In the US, high-profile figures from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) have paid a visit to the White House, as part of “ongoing engagement with the Trump administration”.
AEM officers and staff met with Vice President Mike Pence to “discuss how to work together to advance pro-manufacturing policies”.
Deere & Co’s John Lagemann (the AEM board chairperson) reportedly expressed the industry’s strong support for the administration’s efforts to address China’s “unfair trade practices”.
He also outlined the long-term negative impact of (Section 232 and Section 301) tariffs on the equipment manufacturing industry. He urged the administration to conclude a trade deal with China as soon as possible.
Other key people involved in the meeting included Steve Berglund (Trimble), Bob Crain (AGCO) and Leif Magnusson (Claas) – all from major agricultural equipment/technology manufacturers.
The vice president reportedly highlighted how the Trump administration has “cut 12 federal regulations for every new federal rule put on the books”. He also emphasised President Trump’s “commitment to rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring that [the US] has the best workforce in the world”.
During the meeting, the vice president also touched on taxes, the 2018 Farm Bill and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
US (AEM) tractor sales
In related news, recent sales data from the AEM shows that all machine categories recorded “year-to-date growth as 2018 closed out”.
Source: Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
The latest report shows that 154,994 new tractors in the under-40hp category were sold in the US last year. That was up 9.2% on the figure for 2017 (141,913).
60,163 new tractors in the 40-100hp category were sold. That was up 1.5% on the figure for 2017 (59,249).
Meanwhile, 17,958 new tractors were sold in the 100hp-and-over category. That was up 5.5% on the figure for 2017 (17,016).
Looking at 4WD tractors, 2,741 new tractors were sold last year. That was up 12.9% on the figure for 2017 (2,427).
Bear in mind that, in the US (in this context), the term ‘4WD tractor’ refers to big, articulated-chassis, equal-sized wheel tractors.
