CNH
Global, the agricultural and construction equipment
division of Fiat Industrial has announced that it will
build a new manufacturing plant in Harbin, in the
Heilongjiang Province, northeast China, with an initial
investment of USD 90 million.
The new facility, which
is planned to be 400,000 m˛, will produce high
horsepower tractors, combine harvesters and other
machinery featuring advanced technology. With this
investment, CNH will expand its manufacturing base in
China, where it currently assembles high horsepower
tractors and other agricultural equipment in Harbin, and
operates a manufacturing plant dedicated to low and
medium horsepower tractors in Shanghai.
Richard Tobin, current
CFO of CNH who will take over as President and CEO in
January 2012, commented: “China is a very important
market for us and we strongly believe in its potential.
CNH has invested in this country for more than 100
years, when the first International Harvester tractor
was imported to China. We have since steadily developed
our relationship with China and will continue to invest
to ensure our customers have access to our best
technologies and expertise.”
Today, CNH is in the
Chinese market, in the area of high horsepower tractors
and harvesting equipment, through its two agricultural
brands, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture. CNH is also
present in China’s construction equipment industry
primarily through the distribution of Case excavators,
backhoe loaders, skid steer loaders and other equipment.
The investment in a new manufacturing base will further
strengthen CNH’s position in China and will enable its
agricultural equipment brands to contribute to the
mechanisation of the country’s fast developing
agriculture sector.