Deere Finalizes Acquisition of Road Construction Giant Wirtgen Group

Deere & Co. has completed its acquisition of the Wirtgen Group, the leading manufacturer of road construction equipment, the company said.

Michael Roth

Dec. 2, 2017

Wirtgen remotecontrolled equipment at World of Concrete 2016 in Las Vegas — Wirtgen remote-controlled equipment at World of Concrete 2016 in Las Vegas.

Deere & Co. has completed its acquisition of the Wirtgen Group, the leading manufacturer of road construction equipment, the company said. In June, Deere announced a definitive agreement to acquire the international, privately held company.

“The Wirtgen Group will enhance the size, scale and stature of our construction equipment business and will help Deere continue its global growth,” said Samuel Allen, Deere chairman and CEO.

The Wirtgen Group has a global footprint with about 8,200 employees and sells products in more than 100 countries through a large network of company-owned and independent dealers. Wirtgen’s product portfolio is complementary to Deere’s existing construction equipment offering and dramatically enhances Deere’s market share in road construction equipment. The Wirtgen Group has brands across the spectrum of road construction equipment spanning milling, processing, mixing, paving, compaction and rehabilitation.

Allen said the acquisition aligns with Deere’s long-term strategy to expand in both agriculture and construction, the company’s two global growth businesses.

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.