EQUIPMENT NEWS

April 1, 1999
Deere Faces Extended Plant Shutdowns A predicted 25 percent decline in North American retail demand for farm equipment during the year has prompted Deere

Deere Faces Extended Plant Shutdowns A predicted 25 percent decline in North American retail demand for farm equipment during the year has prompted Deere & Co. to extend summer plant shutdowns by up to five weeks.

The increased level of inventory owned by Deere and in dealer showrooms, combined with a 75 percent drop in first-quarter profits from the previous year, led to the additional shutdowns, according to the Moline, Ill.-based company.

For three weeks in May and two weeks at the end of July, the 1,400 employees at the Harvester Works plant in East Moline, Ill., will be out of work, in addition to its annual two-week shutdown.

The 280-employee Seeding Group in Moline will close for the month of May, while Deere's cotton harvesting equipment plant in Des Moines, Iowa, will shut down for four separate weeks during the summer.

New Grove Manlift President Takes Office Aerial work platform manufacturer Grove Manlift's new president, Don Manvel, took office last month. Manvel joined the Shady Grove, Pa., company after 27 years with Chrysler Corp., most recently as president of Chrysler of Venezuela, where he was responsible for the entire operation, including sales, marketing and manufacturing. He also served in executive capacities in Europe and the United States for several years.

Although Manvel is new to the aerial industry, he is confident that his years with Chrysler will benefit him in his new position. "I see some definite parallels between the automotive industry and the aerial industry," Manvel told RER. "I'm hoping to bring a lot of the knowledge I gained in that industry to this one."

Grove Worldwide chairman Sam Bonanno, who is guiding the company through re-structuring and strategic changes in the United States and Europe, said Manvel's experience in a variety of capacities, with particular strength in operations, will help Grove Manlift develop a more aggressive approach to the rental market.

MacDonald Buys Rights to Thor Breakers Thor Tools' breakers will now be manufactured by MacDonald Air Tool Corp., South Hackensack, N.J., which recently bought the patent rights to the Scotland-based company's line.

MacDonald, a manufacturer of paving breakers, rock drills, demolition pickers, rivet busters, long pole scalers and a variety of other air tools, will round out its product offerings with the acquisition of Thor's 60- and 90-pound-class breakers, says John Tolan, MacDonald sales manager.

AEL's Haberberger to Retire American Equipment Leasing has hired Lloyd Spalding, who worked in the construction rental finance industry for more than 25 years, to succeed CEO Art Haberberger, who will retire from the company later this month.

Spalding was one of the founders of ABN Amro Leasing, a sister company of AEL, based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and also served as vice president of the industrial equipment division for John Deere Credit Canada.

Haberberger joined former AEL parent Horrigan America in 1963 and founded American Equipment Leasing in 1968, becoming president and CEO of the Reading, Pa.-based firm in 1972.

Bradco to Distribute Talet Attachment Lines ATI Global's Bradco division has agreed to distribute products from Talet Equipment International, Strathmore, Alberta, Canada, throughout North and South America under its ATI Bradco label.

The new line of skid-steer and telescopic handler attachments will accompany the backhoe, trencher and auger attachments manufactured by Dehli, Iowa-based Bradco.