- The Belgian Minister for Employment, Monica De Coninck, and the Mayor of Antwerp, Bart De
Wever visited New Holland Tractor in Antwerp today for a firsthand 'Agriculture
Experience'. New Holland Tractor Antwerp is a manufacturing
facility that produces rear axles and transmissions for tractors
from New Holland Agriculture, a CNH Industrial brand, which employs
3,769 people in Belgium.
ANTWERP, Belgium, April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Holland
Agriculture celebrated an important milestone in Belgium today, marking 50 years of operations
at its Antwerp facility: New
Holland Tractor.
Originally established in 1930 as a car assembly factory by
Ford, the Antwerp site was
transformed into a tractor plant in 1964 where it manufactured
complete tractors. Since 1996, the site's operational focus has
been shifted to the production and assembly of rear axles and
transmissions for New Holland tractors. At present, more than 100
drivelines are produced daily. These are then sent on to New
Holland's plant in Basildon (UK) to be installed into the finished
tractors.
Monica De Coninck, the Belgian
Minister for Employment, and Bart De
Wever, the Mayor of Antwerp
were the guests of honour for today's celebrations. After an
introductory session, the invitees were guided onto the shop floor
where Minister De Coninck addressed the facility's employees,
congratulating New Holland Tractor on its Golden Jubilee. Following her speech, employees
presented the Minister with a commemorative souvenir. Minister De
Coninck and Mayor De Wever were later treated to a demonstration of
the New Holland T6 and T7 tractors where both had the opportunity
to test drive them.
"We at New Holland Tractor are very proud of this anniversary.
This is, first and foremost, a celebration of our fantastic team of
over 1,000 employees. The effort and know-how of our people, the
innovation in both products and in processes and the desire to
become even better, have made this plant what it is today. It was a
pleasure to host Minister De Coninck and Mayor De Wever and to
answer their many interesting questions on our operations," said
Plant Manager Luc Thysen on the
anniversary and visit.
"The strength of a company like New Holland Tractor lies in the
cooperation between the management and the employees to deliver top
quality, as well as in the cooperation with the government and
socioeconomic partners. The formation of employees, the quality of
their work and their motivation can also make the difference. A
clear company vision is essential to have everybody working
together to reach the same goal and to reach the top. And this is
what I can see happening here in Antwerp," commented Minister De Coninck during
her speech.
In his closing speech, Mayor De Wever emphasised the importance
of New Holland's industrial activity in the area: "New Holland
Tractor and its predecessors have been a solid employer for more
than 80 years in the harbour of Antwerp. We acknowledge the fact that they
continue to invest in our city and region and offer employment
opportunities to thousands of residents."
The New Holland Tractor facility in Antwerp received a bronze award from the World
Class Manufacturing program, an innovative methodology used
throughout CNH Industrial which focuses on improving efficiency and
productivity at manufacturing facilities.
Including Antwerp, New Holland
Agriculture has two manufacturing facilities in Belgium, the other being in Zedelgem. The
strength of the Zedelgem plant is the combination of expertise in
design, development and manufacturing. In the last four years the
product development and engineering workforce has almost doubled,
making this facility the biggest R&D centre in Flanders. The
New Holland brand is number one in the sales of tractors, combine
harvesters and big balers in Belgium and welcomed over 8,000 visitors to
the Zedelgem plant and Customer Centre in 2013.
In addition to these manufacturing facilities, CNH Industrial
also has a commercial office in Brussels for its truck and commercial vehicles
brand Iveco and its bus and coach brand Iveco Bus. In total, the
Group employs 3,769 people in Belgium.
CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI:
CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with
established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a
worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the
Group is a major international force in its specific industrial
sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and
agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth
moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and
Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and
construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco
Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT
Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be
found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com
For more information on New Holland Agriculture in
Belgium, contact:
Lode Vande Vyvere
Tel. +32 496 196 617
Email: lode.vandevyvere@newholland.com
Diederik Pattyn
Tel. +32 51 33 54 00
Email: diederik.pattyn@artex.be
For more information on CNH Industrial, contact:
Alessia Domanico
Tel: +44 (0)1268 292 992
Email: mediarelations@cnhind.com
www.cnhindustrial.com