Made in China

[gamble77]

For the guy that is going to use his machine 100hrs a year these type of "no-frills" machines are perfect. Global manufacturing is just the age we live in guys...the issue with these machines in the past has been dealer support/warranty/and parts availability and with names like Kubota and Mahindra now backing these machines those issues are all but taken care of! Expect to see more and more of this, and not just in the tractor world.

 

[Builder]

Steering back on topic.... We have discussed this at length here with some pretty stout opinions, but what about Kubota's announcement that they will import a lower costing compact from Thailand for 2009? It appears that the main focus of these will be Thailand and Japan, but they do intend to bring them to North America and Europe as well. If we talk about this in the Kubota section will they be the punching bag that Mahindra has been over this? I know nothing about the Thailand exports compared to China and maybe they don't compare, but they are making the same move Mahindra is in trying to bring a lower cost machine in for the guy that only cares about price.

Japan is going through the same problems as we are in the USA. Like us, they also have a cripling high corp income tax rate that forces them to locate overseas.

 

[Builder]

For the guy that is going to use his machine 100hrs a year these type of "no-frills" machines are perfect. Global manufacturing is just the age we live in guys...the issue with these machines in the past has been dealer support/warranty/and parts availability and with names like Kubota and Mahindra now backing these machines those issues are all but taken care of! Expect to see more and more of this, and not just in the tractor world.

I agree 100% as long as they are not the same ones who return later complaining of lack of resale value or dealer support. Purchasers of these units need to know upfront they may not be there when they need them.

 

[UncleBuck01]

Steering back on topic.... We have discussed this at length here with some pretty stout opinions, but what about Kubota's announcement that they will import a lower costing compact from Thailand for 2009? It appears that the main focus of these will be Thailand and Japan, but they do intend to bring them to North America and Europe as well. If we talk about this in the Kubota section will they be the punching bag that Mahindra has been over this? I know nothing about the Thailand exports compared to China and maybe they don't compare, but they are making the same move Mahindra is in trying to bring a lower cost machine in for the guy that only cares about price.

rback33
Are you talking about this article:

[SIZE=-1] "Kubota to Export Low-Priced Tractors Made in New Thai Plant"

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tokyo, Dec 28, 2007 (Jiji Press) - [/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kubota Corp. plans to export low-priced tractors manufactured at its new plant in Thailand, which is scheduled to start operation in 2009, to neighboring countries, the United States and Europe, according to President Daisuke Hatakake.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hatakake said in a recent interview with Jiji Press that the major Japanese farm equipment maker also plans to supply cast iron pipes produced at its joint venture in India, which was launched this year, to African and Asian markets.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The company earlier this year announced its entry into the Thai market due to expected demand from the country and neighbors such as Vietnam, where rice cultivation is being rapidly mechanized.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hatakake said Kubota's tractor sales in Thailand are expected to surpass those in Japan by volume as early as next year.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Suggesting an intention to make the Thai plant a production foothold in the company's Asian business, Hatakake said Asian markets are seen as promising for Kubota due to potential demand for Japanese rice-cropping equipment and large-scale rice fields that are more than three times the size of those in Japan.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kubota will need to reinforce its facilities in Thailand in the future and the company is eyeing the possibility of establishing a sales company in a neighboring country such as Vietnam, Hatakake said.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kubota expects to export inexpensive tractors made in Thailand to the United States and Europe, in order to come out on top in fierce competition with low-priced products from India and China, he said.[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]On the cast iron pipe operations, Kubota is set to shift its focus from Japan to overseas markets, the president suggested, citing inadequate water infrastructure in the Middle East and Asia outside Japan. The company intends to meet rapidly growing demand in India, while making forays into African and other Asian markets, he said.

[/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]

Article Date: 12-28-2007
Source: JCN Network

Here is the link for this article, the [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Associated Equipment Distributors,

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] Kubota to Export Low-Priced Tractors Made in New Thai Plant

Just let me repeat the most important part of the article:

"[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kubota expects to export inexpensive tractors made in Thailand to the United States and Europe, in order to come out on top in fierce competition with low-priced products from India and China, he said."

[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] DON'T expect too much outrage about this, I have noticed there are brands that CAN NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG.
Then there are brands that CAN NOT DO ANYTHING RIGHT
Guess what brands fit in each catergory





[/SIZE]

 

[LMTC]

For the guy that is going to use his machine 100hrs a year these type of "no-frills" machines are perfect. Global manufacturing is just the age we live in guys...the issue with these machines in the past has been dealer support/warranty/and parts availability and with names like Kubota and Mahindra now backing these machines those issues are all but taken care of! Expect to see more and more of this, and not just in the tractor world.

Re: the parts availability---I think there are still many potential issues. Try to find parts for for the Hinomoto and Iskei manufactured Massey and Agco tractors of 15-20 years ago. There is not a good, nor current, supply chain in this country, and many of the parts are NA anywhere to my knowledge. Yet I bet every one of the customers thought, "Hey, it's Massey", or "It's Agco, they'll be around". And they are, but they no longer market tractors from those manufacturers and do not have consistent parts supplies. Do some searches for the early JD compacts....650-750, etc.....the ones that made the JD compact line famous. We sell parts to some JD dealers, because they are no longer available through the JD supply line. From what I understand at least with Mahindra it is a bit different in that they actually own the plant, rather than having contracted a tractor to be built. Still...buy wisely, Grasshopper.....a name is not always what it seems.

Supply and Demand is what makes manufacturers build parts, and 15 years from now it is unlikely anyone will build parts for a model/unit that is in small numbers in the marketplace. The aftermarket parts for the grey market yanmars is at least as good as most manufacturer's lines for anything that age, and better than most. Why? Demand. There are likely over 50,000, maybe double that, of them in the US marketplace, with a high degree of interchangeability among the models for parts. Thus making parts for them is profitable; thus someone makes parts for them. When it is no longer necessary to support a model with parts to bolster new sales (i.e. that model is replaced), the parts availability well down the road will be in direct proportion to how many units are in the marketplace.

 

[UncleBuck01]

[SIZE=-1] Article Date: 12-28-2007
Source: JCN Network

Here is the link for this article, the [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Associated Equipment Distributors,

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] Kubota to Export Low-Priced Tractors Made in New Thai Plant

Just let me repeat the most important part of the article:

"[/SIZE][SIZE=-1][FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Kubota expects to export inexpensive tractors made in Thailand to the United States and Europe, in order to come out on top in fierce competition with low-priced products from India and China, he said."

[/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=-1] DON'T expect too much outrage about this, I have noticed there are brands that CAN NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG.
Then there are brands that CAN NOT DO ANYTHING RIGHT
Guess what brands fit in each catergory

[/SIZE]

Wow
this thread has gotten quiet, maybe everybody realizes their own brand of the big 3 is positioning themselves to do the the same thing Mahindra is doing Here is another article for everybody to think about, with link.

John Deere

2007 News Releases and Information

DEERE & COMPANY TO ACQUIRE CHINESE TRACTOR COMPANY; EXPAND PRODUCT LINE

MOLINE, IL (June 8, 2007) Deere & Company, the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment, said today that it plans to expand small tractor manufacturing in China by acquiring the Ningbo Benye Tractor & Automobile Manufacture Co. Ltd. business, located in Ningbo in southern China. Deere said it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the Benye business and is seeking final review of the transaction by government approval authorities in China. Through the acquisition, Deere will expand the product line offered to Chinese farmers and enhance its worldwide capacity to produce low horsepower tractors. Benye mainly builds tractors in the 20 to 50 horsepower range while Deere currently builds tractors in the 60 to 120 horsepower range at its current China joint venture tractor factory, located in Tianjin. "Our objective is to distinctly serve those who work the land," said Robert W. Lane, chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company. "The acquisition of Benye will allow us to better serve customers in China with a more complete product line, as well as to provide tractors from China to other locations in the world. This action is an example that John Deere continues to seek opportunities for global growth." Deere has provided products and services to the China agricultural market since 1976 and has manufactured equipment in China since 1997, when it entered a joint venture to build combines at a factory at Jiamusi. The Jiamusi operation is now wholly撲wned and the company also manufactures tractors at a joint venture, John Deere Tiantuo Co., Ltd. Benye, which was started in 1955, is the largest tractor manufacturer in southern China. It has a new manufacturing facility that covers 200,000 square meters, which includes research and development, manufacturing, and marketing. While 95 percent of the company's current revenues come from sales within China, the company has exported tractors to 70 countries worldwide. "We do have an ambition to grow both our domestic and export market in China," said David Everitt, president of Deere's Agricultural Division in North America, Australia, Asia, and for Global Tractor and Implement Sourcing. "Our decision to acquire Benye provides us an excellent opportunity to align with a high quality manufacturer of tractors in a horsepower range important to our customers." Additionally, Everitt said, there is a growing demand for smaller tractors in China because of the increasing mechanization by rice farmers. Deere anticipates that farmers with less powerful equipment will be upgrading to machines in the 20 to 50 horsepower range built by Benye. Everitt said Deere expects to leverage Benye's product range and manufacturing capacity for sales into other Asian, African, and CIS markets. Financial details of the expected acquisition were not made public. However, Deere did report that it will create a wholly撲wned subsidiary named John Deere Ningbo Agricultural Machinery Co. Ltd. to manage the business. The transaction is expected to close later this year. John Deere (Deere & Company - NYSE: DE) is the world's leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe.

 

[Builder]

If you read that piece thoroughly, it sounds like 95% of the building of JD tractors in China is aimed at Chinese & other Aisian markets, not the USA.

 

[rback33]

If you read that piece thoroughly, it sounds like 95% of the building of JD tractors in China is aimed at Chinese & other Aisian markets, not the USA.

That is actually true for most of the brands that are doing it. The low cost export to the U.S. is a great byproduct of their acquisitions.

 

[UncleBuck01]

If you read that piece thoroughly, it sounds like 95% of the building of JD tractors in China is aimed at Chinese & other Aisian markets, not the USA.

For Now, but for how long ?
Kind of like what Mahindra did, when they bought that chinese factory 3 years ago, and now is going to test market a low cost 25 hp model this year. It will happen , just a matter of how soon

P.S. 100% - 95% = 5% ,where is the other 5% going ?

 

[Builder]

For Now, but for how long ?
Kind of like what Mahindra did, when they bought that chinese factory 3 years ago, and now is going to test market a low cost 25 hp model this year. It will happen , just a matter of how soon

Absolutely!

"P.S. 100% - 95% = 5% ,where is the other 5% going ?

Africa? That's my best guess. They need real cheap equipment bad.

I haven't seen one here in the USA, yet.