Deere to Acquire Brazilian Aftermarket Parts Maker Unimil
Deere & Co. has signed an agreement to acquire Unimil, a privately held Brazilian company in the aftermarket service parts business for sugarcane harvesters.
"The decision to acquire this company in the aftermarket parts business emphasizes our commitment to customers," said Cory Reed, president of Deere's Worldwide Agriculture and Turf Division in the Americas. "Unimil has earned the confidence of customers in the sugarcane parts business by providing excellent service and products."
Unimil, located in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, was founded in 1999 and has become a well-recognized provider of sugarcane harvester parts. The company has approximately 430 employees. Brazil is the No. 1 supplier of sugarcane in the world, producing approximately one-third of the world's annual production and nearly twice as much as any other country.
Reed said the addition of Unimil further illustrates John Deere's commitment to the sugarcane business in Brazil and a commitment to making investments that help customers reduce their sugarcane production costs. Deere recently introduced a new sugarcane harvester that's designed to significantly reduce production costs.
Additionally, through JD Link, Deere offers connected support to maximize equipment up time and grower productivity. And now with Unimil, Deere will offer an expanded portfolio of parts with cost-effective solutions for customers.
Financial terms of the agreement are not being made public. Deere said the transaction requires customary regulatory review.
Deere’s last acquisition was also of a foreign company when it acquired PLA, a privately-held manufacturer of sprayers, planters and specialty products in Argentina in July of 2018.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.