million tractors.
In the 1980s, FIAT Trattori acquired Braud, a French company founded in 1870, which introduced the stationary threshers to farmers in Western France in 1895. In 1975, Braud launched his first grape harvester, model 1020. This was further improved with Braud 1014, the best-selling grape harvester in the history of the vineyard, with over 2000 units sold in less than four years.
With the purchase of an 80% interest in Ford New Holland in 1991 by FIAT, New Holland became a global full-line producer and the integration process was completed at the official launch of the brand at the worldwide convention in Orlando, Florida, in 1996.
CNH
Under the ownership of FIAT, New Holland N.V. and Case Corporation merged in 1999, giving birth to CNH. Due to antitrust policies, New Holland had to divest Laverda and the Versatile tractor plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Following the 1993 purchase, the joint venture signed between the Ford Motor Company and the Mexican Quimmco Group in 1990 was transferred to the New Holland company. In 1999, the name of the company was changed to CNH de México.
New Holland FIAT India Pvt. Ltd., previously New Holland Tractors India (Pvt.) Ltd., was established as a 100% subsidiary of CNH Global NV in 1996. The factory is situated in the Greater Noida area, near New Delhi.
Acquisitions and partnerships
In 1998, New Holland acquired Bizon, a combine harvester manufacturer based in Płock, Poland. It designed machines for harvesting cereals, rape seed, maize, sunflower seed, and other crops. Bizon held about 60% of the Polish combined harvester market and had begun sales expansion in Latin America, Pakistan, Belarus, and Ukraine.
In 1998, New Holland signed a joint venture with Türk Traktör, a company belonging to the Koç Group, Turkey's largest industrial conglomerate. The factory based in Ankara had already been producing FIAT tractors since the previous joint venture with the FIAT Group in 1967. In 2011, the factory celebrated the production of its 600 thousandth tractor.
Shanghai New Holland Agricultural Machinery Corporation Ltd. was established on January 1, 2002, as a joint venture bringing together CNH, Shanghai Tractor, and Internal Combustion Engine Corporation, an industry leader in the Chinese market. Today, it is one of China's largest joint ventures for agricultural machinery.
Milestones
Also in 2002, the New Holland TG tractor series was introduced, featuring the "Cat'sEye" lighting as dubbed by then FIAT chairman Paolo Cantarella. The free-form halogen lighting was a first, not only in tractor design, but also actually preceded the use of this type of lighting in automotive design. The TG was the first styling effort by New Holland's newly named consulting designers and stylists (Montgomery Design International), which had been the long-time firm of record for IH and CaseIH. A single sketch penned by owner and principal designer Gregg Montgomery set New Holland's styling direction, which continues today in the complete range of New Holland tractors.
From 2007 to 2010, New Holland was the sponsor of Juventus FC In Paraná State, Brazil, the first machines are delivered to the Programa Trator Solidário (Solidary Tractor). A white T7050 tractor was presented to Pope Benedictus XVI.
In 2009, New Holland Agricultural presented the world's first hydrogen-powered tractor, the FIAT NH2 at the SIMA machinery show in Paris, France. Modeled after the company's T6000 tractor, the diesel combustion engine was replaced by two electric motors.
In 2010, following the finalization of the industrial agreement between CNH and OJSC KAMAZ, the newly formed industrial joint venture had started the assembly of the New Holland new tractor models T9060, T9040, and T8050 and the CSX7080 and CSX7060 combine harvesters at its Naberezhnye Chelny plant in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. In 2012, two new products were added, the T8.330 tractor and the CX8080 combine..
New Holland is a Gold Sponsor of the Climate Action Networking Reception, hosted by Climate Action in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the South African government in Durban.
In 2012, New Holland sponsored the Rio+20 Summit United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
In 2022, New Holland released the T7 Methane Power LNG prototype, the world's first 100% methane-fueled tractor.
From Wikipedia’s article on New Holland Agriculture, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5