In this episode of What Color is Your Tractor Chrissy Wozniak hears the story of the blue tractor, New Holland with Mark Lowery.
Mark Lowery is New Holland Agriculture’s Commercial Marketing Director for North America. Lowery brings 10 years of experience and perspective to his role, having held positions within New Holland’s product training, channel marketing, parts, and marketing organizations. Throughout his career with New Holland, Mark has emphasized the importance of dealer satisfaction in creating a positive customer experience, and works closely with New Holland’s 800 dealer locations throughout North America to deliver the New Holland brand message to our customers.
However, Lowery’s passion for agriculture extends well beyond the New Holland brand. He currently serves on the National FFA Foundation Sponsors Board, New Holland’s FFA Affiliate Alumni Chapter leadership committee, and the Lancaster County Agriculture Council in his home state of Pennsylvania.
New Holland Agriculture's reputation is built on the success of their customers, cash crop producers, livestock farmers, contractors, vineyards, or grounds care professionals. They can count on the widest offering of innovative products and services: a full line of equipment, from tractors to harvesting, material handling equipment, complemented by tailored financial services from a specialist in agriculture. A highly professional global dealer network and New Holland’s commitment to excellence guarantees the ultimate customer experience for every customer.
Learn more at https://newholland.com
For daily ag news and weekly podcasts visit https://northamericanag.com
Ready to experience the next generation of precision agriculture? Discover innovative ways to save on labor, cut chemical use, and boost your yields with the Ecorobotix ARA Ultra-High Precision Sprayer! Visit Ecorobotix at the World Ag Expo, February 11th through 13th! Or visit ecorobotix.com/topten to learn more!
North American Ag is devoted to highlighting the people & companies in agriculture who impact our industry and help feed the world. Subscribe at https://northamericanag.com
Hear more stories of the ag brands you love and the ag brands you love to hate? Hear them at https://whatcolorisyourtractor.com
Need help with your agriculture based company's marketing strategy? Visit https://www.northamericanag.com/full-service-agri-marketing
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Unknown (00:07):
stories behind the Ag brands we love and the Ag brands
we love to hate. What color isyour tractor? With Chrissy
Wozniak.
Chrissy Wozniak (00:19):
Hi, I'm Chrissy Wozniak and welcome to What
color is your tractor? Thecompany that we're going to talk
to you today is a globalmanufacturer of tractors combine
harvesters, bailers, forageharvesters, self propelled
spirits, sprayers, hand tools,seeding equipment, hobby
tractors, utility vehicles, andgrape harvesters. They are the
official opposition to the greenlovers out there with their
(00:40):
iconic blue from Willow Street,Pennsylvania. I would like to
welcome New Hollandagriculture's commercial
marketing director for NorthAmerica, Mark Lowry. Thank you
so much, Mark, for joining metoday.
Mark Lowery (00:51):
Well, thanks for having me today. Chrissy it's
good to be joining us fromLancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Chrissy Wozniak (00:56):
Awesome, where it was all born. Right?
Unknown (00:58):
You got it? Yes. The the New Holland started just
about a half a mile from where Isit today.
Chrissy Wozniak (01:04):
Wow. That's incredible. So let's start out.
Can you tell me a bit about yourbackground and history with New
Holland?
Unknown (01:12):
Yes, I've been with New Holland for just about 12 years,
I started in the company as aproduct trainer training on our
hay tools line, specificallydealer salespeople throughout
North America. And after abouttwo years in that role, I
transitioned into marketingroles with our livestock and
dairy products and havecontinued to move through those
(01:35):
roles. I think I've touched justabout every product that New
Holland makes at some point oranother, and presently, in the
commercial marketing department,so anything that folks see out
in, out in the public from NewHolland in North America, it
comes from my team, so veryproud to be able to represent
its brand, the great history andeverything that we plan to do
(01:56):
next.
Chrissy Wozniak (01:57):
That's awesome.
And why do you personally servethe agriculture industry?
Unknown (02:02):
Working in this industry, I think was an early
choice for me, I grew up not ona farm actually, I worked on my
neighbor's small dairy, probablyhow a lot of people get
recruited because they need helpmilking and, and making hay. So
I, I started doing that workearly as a kid and just really
fell in love with agriculture.
And so through programs likefour H and FFA, still very
(02:24):
heavily involved in FFA helpedme make my career decision early
to remain committed to thisindustry. I think it's the most
authentic and rewarding job wecan have to support agriculture.
And so I would not and I don'tknow if I wouldn't be able to
work anywhere else or in anyother industry.
Chrissy Wozniak (02:43):
Wow. And I couldn't agree with you more.
It's a very honorable industryfor sure. So can you tell me
about the beginning of thisgreat company, starting with EB
Zimmerman and Mennonite fromPennsylvania?
Unknown (02:55):
Most certainly can. You know, we're the company is named
after the town of New Holland,Pennsylvania. As we talked to
folks globally, that seems to besometimes a little known fact.
So as Zimmerman started thecompany, New Holland Machine
Company, here in the town of NewHolland, really to make
innovative products for smallfarms as they were starting to
(03:18):
mechanize in this area. NewHolland really became famous for
its hit and miss engine that hada pretty interesting innovation,
rather than a lot of hit andmiss engines at that time that
had a square water jacket aroundthe around the piston, they he
tapered it like he saw on thefarm and a hog trough that if
(03:38):
when water freezes, it lifts upout of there rather than
cracking the block and hemarketed it as the freeze
prevention, and that really putNew Holland machine company on
the market. But that continuedto evolve and really what made
New Holland the company it istoday is in the late 1930s,
early 1940s. For businessman inLancaster. One whose name is
(04:03):
George C. Dell, who later becamepresident of the company wanted
to revitalize the New Hollandmachine company and they worked
with a local innovator namedEdie Nolte to commercialize a
small square baler and thatsmall square baler wound up
being the first commerciallysuccessful small square baler
that truly put New Holland onthe map as a major agricultural
(04:25):
equipment manufacturer and andstill what informs our
leadership and hay tools today.
So from from a Zimmerman throughGeorge C delta today we've we've
we've really built ourfoundation on being in a strong
farming area here that hasinformed our innovations that
can very authentically a lot ofus committed to agriculture love
(04:48):
it our engineers productdevelopment live and breathe
iron. Thank you find thatprobably commonly in a lot of
companies that those who aresuccessful just have people that
love the business Saran and whatthey do and that and that
definitely helps us continue toinnovate today.
Chrissy Wozniak (05:05):
Right? Yeah, that's amazing. And it's
interesting that the originalline did not include tractors.
So what other products weremanufactured in those early
years?
Unknown (05:15):
You know, in the early years after New Holland had
established success with thesmall square baler, we need
complementary hanging equipment.
One of the first and earlymantras of the company was first
in grassland farming. So allthings Hey, Colin was known as
really the resource for that.
And that started out at first,you know, sycamores, crimpers,
(05:37):
Silo blowers, you know, allthose all those complementary
products. But then it justcontinued to inform innovation.
I mean, we've got some Hallmarknames that came out of those
early years names like the hayvine, we invented the
combination of the sickle mowerand conditioner, the combining
of those two processes into theHey, my name, things like the
(05:58):
role of our rake that a lot offolks will be familiar with. I
see a lot of them still inservice today. We actually, we
manufacture those from the 60sin a continuous line until just
the past couple of years ago, wediscontinued the role of our
rake. I made it for anincredibly long time. So So
though, some of those earlyproducts, rakes, mowers, etc. I
(06:21):
see all around the country, alot of them we made so well that
they're still in service fromthe 50s and 60s. Continue to be
and so but but all those earlyproducts were really focused
around how to make the bestquality hay, focused on cattle
at first dairy cattle, andexpanding then into all the
other animals, crop types.
Everything that you would needto be first in grassland farming
(06:42):
was in New Orleans early days.
Chrissy Wozniak (06:46):
Wow. And how did the original Ford tractor
come to merge with New Orleans?
Unknown (06:53):
Well, that is a that is an interesting time and gets us
to some of the unique colors ofNew Holland for sure. So in the
so in the history of thecompany, the the merger with
Ford tractor happened in 1986.
And at that time, and this iscertainly an unauthorized
version, I've picked up throughthe years talking to heritage
Ford tractor guys that werestill with the company. At that
(07:15):
time is Ford Motor Companylooked at its business. They
wanted to focus on automobiles.
And so when the when the nextgeneration of Ford's took over
the company, they were curiousabout what to do with this
tractor arm in the business, butthey had a problem. They had
tractors, and they had noimplements. And New Holland was
(07:37):
a strong company with all sortsof implements, but no tractors.
And so the marriage was fairlynatural at that point that, you
know, Ford in order to morefully complete its lineup needed
to create a merger with thecompany who was leading in the
industry. And at that time, NewHolland, of course, was the
obvious choice. So Ford NewHolland existed from 86 until
(07:58):
1991. You know, there are aboutsome we we entered into the the
ownership with Fiat but ofcourse, we we still retain the
blue from the Ford tractorheritage and and in North
America, our red eight toolsthat that have been so iconic in
the industry.
Chrissy Wozniak (08:18):
Yeah, and you mentioned Fia, that is an
important part of the NewHolland story. So where does
that fit in? And how did thismerger happen?
Unknown (08:26):
Yeah, it's interesting in the global view of the
company, you know, as I, as Iwork with my global colleagues
today, perspectives on equipmentare totally different in terms
of brand loyalty, or what colorthey believe. And so Giovanni
Agnelli in it with Fiat, really,interestingly, with tractors had
a very similar trajectory toHenry Ford. Ford started mass
(08:49):
producing tractors in 1918. Fiatdid similarly, in 1918, start
producing tractors as well. Ianwas really, really strong in
Europe and global markets, but Ithink probably as your listeners
in the American agriculturalistsknow that we are the most
productive and prolific farmersin the world. And so they had,
(09:11):
of course, some interest toaccess this North American
market to, to to play a role inleadership and agriculture. Fiat
was a was a major tractorplayer, but likewise, you know,
wanted to have a complete lineupthat they could that they could
market globally. And so Ford NewHolland became an attractive
player for that because of itsleadership in North America, for
(09:33):
Fiat to purchase the company.
And so when that happened in1991, we've existed we've
existed as you know,essentially, with some of that
Fiat Ford and New Holland DNA,you know, all informing the
products that we that we put outtoday, but you can you can look
at several products and see, youknow, commonalities and the best
of all of those brands comingtogether to form our lineup now.
Chrissy Wozniak (09:58):
Yeah, that's so interesting and What were the
goals of the company back in theearly days, even before the
mergers,
Unknown (10:05):
you know, back in the early days, as I talked to, and
it's really interesting to behere in New Holland,
Pennsylvania, because as I amout in the community, I'm at
church, I meet a lot of retireesfrom all different parts of the
company. And, you know, all ofthe all of the innovation that
occurred was was reallycommitted to doing one thing,
(10:27):
and that is making the life ofthe farmer easier. And how do an
amalgamation of farm kids thatwound up being engineers, and
different different disciplinesof training, make that life a
whole lot easier, and provide areturn on investment, easy
serviceability, this companyalways had a real commitment to
(10:50):
making sure that people couldwork on the equipment that they
have. And so all of those thingstogether, continued to evolve
what, what we do, and it reallystarted with, you know, in the
early days and equipment dealerlooked a lot different to, you
know, we would, we would set upan equipment dealer who may be a
dairy farmer that was sellingfarm equipment on the side, who
(11:12):
was working and operating hisown farm and providing feedback
directly to the manufacturer inorder to make on the fly
adjustments. So whether it was,you know, farmers giving
feedback to dealers, dealers,giving feedback to us, people
going directly into the plant,to determine how to put things
together to make them easier toservice and maintain. We really
(11:35):
build even in the early days,and I think what goes through
today, retain that feeling of ofbeing authentic of being real
and committed to the industryand just helping people get work
done easier. I think generally,if we're not doing that, and the
equipment comes with business,we won't stay in business. And
so, you know, through the I'dlike to think that it's a common
(11:56):
thread, even in the early daystoday, that that's the first
question we ask ourselves, andwe don't bring a product to
market unless it does makesomeone's life easier and help
make them more productive andprovide through a return on
investment.
Chrissy Wozniak (12:10):
Yeah, the proof is in the success, right?
Unknown (12:13):
You got it? Yeah.
Chrissy Wozniak (12:14):
So in 1999 case Corporation was merged with New
Holland, you know, hence cnh.
Industrial. So how and why didthat happen? And that kind of
interesting move?
Unknown (12:25):
Yeah, it is, I think, as you look at the consolidation
in the equipment industry, andthis is certainly something
that, you know, both both NewHolland case as part of cnh
industrial today, we are acompany of many, many brands.
And any of those acquisitionsthat we've made have helped us
(12:46):
continue to gain an edge ongaining the best technology on
building filling some gap in ourlineup to continue to pursue
leadership and be a podiumplayer in all parts of the
industry. So particularly our,the the collaboration, the one
(13:07):
team nature that we have withincnh industrial with Case IH is
long history of successes,whether it is in whether it is
directly in corn and soybeanharvesting, that's so important
in North America, you know,spread across what New Holland
is so good at with, with smallgrains, dairy and livestock
tractors, specialty crops,viticulture, it allows us to
(13:30):
think it was a natural mergerfor us to really be one of the
most complete full liners in theindustry. And particularly when
you look at the strong brandsthat we have, you know, whether
we are standing on a in a cornand soybean field in Iowa,
whether we're in a vegetable andand vineyard in California, The
(13:50):
CNH industrial offering hassomething to offer strongly and
all of those markets, which Ithink has been quite rare in the
equipment industry. So you know,certainly since we've been
together as a as some version ofCase New Holland, cnh or cnh.
Industrial in this since 1999.
It's all been about completelycomplete, completing the lineup
(14:13):
and continuing to be a a strongpodium player in all markets.
And so a lot of that case, IHNew Holland DNA on specific
products, shared technology hasbeen incredibly beneficial.
Chrissy Wozniak (14:28):
Yeah, that makes sense. And offhand how
many lines is New Hollandmanufacturing right now? Do you
know what? I'm sure.
Unknown (14:37):
Let's, let's say hundreds at this moment. I'm
very envious as I look at theearly days when New Holland made
seven products to the, you know,really hundreds of product
families and models that we maketoday. I mean, I think really,
we've got we've got over 400specific models of equipment
that we put out through ourmanufacturing facilities and so
(14:59):
that that very lineup is whatmakes us a New Holland as a
brand able to say very boldlythat we are a whole liner.
Because we are we are varied andhave a lot of model variations
that we service. Wow. So from
Chrissy Wozniak (15:14):
the first manufacturing plant there are
New Holland until now Wherewhere are where is the equipment
being manufactured?
Unknown (15:25):
So we have, of course several facilities here in North
America. Still our plant in NewHolland, Pennsylvania that makes
round balers dismoreconditioners will take forage
harvesters manure spreaders, fewother products. We manufacture
large articulating four wheeldrive tractors or t nine series
in Fargo, North Dakota, T seriestractors the next step down in
(15:49):
Racine, Wisconsin, our selfpropelled Windrowers in Grand
Island, Nebraska, our combinesand xiaogan, Belgium, our mid
range tractors and basil inEngland Yeezy, Italy. And so I
could keep going through theglobe. But I think the next
natural question is why do wemanufacture in the locations
(16:09):
that we do. And it's 100% has todo with where the primary market
of usage for that product is,you know, for example, we the
hay tools that we make here inNew Holland, we still use 85% of
the products coming out of thatplant here in North America. So
the expertise is here, this isour harvesting Center of
Excellence for North America. Sowe're closest to the customers
(16:31):
here that primarily use thisproduct. You know, when I went
to went across the ocean, 2000naazy, respectively, the primary
market to use for that sizetractor is in Europe, and Europe
and globally, although we arepretty close in North America,
too. So as we as we look at allof our manufacturing footprint
(16:52):
across the globe, and we domanufacture utility tractors in
India, which is also aninteresting example of you know,
that that Asia Pacific industryfor that size of the tractor is
four or five times the size ofwhat it is in North America as
an example. So I just, you know,just to share that we
(17:13):
manufacture were the primarymarket of uses for the product,
because that's where we can beclosest to the customer. But
we've got lots of plants, r&dcenters all around the world in
order to accomplish thatmission.
Chrissy Wozniak (17:25):
And that's, that's smart. And who are some
of the more memorable peoplewithin the company along the
way?
Unknown (17:33):
Well, I mentioned you know, I mentioned a couple now,
you know, we you know, GeorgeDell coming together and really
investing in ED Nolte to puttogether that small square
baler, New Holland, Pennsylvaniais, is an engineering heritage
site because of Ed's design onthe small square bale or not, or
which effectively has notchanged a lot. Since that time.
(17:56):
We're also incredibly blessedwith the current leaders, we
have parlo Lambro is our globalPresident Carlo lives in
Montana, his offices in Montanais from nearby in Bologna,
Italy, and really has a strongglobal view of the company, and
really is committed to NewHolland. And so along with our
current vice president SallyJohnson, who's been with been
(18:19):
with cnh industrial for 16years, you know, we've had, you
know, we've had a long line ofleaders that are committed to
agriculture and just want to dothe right thing. And I and I
could create a long list ofpeople just like that, but but
that's even without the longlist of engineers, the the folks
who invented the twin rotorcombine in 1970, are the people
(18:42):
who continue to patentincredible technology, me and
the engineering team just havetheir patent celebration dinner
this week, that has a are acouple of weeks ago that have a
have a long list of folks thatcontinue to earn patents for
innovative technology. Sothere's been a there's certainly
been a long list of names thatthat I'd be remiss if I even
(19:04):
started that had been verycommitted to this brand. that
have brought us to where we aretoday. But they all share the
same values, which I think isincredibly important. Yeah, for
Chrissy Wozniak (19:15):
sure. And what are the values of New Holland
today? And how do you keep themconsistent across more than 170
countries over the globe?
Unknown (19:26):
You know, we I will say that our values have been pretty
consistent. And I'll get to thaton one value in particular. But,
you know, our one of our firstvalues of the brand, of course,
is reliability. And I think forall the reasons you would you
would know that for anyequipment company, it's
important for us to be reliable,and it's informed by the fact
that we've been around as a NewHolland brand for 127 years. We
(19:49):
figured out how to be a reliablepartner over that period of
time. And so we're very stronglycommitted to that. Open openness
and responsiveness is is anothervalue You that we hold pretty
closely as we interviewcustomers. And I've used this
word a couple of times, that ourcustomers tell us that New
Holland is very authentic thatwhen they pick up the phone and
(20:10):
talk with us that they feel thatwe're committed to helping them
solve the problem. And that'swhat we want to do. Because no
matter what color equipment is,it's going to break at some
point, and you need to make surethat people are with you, to
support to find the rightsolution. And to get you back up
and running quickly. It's soimportant in our industry, so
openness and responsiveness isimportant. Innovation, you know,
(20:34):
I think a lot of companies saythey're innovative, but I'll let
I'll let the success of thecompany speak for itself in
terms of innovation, that we'vegot to continue to invest, and
providing the best solutions,otherwise, we wouldn't be a
brand of consideration. But thethe the last one I'll share,
which has been interesting, froma consistency standpoint, is
sustainability. I think, youknow, we as a brand value are
(20:56):
committed to sustainability. AndI'd like to think that we were
sustainable before, it was cool,because we hear a lot of that
talk at this moment in the mediaand a lot of commitment to stay
at sustainability with currentissues. But we started our clean
energy leader strategy wassustainable with sustainability
in 2006. We certified our dieselengines for biodiesel at that
(21:20):
time. And then we started toevolve pretty quickly into
concept vehicles for alternativepropulsion with hydrogen
tractors, methane tractor today,with an eye on all other sorts
of alternative propulsion, toretain our commitment to
sustainability. And that's justa small slice of what
sustainability means it alsobakes into our products, in
(21:44):
terms of how we'remanufacturing, how we are living
out that sustainability,sustainability commitment with
our manufacturing footprint. Soso it's been sustainability has
been a long journey for us. Thatisn't just informed because
it's, it has a lot of attentionat this moment. We've we've been
on it for a while, I thinkprobably even pre 2006, frankly.
(22:07):
So, but But I think when youlook at those four values that I
shared, you know, it's easy tounderstand how those, those are
important for us to remaincommitted to because if we lose
sight on that, we won't bearound for the next 127 years.
Chrissy Wozniak (22:21):
That's right.
Yeah, that's incredible. And youpersonally look after and
Hollins 800, dealer locationsthrough North America. How do
you maintain that personalrelationship with that many
people?
Unknown (22:34):
Well, mainly because we've got a great team, that New
Holland that they that theydon't No need to call me. Right?
Yeah. We're fortunate to have,you know, between our between
our network development teams,our field sales and service
teams and folks spread outthrough North America, we do we
do try very hard to make surethat folks know who the
(22:56):
management team is in NewHolland, and that they can
access us directly. In fact,today, we're, we're doing our
normal dealer update calls bysales regions, so that folks can
at least see us on camera, askus questions live and have the
ability to, to interface and,and have their issues known, you
(23:17):
know, determined together, howwe can continue to grow and
support customers. So it's, it'sall about retaining that
commitment to be close topeople, and to not be mysterious
and inaccessible. And we tryvery hard not to do that. And
that people can, people can feelcomfortable to reach out to us
whenever they need to. But we'reincredibly fortunate that we
(23:39):
have a strong team that likewiseis committed to committed to
agriculture, whether they wereborn into it or came to it later
than life. We've been reallydelighted to build people's
passion for agriculture tosupport this brand and our
dealers because I have no morerespect for the you know, for,
for the people that have to liveand make it go in their home
(24:01):
area. And our dealers embodythat, you know, they're
committed to agriculture, andthey've got to succeed where
they are, and it's our job tosupport them. So whenever
whenever my phone rings from itfrom a dealer, and the same for
the team, we want to figure outhow to get an answer to their
question and solve the problem.
Yeah, that's,
Chrissy Wozniak (24:19):
that's important to a farmer in a field
that's having a problem or youknow, a dealer or trying to fix
something. It has to bepersonable, right? Absolutely.
Yeah. And something that'sreally remarkable to me is the
fact that New Holland began withFord tractor. But now cnh owns
dodge, not Ford. And cnh needsto represent New Holland, the
(24:42):
brand distinctly different fromcases brand. So with the same
parent company in the same goalof profit as any other global
corporation. How do you in yourmarketing strategies, keep a
consistent brand messagethroughout your marketing?
Unknown (24:59):
Yeah, it's So that's really good because we have to,
we have to work to retain thebrand's voice in everything that
we do and and also to retain itamongst all the, you know, New
Holland may mean somethingslightly differently to someone
in Brazil versus the UnitedStates. And so retaining our
(25:21):
unique identity in the market,you know, versus what New
Holland means globally is isalways an interesting challenge.
But what I will say is that thebrand's identity is very much
informed by our history andcontinued innovation, you know,
we the brand's voice and the waywe think about what we lead in
(25:42):
today, you know, unmistakeably,we, you know, we retain
leadership in those livestock,dairy, hay and forage committed
customers mean, that is that iscore to the DNA of New Holland.
The other thing that's core tothe DNA and how we talk about
the brand is our leadership insmall grains with that awesome
twin rotor combine that stillholds the world record in wheat,
(26:06):
and even though not a smallgrain soybean harvest globally.
So, you know, when the when myteam in North America thinks
about, you know, who, who NewHolland is and how we want to
communicate, we always do thatwith an eye to retaining our
identity, and the customers thatwe're talking to the those folks
(26:28):
that are that are committed tonot just those industries, but
all others. And then the onething that we find is, even
though that our history isvaried, we always have to
include in our story, the richhistory that we do have with the
different brands that werepresent, including Ford, and
including the rich history ofNew Holland, because, you know,
(26:51):
people that identify with bluetractors, you know, still call
that blue, New Holland, the Fordtractor sometimes, and you can
see a lot of that for DNA, youknow, stretching back on prior
product in in tractors today. Soit's very much a part of, it
doesn't make our job easy tokeep to keep all of those
(27:11):
brands, sometimes a part of NewHolland story. But what makes
our job easy, though, isallowing customers to tell our
story. I mean, we just, we justlaunched customer stories on our
YouTube channel, coinciding withBarton progress that I think
really speak for themselves andTrey, in terms of how we talk
about the brand, and ourproducts, because it goes back
(27:33):
to that authenticity, you know,how our customers feel about us,
those are the stories that wewant to tell and who the brand
is, we don't try to be somethingthat we're not, and we don't try
to be more than a company that'sgoing to help you solve your
problem when you have it andgive you a really good product
that that maybe some other folkscan give you product that's just
(27:56):
as good, but we can support itand make that customer feel
supported better than anybodyelse. And that's what that's
what the brand's voice is allabout.
Chrissy Wozniak (28:05):
Yeah, it's so important. And why do you think
that there's such strong brandloyalty in the agriculture
industry? Why are farmers soloyal to their color? And is it
sustainable as we move forward?
Unknown (28:17):
You know, we obviously there's a lot of debate on this
topic all the time. You know,why? Why are we so loyal to our
colors? I think I think it isinformed by by our heritage, by
experience, by, you know, we wehave a vision for what the you
know, what the family farm lookslike, and what equipment power
that. But what we find to be soincredibly important. And what
(28:39):
we're focused on is, you know,what, what will evolve is the
customer's experience with ourlocal dealer, mean, the brand is
important that I can neverreplace what the local dealer
does, and the experience thatthat dealer provides to the
customer. And so I think, Ithink that loyalty to paint will
always be a factor. But I knowthat I know that local equipment
(29:03):
dealers are working really hardto to establish their brand and
loyalty, for the equipment thatthey represent. And those those
folks connected in the agcommunity because as 2% of the
population, we're committed toproduction ag, it means that we
can have pretty closerelationships with our
customers. And I know nobody cando that better than dealers. So
(29:24):
we know today that that's, thatcauses people to think about
their equipment color today,based on the how they want to be
supported based on all of theother things and how and how the
equipment is evolvingtechnologically. Is is creating
some pause to allow people toconsider some different colors
they may not have before. And sowe're you know, and we're
(29:47):
excited to continue to be at thetable and have those
conversations but the localdealer is the is the main piece
of that that consideration inour book and my job is to
empower them.
Chrissy Wozniak (29:59):
Yeah, didn't make sense. And how is New
Holland addressing the need tofeed? More people with fewer
resources? And you touched onthis about the NH two, for
example? And can you tell meabout that as well?
Unknown (30:12):
Yeah. So, you know, I mentioned sustainability as a
core brand value. And so, youknow, that manifests itself in a
number of ways. You know, forexample, we just launched a
guardian sprayer with Intel, aspray to technology that is
really about applying chemicalmore accurately, of course, that
has an ROI as input costs arehigh, but it also has an impact,
(30:33):
as we're, you know, we'reassessing, you know, what, what
chemical impacts are going to bein the environment moving
forward, what we can and can'tuse, etc. So, I think we're all
trying to be good managers andthe irons, enabling us to do it.
But we also know that we are notgoing to be able to power with
traditional diesel for ever. Andso, you know, when we, when we
(30:54):
came with the NH two tractor,and that started in 2008, with a
concept vehicle, I mean, we wereable to prove that it could
work, it could deliver, youknow, the same power that diesel
could and a cleaner way, buthydrogen technology, of course,
anyone following this in theautomotive world, as well
continues to be a bit costprohibitive for everybody. So,
(31:15):
so we've got proven technologywith hydrogen, but it was, okay,
so what next? How do we? How dowe continue to provide
sustainability in a way andintolerant and alternative
propulsion that fits withfarmers? And and so, as we
evolved from the NH two, we movenext to, you know, how do we fit
(31:36):
into an energy independentfarming model, meaning that, you
know, regardless of yourcommitment to sustainability
today, the one thing I think wecan all agree on is that it
would be really nice to be fuelindependent. And so in 2019, at
Agritechnica, in Europe, welaunched the world's first
methane powered tractor, acompressed natural gas tractor,
(31:56):
in order to really fit into thatsustainability model, meaning,
you know, if I'm able to captureand pressurize methane on the
farm, at a grade to fueltractors, I have a pretty fuel
independent model, that whenwhen we look at the emissions on
that tractor, when fueled from amethane capture source, from
livestock, returns air to theatmosphere that is cleaner than
(32:20):
when it went in. That's prettyamazing and amazing. And so, it,
I think it opens up a lot ofavenues as we as we think about,
you know, how do we make becausesustainability has a lot of
different meanings. But I thinkthe one thing that we all know
and are committed to is we wantfarming, we want agriculture, we
want the, we want that to besustainable for the next
(32:43):
generation to be able toinherit. And I think that the
the things that we're working onnow, and alternative propulsion
will enable that, whether it isfrom an environmental
standpoint, or whether it's justfrom a business standpoint, and
in providing fuel independencefrom some of those input costs.
Chrissy Wozniak (33:00):
Right. And that leads into what what lays ahead
for New Holland in terms of thistechnology and the evolution of
the current lines.
Unknown (33:08):
You know, I look at my meager career of just 12 years
and and I know there are folkswith a lot more experience than
me, I can't think of a singlemore time that we've had more
change in the industry, withalternative propulsion and what
lays ahead for for OEMs, andequipment companies. So, so
you've seen a lot of this happenin terms of what lays ahead for
(33:31):
us, you know, alternativepropulsion will continue to be a
very, very important focus. Butwe're also we are, we also have
a lot of real issues to solve interms of automation and
autonomy. And that's not to meanthat we're, you know, we're
seeking to replace anyone whowants to who wants to thrive
operating equipment, but it doesmean that we've got the very
(33:53):
real scenario where we've gotless foreign labor to work in
some of those jobs, we, youknow, we had a pretty good
chance, you know, we had a wehad a 10 to 20% chance that past
generations grew up on a farm,but that number is dwindled
quite a bit now. So I've got a,you know, I've only got 2% of
the population who grew up on afarm and has that knowledge. So,
(34:15):
you know, having trainedoperators to be able to perform
functions at critical timesmeans that we need to have
equipment that is moreautomated, maybe not fully
autonomous, but automated. Sothat folks without as much
experience can go in and operatelike a pro. And so all of those
things, coupled with, you know,the reducing inputs and
(34:38):
maximizing ROI so that we canmake money on a thin margin in a
farming operation. All of thosethings will continue to be
important to us. But what'sreally cool is that now the
technology has married up toallow us to do that. So as I
look at what's happening for NewHolland in the future, you know,
it's less about how we make anew Iron product. It's more
(34:59):
about how we make that ironproduct more efficient, more
automated, more comfortable, ofcourse, for for customers so
that they can do more with thatunit because it'll continue to
be a focus. So you're gonna seea lot of different things from
New Holland. We still like iron,we're an Iron Company, we like
(35:20):
to paint stuff, blue, red, oreven yellow for the coal mines,
and, and make really coollooking and innovative products,
but it's going to be moretechnologically enabled. And
that's
Chrissy Wozniak (35:33):
cool and exciting. So what are some
things that you think peoplewouldn't know necessarily about
New Holland?
Unknown (35:41):
Well, I think I think what people don't know about New
Holland is, you know, some ofthe leadership in the specialty
and viticulture, in orchardcrops, you know, our, our
knowledge about agriculture isreally informed by where we
live, you know, the area thatwe're in. And so I'm always
energized talking to our dealersthat are in those areas, because
(36:01):
they're such unique andinteresting things that are done
with our narrow, narrowtractors, our grape harvester,
which is really a specialtyharvester, that can do a lot of
different things that, you know,it's not what people may think
of first with New Holland. Buteverything that we learned from
(36:22):
those type of industries informinnovations on our other
products. And, and I think theother thing, you know, people
who have travelled globally,we'll see a lot of New Holland
product and in other markets,our leadership in Brazil, in in
corn and soybeans, you know,another great agricultural
producer, you know, all the allthe things that happened in
(36:45):
Europe with, you know, where wereally see a population of more
digesters and energy capture,you know, the methane tracker
that I talked about, you'd seeyou see a lot stronger
population of those as we'rejust getting started in North
America. So I think what a lot alot of people don't know about
(37:05):
New Holland is just the globalbreadth of the business and how
unique it is because we justthink of what we see out of our
windshield sometimes, but sothat's one big thing. And then
then the other I mentionedearlier, people don't know
there's a New Holland,Pennsylvania, and they should
come and visit. It's a greatplace. We're like in the heart
of Amish country tourism here inNew Holland, Pennsylvania. A lot
(37:25):
of people don't know that thetown exists, but we encourage
folks to come and visit anytime.
Chrissy Wozniak (37:30):
Absolutely. And that's not too far from one of
my, one of the great shows ofthe year the the Keystone show
in New York, right? Not too farfrom that. Right.
Unknown (37:39):
We're only about an hour away from the Keystone farm
show in New York.
Chrissy Wozniak (37:43):
Yeah, yeah, that's a great show. So I've one
last question for you. Whatcolor is your tractor? Any? Sure
we could guess?
Unknown (37:52):
You know, I'll give you maybe a different answer than
you expected. I you know,growing up as a kid in western
Pennsylvania, my grandfather hada had a Ford eight n so although
I would say blue for for, youknow, the eight N was was gray
and red so. So I've always gotto go back to the the heritage
of the eight n which is a verypopular Ford tractor.
Chrissy Wozniak (38:16):
That's awesome.
Very good. Well, thank you somuch, Mark, for joining me
today. That was a lot ofinformation and a lot to a lot
to digest, for sure.
Unknown (38:27):
Absolutely. Well, thank you, Chrissy. And I appreciate
you spending the time and alwaysfun to talk a little bit about
what has happened is going tohappen in the future at New
Holland. So I appreciate thetime.
Chrissy Wozniak (38:37):
Absolutely. And thanks to anyone everyone that's
listening. If you want to learnmore links are provided in the
show notes and don't forget tosubscribe to what color is your
tractor and North American Eggspotlight on YouTube rumble
telegram egg these channels andthe podcast is available on
Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, Amazonor wherever you listen to
podcasts and have a great day.
Thanks so much for listening towhat color's your tractor. I
(39:02):
hope you learned something newabout the brand you love or
hate. If you're a manufacturerwho would like to apply to be
featured on this show, pleasevisit What color is your
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stories behind the Ag brands we love and the Ag brands
we love to hate. What color isyour tractor? With Chrissy
Wozniak.
Chrissy Wozniak (00:19):
Hi, I'm Chrissy Wozniak and welcome to What
color is your tractor? Thecompany that we're going to talk
to you today is a globalmanufacturer of tractors combine
harvesters, bailers, forageharvesters, self propelled
spirits, sprayers, hand tools,seeding equipment, hobby
tractors, utility vehicles, andgrape harvesters. They are the
official opposition to the greenlovers out there with their
(00:40):
iconic blue from Willow Street,Pennsylvania. I would like to
welcome New Hollandagriculture's commercial
marketing director for NorthAmerica, Mark Lowry. Thank you
so much, Mark, for joining metoday.
Mark Lowery (00:51):
Well, thanks for having me today. Chrissy it's
good to be joining us fromLancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Chrissy Wozniak (00:56):
Awesome, where it was all born. Right?
Unknown (00:58):
You got it? Yes. The the New Holland started just
about a half a mile from where Isit today.
Chrissy Wozniak (01:04):
Wow. That's incredible. So let's start out.
Can you tell me a bit about yourbackground and history with New
Holland?
Unknown (01:12):
Yes, I've been with New Holland for just about 12 years,
I started in the company as aproduct trainer training on our
hay tools line, specificallydealer salespeople throughout
North America. And after abouttwo years in that role, I
transitioned into marketingroles with our livestock and
dairy products and havecontinued to move through those
(01:35):
roles. I think I've touched justabout every product that New
Holland makes at some point oranother, and presently, in the
commercial marketing department,so anything that folks see out
in, out in the public from NewHolland in North America, it
comes from my team, so veryproud to be able to represent
its brand, the great history andeverything that we plan to do
(01:56):
next.
Chrissy Wozniak (01:57):
That's awesome.
And why do you personally servethe agriculture industry?
Unknown (02:02):
Working in this industry, I think was an early
choice for me, I grew up not ona farm actually, I worked on my
neighbor's small dairy, probablyhow a lot of people get
recruited because they need helpmilking and, and making hay. So
I, I started doing that workearly as a kid and just really
fell in love with agriculture.
And so through programs likefour H and FFA, still very
(02:24):
heavily involved in FFA helpedme make my career decision early
to remain committed to thisindustry. I think it's the most
authentic and rewarding job wecan have to support agriculture.
And so I would not and I don'tknow if I wouldn't be able to
work anywhere else or in anyother industry.
Chrissy Wozniak (02:43):
Wow. And I couldn't agree with you more.
It's a very honorable industryfor sure. So can you tell me
about the beginning of thisgreat company, starting with EB
Zimmerman and Mennonite fromPennsylvania?
Unknown (02:55):
Most certainly can. You know, we're the company is named
after the town of New Holland,Pennsylvania. As we talked to
folks globally, that seems to besometimes a little known fact.
So as Zimmerman started thecompany, New Holland Machine
Company, here in the town of NewHolland, really to make
innovative products for smallfarms as they were starting to
(03:18):
mechanize in this area. NewHolland really became famous for
its hit and miss engine that hada pretty interesting innovation,
rather than a lot of hit andmiss engines at that time that
had a square water jacket aroundthe around the piston, they he
tapered it like he saw on thefarm and a hog trough that if
(03:38):
when water freezes, it lifts upout of there rather than
cracking the block and hemarketed it as the freeze
prevention, and that really putNew Holland machine company on
the market. But that continuedto evolve and really what made
New Holland the company it istoday is in the late 1930s,
early 1940s. For businessman inLancaster. One whose name is
(04:03):
George C. Dell, who later becamepresident of the company wanted
to revitalize the New Hollandmachine company and they worked
with a local innovator namedEdie Nolte to commercialize a
small square baler and thatsmall square baler wound up
being the first commerciallysuccessful small square baler
that truly put New Holland onthe map as a major agricultural
(04:25):
equipment manufacturer and andstill what informs our
leadership and hay tools today.
So from from a Zimmerman throughGeorge C delta today we've we've
we've really built ourfoundation on being in a strong
farming area here that hasinformed our innovations that
can very authentically a lot ofus committed to agriculture love
(04:48):
it our engineers productdevelopment live and breathe
iron. Thank you find thatprobably commonly in a lot of
companies that those who aresuccessful just have people that
love the business Saran and whatthey do and that and that
definitely helps us continue toinnovate today.
Chrissy Wozniak (05:05):
Right? Yeah, that's amazing. And it's
interesting that the originalline did not include tractors.
So what other products weremanufactured in those early
years?
Unknown (05:15):
You know, in the early years after New Holland had
established success with thesmall square baler, we need
complementary hanging equipment.
One of the first and earlymantras of the company was first
in grassland farming. So allthings Hey, Colin was known as
really the resource for that.
And that started out at first,you know, sycamores, crimpers,
(05:37):
Silo blowers, you know, allthose all those complementary
products. But then it justcontinued to inform innovation.
I mean, we've got some Hallmarknames that came out of those
early years names like the hayvine, we invented the
combination of the sickle mowerand conditioner, the combining
of those two processes into theHey, my name, things like the
(05:58):
role of our rake that a lot offolks will be familiar with. I
see a lot of them still inservice today. We actually, we
manufacture those from the 60sin a continuous line until just
the past couple of years ago, wediscontinued the role of our
rake. I made it for anincredibly long time. So So
though, some of those earlyproducts, rakes, mowers, etc. I
(06:21):
see all around the country, alot of them we made so well that
they're still in service fromthe 50s and 60s. Continue to be
and so but but all those earlyproducts were really focused
around how to make the bestquality hay, focused on cattle
at first dairy cattle, andexpanding then into all the
other animals, crop types.
Everything that you would needto be first in grassland farming
(06:42):
was in New Orleans early days.
Chrissy Wozniak (06:46):
Wow. And how did the original Ford tractor
come to merge with New Orleans?
Unknown (06:53):
Well, that is a that is an interesting time and gets us
to some of the unique colors ofNew Holland for sure. So in the
so in the history of thecompany, the the merger with
Ford tractor happened in 1986.
And at that time, and this iscertainly an unauthorized
version, I've picked up throughthe years talking to heritage
Ford tractor guys that werestill with the company. At that
(07:15):
time is Ford Motor Companylooked at its business. They
wanted to focus on automobiles.
And so when the when the nextgeneration of Ford's took over
the company, they were curiousabout what to do with this
tractor arm in the business, butthey had a problem. They had
tractors, and they had noimplements. And New Holland was
(07:37):
a strong company with all sortsof implements, but no tractors.
And so the marriage was fairlynatural at that point that, you
know, Ford in order to morefully complete its lineup needed
to create a merger with thecompany who was leading in the
industry. And at that time, NewHolland, of course, was the
obvious choice. So Ford NewHolland existed from 86 until
(07:58):
1991. You know, there are aboutsome we we entered into the the
ownership with Fiat but ofcourse, we we still retain the
blue from the Ford tractorheritage and and in North
America, our red eight toolsthat that have been so iconic in
the industry.
Chrissy Wozniak (08:18):
Yeah, and you mentioned Fia, that is an
important part of the NewHolland story. So where does
that fit in? And how did thismerger happen?
Unknown (08:26):
Yeah, it's interesting in the global view of the
company, you know, as I, as Iwork with my global colleagues
today, perspectives on equipmentare totally different in terms
of brand loyalty, or what colorthey believe. And so Giovanni
Agnelli in it with Fiat, really,interestingly, with tractors had
a very similar trajectory toHenry Ford. Ford started mass
(08:49):
producing tractors in 1918. Fiatdid similarly, in 1918, start
producing tractors as well. Ianwas really, really strong in
Europe and global markets, but Ithink probably as your listeners
in the American agriculturalistsknow that we are the most
productive and prolific farmersin the world. And so they had,
(09:11):
of course, some interest toaccess this North American
market to, to to play a role inleadership and agriculture. Fiat
was a was a major tractorplayer, but likewise, you know,
wanted to have a complete lineupthat they could that they could
market globally. And so Ford NewHolland became an attractive
player for that because of itsleadership in North America, for
(09:33):
Fiat to purchase the company.
And so when that happened in1991, we've existed we've
existed as you know,essentially, with some of that
Fiat Ford and New Holland DNA,you know, all informing the
products that we that we put outtoday, but you can you can look
at several products and see, youknow, commonalities and the best
of all of those brands comingtogether to form our lineup now.
Chrissy Wozniak (09:58):
Yeah, that's so interesting and What were the
goals of the company back in theearly days, even before the
mergers,
Unknown (10:05):
you know, back in the early days, as I talked to, and
it's really interesting to behere in New Holland,
Pennsylvania, because as I amout in the community, I'm at
church, I meet a lot of retireesfrom all different parts of the
company. And, you know, all ofthe all of the innovation that
occurred was was reallycommitted to doing one thing,
(10:27):
and that is making the life ofthe farmer easier. And how do an
amalgamation of farm kids thatwound up being engineers, and
different different disciplinesof training, make that life a
whole lot easier, and provide areturn on investment, easy
serviceability, this companyalways had a real commitment to
(10:50):
making sure that people couldwork on the equipment that they
have. And so all of those thingstogether, continued to evolve
what, what we do, and it reallystarted with, you know, in the
early days and equipment dealerlooked a lot different to, you
know, we would, we would set upan equipment dealer who may be a
dairy farmer that was sellingfarm equipment on the side, who
(11:12):
was working and operating hisown farm and providing feedback
directly to the manufacturer inorder to make on the fly
adjustments. So whether it was,you know, farmers giving
feedback to dealers, dealers,giving feedback to us, people
going directly into the plant,to determine how to put things
together to make them easier toservice and maintain. We really
(11:35):
build even in the early days,and I think what goes through
today, retain that feeling of ofbeing authentic of being real
and committed to the industryand just helping people get work
done easier. I think generally,if we're not doing that, and the
equipment comes with business,we won't stay in business. And
so, you know, through the I'dlike to think that it's a common
(11:56):
thread, even in the early daystoday, that that's the first
question we ask ourselves, andwe don't bring a product to
market unless it does makesomeone's life easier and help
make them more productive andprovide through a return on
investment.
Chrissy Wozniak (12:10):
Yeah, the proof is in the success, right?
Unknown (12:13):
You got it? Yeah.
Chrissy Wozniak (12:14):
So in 1999 case Corporation was merged with New
Holland, you know, hence cnh.
Industrial. So how and why didthat happen? And that kind of
interesting move?
Unknown (12:25):
Yeah, it is, I think, as you look at the consolidation
in the equipment industry, andthis is certainly something
that, you know, both both NewHolland case as part of cnh
industrial today, we are acompany of many, many brands.
And any of those acquisitionsthat we've made have helped us
(12:46):
continue to gain an edge ongaining the best technology on
building filling some gap in ourlineup to continue to pursue
leadership and be a podiumplayer in all parts of the
industry. So particularly our,the the collaboration, the one
(13:07):
team nature that we have withincnh industrial with Case IH is
long history of successes,whether it is in whether it is
directly in corn and soybeanharvesting, that's so important
in North America, you know,spread across what New Holland
is so good at with, with smallgrains, dairy and livestock
tractors, specialty crops,viticulture, it allows us to
(13:30):
think it was a natural mergerfor us to really be one of the
most complete full liners in theindustry. And particularly when
you look at the strong brandsthat we have, you know, whether
we are standing on a in a cornand soybean field in Iowa,
whether we're in a vegetable andand vineyard in California, The
(13:50):
CNH industrial offering hassomething to offer strongly and
all of those markets, which Ithink has been quite rare in the
equipment industry. So you know,certainly since we've been
together as a as some version ofCase New Holland, cnh or cnh.
Industrial in this since 1999.
It's all been about completelycomplete, completing the lineup
(14:13):
and continuing to be a a strongpodium player in all markets.
And so a lot of that case, IHNew Holland DNA on specific
products, shared technology hasbeen incredibly beneficial.
Chrissy Wozniak (14:28):
Yeah, that makes sense. And offhand how
many lines is New Hollandmanufacturing right now? Do you
know what? I'm sure.
Unknown (14:37):
Let's, let's say hundreds at this moment. I'm
very envious as I look at theearly days when New Holland made
seven products to the, you know,really hundreds of product
families and models that we maketoday. I mean, I think really,
we've got we've got over 400specific models of equipment
that we put out through ourmanufacturing facilities and so
(14:59):
that that very lineup is whatmakes us a New Holland as a
brand able to say very boldlythat we are a whole liner.
Because we are we are varied andhave a lot of model variations
that we service. Wow. So from
Chrissy Wozniak (15:14):
the first manufacturing plant there are
New Holland until now Wherewhere are where is the equipment
being manufactured?
Unknown (15:25):
So we have, of course several facilities here in North
America. Still our plant in NewHolland, Pennsylvania that makes
round balers dismoreconditioners will take forage
harvesters manure spreaders, fewother products. We manufacture
large articulating four wheeldrive tractors or t nine series
in Fargo, North Dakota, T seriestractors the next step down in
(15:49):
Racine, Wisconsin, our selfpropelled Windrowers in Grand
Island, Nebraska, our combinesand xiaogan, Belgium, our mid
range tractors and basil inEngland Yeezy, Italy. And so I
could keep going through theglobe. But I think the next
natural question is why do wemanufacture in the locations
(16:09):
that we do. And it's 100% has todo with where the primary market
of usage for that product is,you know, for example, we the
hay tools that we make here inNew Holland, we still use 85% of
the products coming out of thatplant here in North America. So
the expertise is here, this isour harvesting Center of
Excellence for North America. Sowe're closest to the customers
(16:31):
here that primarily use thisproduct. You know, when I went
to went across the ocean, 2000naazy, respectively, the primary
market to use for that sizetractor is in Europe, and Europe
and globally, although we arepretty close in North America,
too. So as we as we look at allof our manufacturing footprint
(16:52):
across the globe, and we domanufacture utility tractors in
India, which is also aninteresting example of you know,
that that Asia Pacific industryfor that size of the tractor is
four or five times the size ofwhat it is in North America as
an example. So I just, you know,just to share that we
(17:13):
manufacture were the primarymarket of uses for the product,
because that's where we can beclosest to the customer. But
we've got lots of plants, r&dcenters all around the world in
order to accomplish thatmission.
Chrissy Wozniak (17:25):
And that's, that's smart. And who are some
of the more memorable peoplewithin the company along the
way?
Unknown (17:33):
Well, I mentioned you know, I mentioned a couple now,
you know, we you know, GeorgeDell coming together and really
investing in ED Nolte to puttogether that small square
baler, New Holland, Pennsylvaniais, is an engineering heritage
site because of Ed's design onthe small square bale or not, or
which effectively has notchanged a lot. Since that time.
(17:56):
We're also incredibly blessedwith the current leaders, we
have parlo Lambro is our globalPresident Carlo lives in
Montana, his offices in Montanais from nearby in Bologna,
Italy, and really has a strongglobal view of the company, and
really is committed to NewHolland. And so along with our
current vice president SallyJohnson, who's been with been
(18:19):
with cnh industrial for 16years, you know, we've had, you
know, we've had a long line ofleaders that are committed to
agriculture and just want to dothe right thing. And I and I
could create a long list ofpeople just like that, but but
that's even without the longlist of engineers, the the folks
who invented the twin rotorcombine in 1970, are the people
(18:42):
who continue to patentincredible technology, me and
the engineering team just havetheir patent celebration dinner
this week, that has a are acouple of weeks ago that have a
have a long list of folks thatcontinue to earn patents for
innovative technology. Sothere's been a there's certainly
been a long list of names thatthat I'd be remiss if I even
(19:04):
started that had been verycommitted to this brand. that
have brought us to where we aretoday. But they all share the
same values, which I think isincredibly important. Yeah, for
Chrissy Wozniak (19:15):
sure. And what are the values of New Holland
today? And how do you keep themconsistent across more than 170
countries over the globe?
Unknown (19:26):
You know, we I will say that our values have been pretty
consistent. And I'll get to thaton one value in particular. But,
you know, our one of our firstvalues of the brand, of course,
is reliability. And I think forall the reasons you would you
would know that for anyequipment company, it's
important for us to be reliable,and it's informed by the fact
that we've been around as a NewHolland brand for 127 years. We
(19:49):
figured out how to be a reliablepartner over that period of
time. And so we're very stronglycommitted to that. Open openness
and responsiveness is is anothervalue You that we hold pretty
closely as we interviewcustomers. And I've used this
word a couple of times, that ourcustomers tell us that New
Holland is very authentic thatwhen they pick up the phone and
(20:10):
talk with us that they feel thatwe're committed to helping them
solve the problem. And that'swhat we want to do. Because no
matter what color equipment is,it's going to break at some
point, and you need to make surethat people are with you, to
support to find the rightsolution. And to get you back up
and running quickly. It's soimportant in our industry, so
openness and responsiveness isimportant. Innovation, you know,
(20:34):
I think a lot of companies saythey're innovative, but I'll let
I'll let the success of thecompany speak for itself in
terms of innovation, that we'vegot to continue to invest, and
providing the best solutions,otherwise, we wouldn't be a
brand of consideration. But thethe the last one I'll share,
which has been interesting, froma consistency standpoint, is
sustainability. I think, youknow, we as a brand value are
(20:56):
committed to sustainability. AndI'd like to think that we were
sustainable before, it was cool,because we hear a lot of that
talk at this moment in the mediaand a lot of commitment to stay
at sustainability with currentissues. But we started our clean
energy leader strategy wassustainable with sustainability
in 2006. We certified our dieselengines for biodiesel at that
(21:20):
time. And then we started toevolve pretty quickly into
concept vehicles for alternativepropulsion with hydrogen
tractors, methane tractor today,with an eye on all other sorts
of alternative propulsion, toretain our commitment to
sustainability. And that's justa small slice of what
sustainability means it alsobakes into our products, in
(21:44):
terms of how we'remanufacturing, how we are living
out that sustainability,sustainability commitment with
our manufacturing footprint. Soso it's been sustainability has
been a long journey for us. Thatisn't just informed because
it's, it has a lot of attentionat this moment. We've we've been
on it for a while, I thinkprobably even pre 2006, frankly.
(22:07):
So, but But I think when youlook at those four values that I
shared, you know, it's easy tounderstand how those, those are
important for us to remaincommitted to because if we lose
sight on that, we won't bearound for the next 127 years.
Chrissy Wozniak (22:21):
That's right.
Yeah, that's incredible. And youpersonally look after and
Hollins 800, dealer locationsthrough North America. How do
you maintain that personalrelationship with that many
people?
Unknown (22:34):
Well, mainly because we've got a great team, that New
Holland that they that theydon't No need to call me. Right?
Yeah. We're fortunate to have,you know, between our between
our network development teams,our field sales and service
teams and folks spread outthrough North America, we do we
do try very hard to make surethat folks know who the
(22:56):
management team is in NewHolland, and that they can
access us directly. In fact,today, we're, we're doing our
normal dealer update calls bysales regions, so that folks can
at least see us on camera, askus questions live and have the
ability to, to interface and,and have their issues known, you
(23:17):
know, determined together, howwe can continue to grow and
support customers. So it's, it'sall about retaining that
commitment to be close topeople, and to not be mysterious
and inaccessible. And we tryvery hard not to do that. And
that people can, people can feelcomfortable to reach out to us
whenever they need to. But we'reincredibly fortunate that we
(23:39):
have a strong team that likewiseis committed to committed to
agriculture, whether they wereborn into it or came to it later
than life. We've been reallydelighted to build people's
passion for agriculture tosupport this brand and our
dealers because I have no morerespect for the you know, for,
for the people that have to liveand make it go in their home
(24:01):
area. And our dealers embodythat, you know, they're
committed to agriculture, andthey've got to succeed where
they are, and it's our job tosupport them. So whenever
whenever my phone rings from itfrom a dealer, and the same for
the team, we want to figure outhow to get an answer to their
question and solve the problem.
Yeah, that's,
Chrissy Wozniak (24:19):
that's important to a farmer in a field
that's having a problem or youknow, a dealer or trying to fix
something. It has to bepersonable, right? Absolutely.
Yeah. And something that'sreally remarkable to me is the
fact that New Holland began withFord tractor. But now cnh owns
dodge, not Ford. And cnh needsto represent New Holland, the
(24:42):
brand distinctly different fromcases brand. So with the same
parent company in the same goalof profit as any other global
corporation. How do you in yourmarketing strategies, keep a
consistent brand messagethroughout your marketing?
Unknown (24:59):
Yeah, it's So that's really good because we have to,
we have to work to retain thebrand's voice in everything that
we do and and also to retain itamongst all the, you know, New
Holland may mean somethingslightly differently to someone
in Brazil versus the UnitedStates. And so retaining our
(25:21):
unique identity in the market,you know, versus what New
Holland means globally is isalways an interesting challenge.
But what I will say is that thebrand's identity is very much
informed by our history andcontinued innovation, you know,
we the brand's voice and the waywe think about what we lead in
(25:42):
today, you know, unmistakeably,we, you know, we retain
leadership in those livestock,dairy, hay and forage committed
customers mean, that is that iscore to the DNA of New Holland.
The other thing that's core tothe DNA and how we talk about
the brand is our leadership insmall grains with that awesome
twin rotor combine that stillholds the world record in wheat,
(26:06):
and even though not a smallgrain soybean harvest globally.
So, you know, when the when myteam in North America thinks
about, you know, who, who NewHolland is and how we want to
communicate, we always do thatwith an eye to retaining our
identity, and the customers thatwe're talking to the those folks
(26:28):
that are that are committed tonot just those industries, but
all others. And then the onething that we find is, even
though that our history isvaried, we always have to
include in our story, the richhistory that we do have with the
different brands that werepresent, including Ford, and
including the rich history ofNew Holland, because, you know,
(26:51):
people that identify with bluetractors, you know, still call
that blue, New Holland, the Fordtractor sometimes, and you can
see a lot of that for DNA, youknow, stretching back on prior
product in in tractors today. Soit's very much a part of, it
doesn't make our job easy tokeep to keep all of those
(27:11):
brands, sometimes a part of NewHolland story. But what makes
our job easy, though, isallowing customers to tell our
story. I mean, we just, we justlaunched customer stories on our
YouTube channel, coinciding withBarton progress that I think
really speak for themselves andTrey, in terms of how we talk
about the brand, and ourproducts, because it goes back
(27:33):
to that authenticity, you know,how our customers feel about us,
those are the stories that wewant to tell and who the brand
is, we don't try to be somethingthat we're not, and we don't try
to be more than a company that'sgoing to help you solve your
problem when you have it andgive you a really good product
that that maybe some other folkscan give you product that's just
(27:56):
as good, but we can support itand make that customer feel
supported better than anybodyelse. And that's what that's
what the brand's voice is allabout.
Chrissy Wozniak (28:05):
Yeah, it's so important. And why do you think
that there's such strong brandloyalty in the agriculture
industry? Why are farmers soloyal to their color? And is it
sustainable as we move forward?
Unknown (28:17):
You know, we obviously there's a lot of debate on this
topic all the time. You know,why? Why are we so loyal to our
colors? I think I think it isinformed by by our heritage, by
experience, by, you know, we wehave a vision for what the you
know, what the family farm lookslike, and what equipment power
that. But what we find to be soincredibly important. And what
(28:39):
we're focused on is, you know,what, what will evolve is the
customer's experience with ourlocal dealer, mean, the brand is
important that I can neverreplace what the local dealer
does, and the experience thatthat dealer provides to the
customer. And so I think, Ithink that loyalty to paint will
always be a factor. But I knowthat I know that local equipment
(29:03):
dealers are working really hardto to establish their brand and
loyalty, for the equipment thatthey represent. And those those
folks connected in the agcommunity because as 2% of the
population, we're committed toproduction ag, it means that we
can have pretty closerelationships with our
customers. And I know nobody cando that better than dealers. So
(29:24):
we know today that that's, thatcauses people to think about
their equipment color today,based on the how they want to be
supported based on all of theother things and how and how the
equipment is evolvingtechnologically. Is is creating
some pause to allow people toconsider some different colors
they may not have before. And sowe're you know, and we're
(29:47):
excited to continue to be at thetable and have those
conversations but the localdealer is the is the main piece
of that that consideration inour book and my job is to
empower them.
Chrissy Wozniak (29:59):
Yeah, didn't make sense. And how is New
Holland addressing the need tofeed? More people with fewer
resources? And you touched onthis about the NH two, for
example? And can you tell meabout that as well?
Unknown (30:12):
Yeah. So, you know, I mentioned sustainability as a
core brand value. And so, youknow, that manifests itself in a
number of ways. You know, forexample, we just launched a
guardian sprayer with Intel, aspray to technology that is
really about applying chemicalmore accurately, of course, that
has an ROI as input costs arehigh, but it also has an impact,
(30:33):
as we're, you know, we'reassessing, you know, what, what
chemical impacts are going to bein the environment moving
forward, what we can and can'tuse, etc. So, I think we're all
trying to be good managers andthe irons, enabling us to do it.
But we also know that we are notgoing to be able to power with
traditional diesel for ever. Andso, you know, when we, when we
(30:54):
came with the NH two tractor,and that started in 2008, with a
concept vehicle, I mean, we wereable to prove that it could
work, it could deliver, youknow, the same power that diesel
could and a cleaner way, buthydrogen technology, of course,
anyone following this in theautomotive world, as well
continues to be a bit costprohibitive for everybody. So,
(31:15):
so we've got proven technologywith hydrogen, but it was, okay,
so what next? How do we? How dowe continue to provide
sustainability in a way andintolerant and alternative
propulsion that fits withfarmers? And and so, as we
evolved from the NH two, we movenext to, you know, how do we fit
(31:36):
into an energy independentfarming model, meaning that, you
know, regardless of yourcommitment to sustainability
today, the one thing I think wecan all agree on is that it
would be really nice to be fuelindependent. And so in 2019, at
Agritechnica, in Europe, welaunched the world's first
methane powered tractor, acompressed natural gas tractor,
(31:56):
in order to really fit into thatsustainability model, meaning,
you know, if I'm able to captureand pressurize methane on the
farm, at a grade to fueltractors, I have a pretty fuel
independent model, that whenwhen we look at the emissions on
that tractor, when fueled from amethane capture source, from
livestock, returns air to theatmosphere that is cleaner than
(32:20):
when it went in. That's prettyamazing and amazing. And so, it,
I think it opens up a lot ofavenues as we as we think about,
you know, how do we make becausesustainability has a lot of
different meanings. But I thinkthe one thing that we all know
and are committed to is we wantfarming, we want agriculture, we
want the, we want that to besustainable for the next
(32:43):
generation to be able toinherit. And I think that the
the things that we're working onnow, and alternative propulsion
will enable that, whether it isfrom an environmental
standpoint, or whether it's justfrom a business standpoint, and
in providing fuel independencefrom some of those input costs.
Chrissy Wozniak (33:00):
Right. And that leads into what what lays ahead
for New Holland in terms of thistechnology and the evolution of
the current lines.
Unknown (33:08):
You know, I look at my meager career of just 12 years
and and I know there are folkswith a lot more experience than
me, I can't think of a singlemore time that we've had more
change in the industry, withalternative propulsion and what
lays ahead for for OEMs, andequipment companies. So, so
you've seen a lot of this happenin terms of what lays ahead for
(33:31):
us, you know, alternativepropulsion will continue to be a
very, very important focus. Butwe're also we are, we also have
a lot of real issues to solve interms of automation and
autonomy. And that's not to meanthat we're, you know, we're
seeking to replace anyone whowants to who wants to thrive
operating equipment, but it doesmean that we've got the very
(33:53):
real scenario where we've gotless foreign labor to work in
some of those jobs, we, youknow, we had a pretty good
chance, you know, we had a wehad a 10 to 20% chance that past
generations grew up on a farm,but that number is dwindled
quite a bit now. So I've got a,you know, I've only got 2% of
the population who grew up on afarm and has that knowledge. So,
(34:15):
you know, having trainedoperators to be able to perform
functions at critical timesmeans that we need to have
equipment that is moreautomated, maybe not fully
autonomous, but automated. Sothat folks without as much
experience can go in and operatelike a pro. And so all of those
things, coupled with, you know,the reducing inputs and
(34:38):
maximizing ROI so that we canmake money on a thin margin in a
farming operation. All of thosethings will continue to be
important to us. But what'sreally cool is that now the
technology has married up toallow us to do that. So as I
look at what's happening for NewHolland in the future, you know,
it's less about how we make anew Iron product. It's more
(34:59):
about how we make that ironproduct more efficient, more
automated, more comfortable, ofcourse, for for customers so
that they can do more with thatunit because it'll continue to
be a focus. So you're gonna seea lot of different things from
New Holland. We still like iron,we're an Iron Company, we like
(35:20):
to paint stuff, blue, red, oreven yellow for the coal mines,
and, and make really coollooking and innovative products,
but it's going to be moretechnologically enabled. And
that's
Chrissy Wozniak (35:33):
cool and exciting. So what are some
things that you think peoplewouldn't know necessarily about
New Holland?
Unknown (35:41):
Well, I think I think what people don't know about New
Holland is, you know, some ofthe leadership in the specialty
and viticulture, in orchardcrops, you know, our, our
knowledge about agriculture isreally informed by where we
live, you know, the area thatwe're in. And so I'm always
energized talking to our dealersthat are in those areas, because
(36:01):
they're such unique andinteresting things that are done
with our narrow, narrowtractors, our grape harvester,
which is really a specialtyharvester, that can do a lot of
different things that, you know,it's not what people may think
of first with New Holland. Buteverything that we learned from
(36:22):
those type of industries informinnovations on our other
products. And, and I think theother thing, you know, people
who have travelled globally,we'll see a lot of New Holland
product and in other markets,our leadership in Brazil, in in
corn and soybeans, you know,another great agricultural
producer, you know, all the allthe things that happened in
(36:45):
Europe with, you know, where wereally see a population of more
digesters and energy capture,you know, the methane tracker
that I talked about, you'd seeyou see a lot stronger
population of those as we'rejust getting started in North
America. So I think what a lot alot of people don't know about
(37:05):
New Holland is just the globalbreadth of the business and how
unique it is because we justthink of what we see out of our
windshield sometimes, but sothat's one big thing. And then
then the other I mentionedearlier, people don't know
there's a New Holland,Pennsylvania, and they should
come and visit. It's a greatplace. We're like in the heart
of Amish country tourism here inNew Holland, Pennsylvania. A lot
(37:25):
of people don't know that thetown exists, but we encourage
folks to come and visit anytime.
Chrissy Wozniak (37:30):
Absolutely. And that's not too far from one of
my, one of the great shows ofthe year the the Keystone show
in New York, right? Not too farfrom that. Right.
Unknown (37:39):
We're only about an hour away from the Keystone farm
show in New York.
Chrissy Wozniak (37:43):
Yeah, yeah, that's a great show. So I've one
last question for you. Whatcolor is your tractor? Any? Sure
we could guess?
Unknown (37:52):
You know, I'll give you maybe a different answer than
you expected. I you know,growing up as a kid in western
Pennsylvania, my grandfather hada had a Ford eight n so although
I would say blue for for, youknow, the eight N was was gray
and red so. So I've always gotto go back to the the heritage
of the eight n which is a verypopular Ford tractor.
Chrissy Wozniak (38:16):
That's awesome.
Very good. Well, thank you somuch, Mark, for joining me
today. That was a lot ofinformation and a lot to a lot
to digest, for sure.
Unknown (38:27):
Absolutely. Well, thank you, Chrissy. And I appreciate
you spending the time and alwaysfun to talk a little bit about
what has happened is going tohappen in the future at New
Holland. So I appreciate thetime.
Chrissy Wozniak (38:37):
Absolutely. And thanks to anyone everyone that's
listening. If you want to learnmore links are provided in the
show notes and don't forget tosubscribe to what color is your
tractor and North American Eggspotlight on YouTube rumble
telegram egg these channels andthe podcast is available on
Spotify, Apple, Stitcher, Amazonor wherever you listen to
podcasts and have a great day.
Thanks so much for listening towhat color's your tractor. I
(39:02):
hope you learned something newabout the brand you love or
hate. If you're a manufacturerwho would like to apply to be
featured on this show, pleasevisit What color is your
tractor.com/contact and fill outthe form
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