This week New Holland invited ag journalists to its company headquarters in New Holland, Pa., to formally announce its plan to rejuvenate the company. 

New Holland Vice President Abe Hughes says the company has long been known for its hay and forage line, which he says is the largest in the industry. Now the company wants to make its mark in other markets, including the North American large-acreage row-crop segment.

“For the past two years we’ve been rejuvenating New Holland,” Hughes says. “Now we’re ready to tell our story publically and bring the company back in the game as the leading brand that it is.”

New Holland Agriculture is a division of CNH Global and a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. Hughes says in the last 10 years, since the Case IH buyout, the New Holland brand has struggled to get full-line attention. That started to change in the last two years, when the company hired a new management staff with a commitment to sustain growth. It laid out a 12-point plan that entailed aggressive product development and improving the quality of its dealers and supporting services.

The company has launched more than a dozen products in the last 18 months to support its market expansion plans. New products have included new high-horsepower row-crop tractors, combines, and self-propelled sprayers. The remaining product gaps are planters and tillage equipment, which New Holland plans to fill in the near future.

New partnerships also have been formed. In 2011, New Holland partnered with Trimble to develop a full line of precision-farming products. “We’ve only reached the tip of the iceberg in terms of product offerings there,” Hugh says. “There are hundreds of other products to be developed beyond guidance.

 “I’m happy to say we’re back in the game, and the whole team is going for the gold,” says Hughes while quoting a recent rise in stock prices. More details of the plan will be announced later today.