New Holland, anniversary: 125 years of history
A 125-year history of the New Holland brand, spent investing and innovating, providing products and technologies for increasingly efficient and sustainable agriculture.
It all began in 1895, when Abe Zimmerman started working in a repair shop in New Holland in Pennsylvania (USA). Then in 1903 he founded the New Holland Machine Company, launching the production of agricultural machinery, including a feed mill to help the local agricultural community. However, the New Holland story is not the story of a single American entrepreneur, but that of a group of pioneers in world agriculture.
Starting from Zimmerman, who understood the importance of meeting customer needs with simple solutions and reliable technical support, we arrive at Henry Ford, whose aim was making mechanization accessible to everyone and who in 1917 produced the first standard tractor in the world. But it is also the story of the Italian Giovanni Agnelli, who sensed how a solution developed for a specific local need could be extended by offering farmers all over the world an intelligent alternative with innovative and easy-to-use machines, launching in 1918 his first Fiat tractor. Or the story of the Belgian Leon Claeys, who dedicated his specialist knowledge to simplifying the life of farmers by introducing the first European self-propelled combine in 1952.
Since 1991, when FIAT acquired Ford New Holland, the prestigious brand speaks Italian, with its headquarters in Turin. It also represents a fully global brand, present in 170 countries with 18 factories spread around the world and around 2,000 dealers and 5,000 contact points. Its specialized dealers guarantee reliability and quick customer responses. It is also one of the most active brands in the implementation of PLM™ precision agriculture solutions, working for a future in which farmers will be able to manage their work in a simpler, more proactive and cost-effective way, transforming farms into connected and intelligent ecosystems. Since 2006, New Holland has pioneered sustainable agriculture and alternative fuels through its Clean Energy Leader strategy, which led to the development of the Methane Power tractor prototype, thus closing the circular economy circuit with a tractor powered with methane or biomethane, which can be produced by the farm itself. In the coming years, the brand will continue to lead the transition of agriculture towards renewable fuels, continuing its methane project, of which the New Holland brand is a precursor and which remains at the centre of its commitment to sustainability.
“New Holland has a rich tradition - comments Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland Agriculture - which started in a small Pennsylvania town and has grown to become a global brand. The New Holland story is filled with important innovations that have changed agriculture. It brings together the unique legacy of brands such as Ford, Fiat, Braud and Claeys, but above all it is a story made by people: by our customers, our dealers, our employees, day after day, year after year. Together, we are facing the many challenges of the agricultural sector, helping companies to do their job efficiently and profitably and to get the best out of their business.”
