formerly called gleaner allis corporation allis gleaner corporation type public traded as nyse agco industry manufacturer predecessor allis chalmers 1909 1985 deutz allis 1985 1990 founded 1990 headquarters duluth georgia united states area served worldwide key people martin h. richenhagen president & ceo 1 products agricultural equipment tractors combines self propelled sprayers hay tools forage equipment seeding & tillage equipment diesel engines list of brands services parts service finance revenue us 10.786 billion 2013 2 operating income us 610.3 million 2011 2 net income us 585.3 million 2011 2 total assets us 7.2572 billion 2011 2 total equity us 3.0312 billion 2011 2 number of employees 17 366 2011 2 website www.agcocorp.com agco corporation is an american agricultural equipment manufacturer based in duluth georgia united states . agco offers a line of tractors combines hay tools sprayers forage and tillage equipment which are distributed through more than 3 100 independent dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries worldwide . 3 contents 1 history 2 core brands 3 other brands 4 manufacturing locations 5 references 6 further reading 7 external links history edit hesston 5670 round baler in 2010 agco was established in 1990 when executives at deutz allis bought out deutz allis north american operations from the parent corporation khd kl ckner humboldt deutz a german company that owned the deutz fahr brand of agriculture equipment . khd had purchased portions of the allis chalmers agricultural equipment business five years earlier . 4 the company was first called gleaner allis corporation then rearranged to be allis gleaner corporation or agco . the deutz allis line of tractors were renamed agco allis and gleaner became a brand of its own for combines . the deutz allis brand continued in south america until 2001 when they were renamed agco allis . they continue in the lime green livery . in 2001 agco allis was renamed agco in north america . in march 1991 agco purchased the hesston corporation 5 6 gaining hay and forage equipment as well as technologies such as the grain auger used to unload grain quickly from combines invented in 1947 by lyle yost . 7 hesston had a 50 percent joint venture with case international now a part of cnh global . agco purchased the white tractor line from the allied corporation s white new idea company . 8 in 1993 agco purchased the remainder of white new idea 9 gaining new idea hay equipment and manure spreaders and white planters . white new idea had a large manufacturing plant operating in coldwater ohio usa . massey ferguson 6490 tractor in 2008 also in 1993 agco purchased the north american distribution rights to massey ferguson a worldwide agricultural equipment company . in 1994 they purchased mcconnell tractors 5 manufacturer of the large articulated massey ferguson tractors . agco developed the agcostar line of articulated tractors . later in 1994 the black machine line of planters was purchased . 1995 saw the purchase of the agequipment group 8 which manufactured tillage equipment and loaders under the glenco tye and farmhand brands . in 1996 acquisitions went international with the purchase of iochpe maxion in brazil . 5 this was the brazilian company that had rights to the massey ferguson brand and manufacturing in the region as well as the maxion brand of industrial equipment . this was also the year that agco purchased deutz argentina the number one leader of tractors in argentina . 9 also in 1996 agco purchased western combine corporation and portage manufacturing in canada . 10 western combine had previously purchased the assets of the massey combine corporation s combine operation which had been spun off by massey ferguson . fendt 930 vario tractor in 2009 1997 was the year of the major purchase of fendt in germany the leading german tractor company . 11 fendt is well known for its advanced technology . agco also acquired dronningborg industries in denmark the manufacturer of european massey ferguson combines and former manufacturer of dronningborg combines . 12 in 1998 agco made a joint venture with deutz ag to produce engines in argentina and purchased the spra coupe and willmar companies . 13 spra coupe and willmar are leading sprayer companies in north america . spracoupe originated in bismarck nd . upon purchase by agco the manufacturing of spracoupes was moved to willmar minnesota where the willmar branded fertilizer tenders and wrangler articulated loaders were being manufactured . spracoupe and willmar products were manufactured in willmar from 1998 to 2001 . for the year 2000 agco bought out its partner cnh global n.v. in the hay and forage industries joint venture . 14 in 2001 agco purchased ag chem equipment expanding its application equipment business . 15 ag chem equipment was based in jackson minnesota and developed the terragator flotation type and rogator rowcrop type applicators . also that year the spracoupe and willmar brands moved their manufacturing from willmar mn to the jackson minnesota facility and the agco allis and white tractor lines were merged in north america under the agco brand continuing in the orange color . 2002 was the year that agco purchased rights to the challenger name and the tracked tractors from the caterpillar corporation 16 giving agco a well known brand name and high power tracked tractors . agco further developed the challenger line into wheeled tractors using tractors manufactured by iseki agritalia the massey ferguson factory and the brazilian valtra factory ; combines rebranding some massey ferguson gleaner built combines ; and hay equipment using hesston built hay equipment . agco also purchased the sunflower manufacturing company in beloit kansas which manufactures tillage seeding and specialty harvesting equipment . 17 2004 brought about the purchase of the valtra tractor company from the kone group in finland . valtra has some licensing agreements with the eicher company in india for tractor production and also with the hema group in turkey . the purchase of valtra also included sisu power engines . 18 19 valtra t170 tractor in 2008 2006 saw a re focusing of the various brands and the reduction of individual brands . agco announced plans to combine some and make some only part of a larger brand or co branding . examples include the massey ferguson 9635 hesston self propelled swather and the agco 9365 hesston self propelled swather . challenger has seen further expansion with the further consolidation of the agchem brand into challenger and the introduction of agritalia built tractors and an articulated challenger tractor . in 2007 agco bought 50 % of laverda s.p.a from argo spa which included the gallagnani and fella werke hay equipment brands . 20 21 in 2008 2009 agco the challenger valtra and massey ferguson large row crop tractors were launched in europe and north america respectively with agco s e3 selective catalytic reduction scr emission reduction technology . 22 late in 2009 agco announced that it would phase out the orange agco tractors by 2011 . 23 in 2009 agco had sales of us 6.6 billion . in late 2010 agco announced the plan to acquire the remaining 50 % of laverda which included fella werke as well . the acquisition was finalized in march 2011 . 24 25 26 in 2011 agco plans to transfer its high horsepower wheeled tractor assembly of tractors sold in north america from beauvais france to jackson minnesota where it will expand the plant by 75 000 square feet 7 000 m2 . 27 in 2011 agco said that it will invest 40 million in its hesston plant by building a new 200 000 square foot 19 000 m2 painting and finishing building . construction began june 2011 and was completed in 2013 . 28 29 30 in october 2011 agco purchased gsi . it was based in assumption illinois and manufactures grain storage and handling equipment as the gsi group . 31 in 2012 . agco acquired 60 % of santal equipamentos a sugar cane planting and harvesting equipment . agco purchased 80 % of shandong dafeng machinery co a combine harvester manufacturer in china . agco formed the algerian tractors company joint venture with the algerian brand etrag with 49 % ownership . in 2013 agco s gsi acquired johnson system a manufacturer of catwalks and towers . core brands edit agco products are sold through five core brands challenger fendt gsi massey ferguson and valtra . challenger tractors combine harvesters crop sprayers hay equipment available in the americas generally catering for high hp tracklayer and crop sprayer market in europe and australia . row crop tractors in the americas are re badged massey ferguson . fendt tractors combine harvesters forage hay equipment forage harvesters and balers . agco s premium brand known globally as pioneers for the ivt transmission and being fore runners in tractor technology . combines forage hay equipment and balers are identical to massey ferguson products . gsi grain storage grain drying & conditioning equipment and material handling distributed worldwide . massey ferguson tractors combine harvesters forage hay equipment and balers available globally . regarded as agco s bread and butter brand clarification needed supplying tractors from 19.5 400 hp . low and high spec tractors available one of agco s best selling brands . valtra tractors in europe tractors sprayers and combine harvesters in south america . agco s specialist brand hold much lower market share than fendt and massey ferguson except in scandinavian countries where they are known for good forestry performance . broad range of unique specification available including reverse drive in tractors from 99 400 hp . valtra prides itself on being highly customisable and is the only tractor manufacturer to offer a wide range of colour options off the production line much like a car . combines are identical to massey ferguson products and sprayers are identical to challenger . other brands edit fella forage equipment . branded under massey ferguson and fendt globally and exclusively in europe . also branded as challenger in the americas . gleaner combine harvesters marketed in north america south america and australia . these machines share many components with their stable mates massey ferguson fendt and valtra however are different in their structural design and other areas such as the cabin to cater for the american market . the other brands use the same massey ferguson platform . agco power formally sisu diesel the company was included in the acquisition of valtra by agco . the company was branded agco sisu power in 2008 then in 2012 renamed agco power . these engines are found in the company s massey ferguson and valtra brands used in challenger tracked machines and all combine harvester produced by agco . it has been hinted that fendt will follow suit and replace the low cubic capacity deutz engines . agco parts part of sparex holdings ltd. operating globally as part as parts genuine parts supplier for agco brands and also other brands and accessories after agco acquired sparex holdings ltd. manufacturing locations edit fendt manufacturing plant in marktoberdorf bavaria germany 2009 laverda headquarter and production plant in breganze italy this section needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . june 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message this section may require copy editing for grammar style cohesion tone or spelling . you can assist by editing it . june 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message agco north america hesston kansas usa former hesston corp beloit kansas usa former sunflower manufacturing batavia illinois usa agco parts division jackson minnesota usa former ag chem equipment co. independence missouri usa former gleaner massey ferguson combine manufacturing quer taro baj o mexico agco south america haedo buenos aires province argentina made deutz engines axles gearboxes for agco allis tractors general rodriguez buenos aires argentina made massey ferguson and valtra tractors