New Holland withdraws from North American heavy equipment

Construction equipment manufacturer New Holland is pulling out of the North American heavy equipment market to focus on compact equipment.

Starting in 2012, the company said it would withdraw its crawler dozers, motor graders, 80+ hp (59 kW+) wheeled loaders, 6 tonne+ excavators, and telescopic handlers.

New Holland Construction will continue to offer compact products and attachments, including skid-steer loaders, compact tracked loaders, backhoe loaders, compact wheeled loaders, and mini excavators.

The heavy equipment withdrawal only affects the North American market, and New Holland Construction said it would continue to sell its heavy equipment product lines in all other world markets.

Jim McCullough, president and CEO of parent company CNH Construction Equipment, said the refocusing on compact products was a logical step for the North American market, where it also sells Kobelco and Case machines.

He said that the group's customers were happy with the change, which allowed New Holland to concentrate on small- to medium-sized customers.

The news comes after CNH reported a +30% increase in global sales of construction equipment to US$ 1.03 billion in the second quarter of the year.