100 Years of Harvesting Excellence at Zedelgem

100 Years of Harvesting Excellence at Zedelgem

September 22, 2006

    ZEDELGEM, Belgium, Sept. 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- New
Holland, a brand leader in the agricultural equipment
business and part of the Fiat Group, is celebrating 100
years of harvesting innovation and production excellence at
its Zedelgem manufacturing plant in Belgium with a two-month
programme of activities. 

    The official programme started with an International
Opening Session, on September 21, when New Holland's
management team shared the plant's historic achievements
and plans for the future with its guests, which included
representatives from dealers, suppliers, as well as local
authorities.

    "A centenary is a significant milestone in the
life of a company, something to be proud of; but, despite
our remarkable age, we still consider ourselves to be very
young," stated Linda Knoll, Executive Vice President
Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing.

    Zedelgem's position as New Holland's harvesting centre
is testimony of the experience and reputation for design
excellence and high build quality that the plant has
acquired over time.  Ninety-eight percent of the combines,
balers and self-propelled forage harvesters coming from its
production lines are exported. New Holland is employing more
than 2,800 people in Belgium, with almost 2,000 in Zedelgem
itself, and providing work for hundreds more suppliers. It
is a powerful relationship dating back to 1906, when Leon
Claeys started his company to produce stationary threshers.
His mission to find innovative solutions to make the work of
farmers easier and their businesses more profitable is true
of Zedelgem to this day. Since then Zedelgem has been
responsible for a host of technical innovations and
benchmark machinery, with many new patents to its name. The
first European self-propelled combine, the MZ, was launched
in 1952 to widespread acclaim. In the 1970's and 1980's,
many industry-defining new features were introduced to
combining, such as the rotary separator and the
self-levelling cleaning shoe. By 2002, New Holland achieved
full automation on our CX and CR combines. The launch of the
CX combine in 2002 changed the way combines look today.

    Marco Mazzu, President New Holland Agricultural
equipment, added, "With 1 European combine out of 4
and being number one in the world and in Europe for big
balers, it is clear that Zedelgem and the people who work
there play an important role in the future growth of the
brand.  Focussing on customers' needs, the passion for
innovation and highest quality has lived with us through
100 years of technological development and leadership, but
we are still very young and growing. Zedelgem is a mix of
state-of-the-art technology, drive for quality and
innovation and a real belief in service. This mix led to
100 years of success and will form the base for the success
of the next century."  

    Notes to editors

    New Holland's reputation is built on the success of our
customers, cash crop producers, livestock farmers,
contractors, vineyards, or groundscare professionals. They
can count on the widest offering of innovative products and
services: a full line of equipment, from tractors to
harvesting, material handling equipment, complemented by
tailored financial services from a specialist in
agriculture.  A highly professional global dealer network
and New Holland's commitment to excellence guarantees the
ultimate customer experience for every customer. For more
information on New Holland visit http://www.newholland.com
.  New Holland is a brand of CNH Global N.V. (NYSE: CNH), a
global leader in agricultural and construction equipment and
financial services.

    For more information, please contact:

     Silvia Cassani
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Silvia Ortiz
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  New Holland