Even tractors aren't made here anymore!

[Tesha]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Tractors

So we're watching the British Grand Prix race and on comes an
advertisement for Mahindra Tractors. "Mahindra..." I said to
myself; that sounds Indian. And indeed it is. Here they are
advertising tractors to middle America; you know, those
salt of the earth folks in fly-over country who hate immigration
and globalization, but I'll bet when they're offered a cheaper
tractor they'll be right on it.

It'll be interesting to see how Mahindra does against the
American stalwarts like John Deere, Case IH, and others.

Tesha

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. The corporate farms

won't give a shit where the trators were made.

In the rural farming area where I was raised - and where some of my family members continue to farm - small family farmers usually can't afford big fancy new tractors. They mostly buy used tractors because it's what they can afford. And they use them for decades. I went to a farm auction a few years back where two 1939 tractors were sold - and those two small tractors were still being used.

[Warpy]

2. I remember when the street was being dug up for new sewer lines

25 years ago. There was heavy equipment made in the USA and heavy equipment made in Korea.

The US made stuff was bouncing all over the place and had to be absolutely miserable to run and could conceivably have injured the operator just from the constant impacts. The Korean stuff was rock stable and did the same job.

I'd say US manufacturers have cut enough corners over the years that they now make the inferior products.

It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach 25 years ago. That feeling has only gotten worse over the years as I've seen things go from bad to worse.

[Brickbat]

3. Everyone else is "right on it" when offered a cheaper product made elsewhere,

why not the "salt of the earth folks in fly-over country who hate immigration and globalization"?

[eShirl]

6. Well, aren't they supposed to be the only Real Americans?

:sarcasm:

[rrneck]

4. John Deere tractors

at least the small ones, are made, I believe, in South Korea.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. John Deere partnered with Hitachi in the late 80's or early 90's with

Japan and others with their excavators (Hitachi) dozers, not sure and small farm tractors... One hand washed the other at that time, engines were sent to Japan to be installed in dozers, Hitachi made the excavator line and so on.

Today JD owns a large part of Hitachi heavy industries if memory serves... and so it goes.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Deere has plants all over the world.

Here's a map of just the US operations;

http://www.deere.com/en_US/deerecom/media/pdf/johndeere_worldwide/uslocations.pdf

Here's one of their entire worldwide operations;

http://www.deere.com/en_US/deerecom/media/pdf/johndeere_worldwide/worldwidelocations.pdf

[The Straight Story]

5. Low Inventory Angers John Deere Customers

Low Inventory Angers John Deere Customers
Some farmers bolt as recovery catches the equipment maker short

Jay Armstrong just broke a 50-year family tradition at his Kansas farm: He bought his first major piece of equipment that's not a John Deere brand. The Italian-made corn harvesting combine attachment Armstrong ordered from Dragotec USA will arrive in May. The same $59,000 part from Deere (DE) wouldn't have been delivered until August. "I used to be blind to all colors but green and yellow," he says. "My color blindness is now gone."

In recent years, Deere has been focusing on becoming a build-to-order company. That bolstered prices and profit because keeping smaller stockpiles on hand reduces the amount of materials and working capital a company needs. But production cuts and the tightest inventories in the industry have led to a shortage of Deere equipment as the farm economy is strengthening. And that's pushing customers such as Armstrong toward competitors.

Deere shrank its inventory 28% in the 12 months ended on Jan. 31. As a percentage of sales in the most recent reported 12 months, Deere's inventory was just 12.3%, the lowest among 15 farm and construction equipment makers, including Agco (AGCO) and Caterpillar (CAT). Fewer products have big implications for the company's dealers. "It means I am losing market share," says Larry Southard, co-owner of a central Iowa dealership that gets 90% of its sales from Deere gear. He figures his dealership's sales would be up to 20% higher this year if it had enough inventory to meet customer demand and products were shipped more quickly. "I suspect we can lose at least half a dozen deals a month," Southard says.

One reason: A farmer who recently has ordered a tractor for crops such as corn and soybeans, which are harvested starting in September, may not be able to get the equipment until December or January, he says.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_18/b4176029906771.htm

[izquierdista]

10. But it bolsters price and profit

Because an accountant is immune to things like "market share". Just ask ol' Roger Smith.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. Unrecc'd for sensationalist nonsense.

Your subject line is misleading and absurd.

No tractors are made here any more, huh? Better tell that to all the John Deere, IH, Caterpillar and every other worker in the industry who is going to drive to work on Monday only to find their plants don't exist.

[Tesha]

11. I didn't say "No tractors are made here any more"; you made that up.

But thanks for trying to side-track the thread.

Tesha

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. You're right. You didn't say "No". You said "Even tractors aren't made here anymore"

And since English is my language and I'm pretty good at it, that sentence has the connotation that NO tractors are made here anymore.

As in, "We don't make TV's or Toasters here anymore. Even tractors aren't made here anymore"

Not side tracking. Just pointing out the obvious. Your thread title is misleading and inaccurate.

[TheFarseer]

13. They won't do well until

farmers know they can get service after the sale. Farm machinery is constantly breaking down and there needs to be dealerships nearby so you can get your stuff worked on and up and running. It's not as easy as buying a beach towel off the internet and that's the end of the buyer-seller relationship.