Underground Construction - October 2021 - 46

BUSINESSLATEST INDUSTRY NEWS
John Deere and Hitachi Dissolve Joint Venture Agreements
we remain committed to supporting our customers of today and
tomorrow, " said John Stone, president of John Deere Construction &
Forestry Division and Power Systems.
" Looking to the future, John Deere will build on our legacy of quality and
LEFT: Hitachi's effi cient and versatile medium-sized excavators - ZX250, ZX300 and
ZX350 - are capable of reducing running costs and increasing profi ts. RIGHT: John
Deere evolves its technology portfolio with problem-solving Precision Construction.
John Deere and Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) are ending their
joint-venture manufacturing and marketing agreements in the Americas.
Mutually successful for many years, the agreements started with a
supply relationship in the early 1960s. The companies established their fi rst
manufacturing joint venture, in 1988, to produce excavators in Kernersville, NC.
That expanded, in 1998, to include forestry swing machines in Langley,
British Columbia, Canada, and, in 2011, to excavator manufacturing at the
Indaiatuba, Brazil, factory. Another agreement, in 2001, combined the
companies' marketing and distribution eff orts in the Americas.
When dissolved - Feb. 28, 2022, pending required regulatory approvals
and other customary closing conditions - the companies will enter into
new license and supply agreements.
For John Deere, these changes enable continued sourcing, manufacturing
and distribution of its current lineup of branded excavators in the Americas.
Eff ective at the end of February next year, John Deere will acquire the
three joint-venture factories and continue manufacturing the construction
and forestry excavators it had been producing there but discontinue production
of Hitachi-branded excavators.
Under a new supply agreement with Hitachi, John Deere will off er
a full portfolio of excavators. Also, John Deere will end its marketing
arrangement for Hitachi-branded construction excavators and mining
equipment in the Americas.
" As we turn the page to a new chapter of Deere-designed excavators,
In Memoriam
James (Jim) E. Bielawa,
founder and president of
Century Products Inc,
died Feb. 28, 2021, at age 85.
Bielawa was a Navy veteran who co-founded
Century Products, with his wife, Nancy, near
Milwaukee, Wisc., in 1982. Beginning as a wholesale
distributor of plastic pipe, fi ttings and valves, by
2000, the company expanded to designing and
manufacturing downhole drilling tools for the
horizontal directional drilling Industry.
Bielawa served as president for 39 years. Along
with building Century Products' reputation within
the industry of developing the strongest and most
reliable hole openers in North America, he is revered
as a mentor to countless colleagues and employees.
In 2001, he became CEO and his son, Todd, took
over daily operations as president.
46 OCTOBER 2021 | UCONonline.com
productivity and accelerate development of industry-leading technology and
machinery that answers the fundamental need for smarter, safer, and more
sustainable construction. "
Hitachi is also excited about a new chapter.
Beginning in Spring 2022, Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders
America, Inc. (HCMA) will assume distribution and support for all Hitachibranded
products and services in the Americas.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Hitachi Construction
Machinery (HCM), HCMA was established in 2018, with its North America
headquarters in Newman, Ga.
" HCM, through HCMA, will be able to better determine its own destiny
in the Americas with its own business strategies, improved products and
services, and updated technologies, all provided through a revamped and
strengthened distribution network, " said Alan Quinn, CEO of HCMA.
New equipment and products to be introduced starting Spring 2022
will be designed to increase effi ciency and safety while lowering total cost
of ownership. Another goal is to improve and extend usage of innovative
technologies in predictive analytics, IoT, telematics, fl eet management and
uptime services, for optimum performance and productivity.
" We have an ambitious plan for the future, and we are focused on
dynamically responding to the needs of our customers and the quickly
changing nature of the equipment market, " Quinn added. *
FOR MORE INFORMATION
John Deere, (844) 809-1508, johndeere.com
Hitachi Construction Machinery Loaders America Inc.,
(800) 426-5076, hitachicm.us
Hitachi Construction Machinery, +81 (0) 3-5826-8100, hitachi.com
" It is my dad, who taught me how to conduct
business with integrity being of the utmost importance
..., " said Todd Bielawa. " He was a rock when it
came to making tough decisions. "
Reynold King Watkins, P.E.,
Ph.D., a pioneer in the research
and engineering of underground
structures and
advancement of pipeline
technology, died August 30,
near Brigham City, Utah, at the age of 101.
Reynold obtained degrees in Civil Engineering
from the University of Utah (B.S. in 1944), Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (M.S. in 1947) and
Iowa State University (Ph.D. in 1957), where he studied
buried structures under his close mentor, Merlin
Grant Spangler, known as the father of modern
fl exible buried pipe design. He was a naval offi cer in
World War II (landing ships), retiring as Commander
US Naval Reserve.
As a faculty member at Utah State University for
over 60 years, he developed an improved mathematical
formula used in pipe design and directed
courses and published extensively on the structural
performance of buried pipes.
During his USU career, he was associate director
of the Engineering Experiment Station, head of the
mechanical engineering department, and founder
and fi rst director of the Buried Structures Laboratory.
In addition, he served on state and national
engineering committees and as consultant to
manufacturers, engineers, and users of buried pipes
and tanks, both nationally and internationally.
He was also recognized by numerous industry
accolades, including inaugural recipient (1999) of
the Reynold K. Watkins Award for lifetime achievement
in the research and design of buried pipes by
the Pipe Rehabilitation Council. *
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Underground Construction - October 2021

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