John Deere Construction appoints new dealers in Oz

From May 1, 2019, John Deere’s range of construction and forestry machinery will be distributed and serviced by its newly appointed dealers - RDO Equipment which will be in charge of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory; and AFGRI Equipment covering Western Australia.

This comes as John Deere Construction & Forestry and Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) Pty Ltd. (HCA) agreed to end their 29 year distribution arrangement of Deere branded and manufactured construction, forestry, and compact machinery in Australia.

“John Deere Construction & Forestry Company (Deere) and Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (Hitachi) have a long and successful global partnership spanning multiple continents and product lines," said Dan Fitzpatrick, global director of construction & forestry sales outside of the Americas.

"This partnership served both companies well and supported each company's global growth over the multi-decade relationship.”

“John Deere Limited, HCA, RDO Equipment and AFGRI are committed to working together to ensure this transition has minimal impact on customers' access to machines, parts, and/or service," Fitzpatrick said.

"Similarly, John Deere Limited, HCA, RDO Equipment and AFGRI are committed to smoothly transitioning customers who have existing agreements and service contracts with HCA. We believe this change in distribution will allow both companies to increase focus on their respective brands and provide a world class experience to customers across Australia."

AFGRI Australia Chairman of the Board, Patrick Roux, said the appointment is thanks to the relationship that AFGRI has established with John Deere spanning 56 years.

He said the deal marks a new phase of growth and investment for AFGRI Equipment, which has mainly focused on agricultural machinery until now.

“Western Australia is experiencing a good level of infrastructure development and construction activity, which AFGRI Equipment is eager to tap into to increase market share,” he said.

“We will endeavour to look after the construction and forestry customers to the best of our ability, backed by our strong track record and a proven commitment to Western Australia.  We aim to bring the same passion we have for the agricultural sector to the construction and forestry equipment ranges.”