DULUTH, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2018--
AGCO (NYSE: AGCO), a global leader in the design, manufacture and
distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions, today announces
that Martin Richenhagen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of AGCO Corporation, has been named a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion
d'Honneur (Legion of Honor) by the government of France. This
high-ranking honorary decoration was bestowed during a recent ceremony
held at AGCO’s global headquarters in Duluth, in the presence of the
French Consul General in Atlanta, Louis de Corail.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181016005270/en/
Martin Richenhagen, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AGCO Corporation, has been named a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor) by the government of France during a recent ceremony in Duluth, Georgia, USA. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Legion of Honor, established by Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802, is the
highest distinction conferred by the government of France. It is awarded
to recognize those people and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions to France in a variety of fields.
AGCO began operations in France, when the group became the parent
company of the Massey Ferguson brand in 1994, taking ownership of the
Beauvais Massey Ferguson plant. Opened in 1960, the Beauvais AGCO site
remains today the Global Centre of Excellence for Massey Ferguson
engineering and manufacturing, as well as the first private employer of
the whole Picardie region. Summing up its operations from Beauvais,
Ennery and Courcouronnes, as well as its joint ventures GIMA and AGCO
Finance, AGCO has approximately 2,500 employees in the country. As
continental Europe's second largest economy, and one of the largest
markets for farm machinery, France represents a strategically important
market for AGCO. In France, AGCO actively drives business activities
centered on the design, manufacture and distribution of farm machinery,
strongly contributing to the French economy.
This decoration is in recognition, under Martin Richenhagen’s
leadership, of AGCO’s contributions to the development of France and
France-USA relations.
Conferring the Legion of Honor on behalf of French President Emmanuel
Macron, Dr. Monique Seefried, Chevalier in the Order of the Legion of
Honor said: "I would like to thank Martin Richenhagen for his personal
commitment and trust in our country's economy. I pay tribute, through
him, to the strength of AGCO Corporation, a global leader in the design,
manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and solutions,
and to its willingness to expand and develop in Europe, and especially
in France where AGCO’s French-made tractors are admired and respected.
Tractors embody our past and our future, linking our ancient human roots
in agriculture to the technological progress of the 20th century.
Tractors bring us back to the land, to the oldest profession of farming
while heralding the power of machinery and industry.”
Martin Richenhagen commented: “It is indeed an honor and privilege to
receive this prestigious decoration from the French Government. I am
delighted and proud to have our French operations receive such high
recognition. In developing our business in Europe, a region which for
AGCO is first in revenue contribution, France is a strategic market of
great importance. During the past six years, we have invested more than
300 million euros in our Beauvais and Ennery operations, creating close
to 300 new jobs to support our ambition for growth. This would not have
been possible without the outstanding commitment of our 2,500 employees
and this recognition is also theirs. We truly consider France as a
business friendly environment supported by an entrepreneurial policy led
by President Emmanuel Macron. We hope to make ever-more progress in our
development, to contribute to further growing the relationship between
France and the USA.”
Martin Richenhagen was selected by the Board of Directors in March 2004
as President and Chief Executive Officer of AGCO Corporation. He was
appointed to Chairman of the Board on August 15, 2006.
Under his leadership, AGCO’s operations in France has been through
outstanding transformation and success including the following key
milestones:
-
2013 – The Beauvais 2 Cab facility and International Sales Training
Centre for the Massey Ferguson brand opens. This 15.5 million euros
investment created 100 new jobs.
-
2016 – The Beauvais site receives two coveted awards: Best Foreign
Exporter 2016 as the first producer and exporter of farm machinery in
France; and Factory of Year 2016 for its lean manufacturing
implementation and number one in quality approach.
-
2017 – At Ennery, AGCO’s European Parts Warehouse and Distribution
Centre moves from 30,000 m² to 100,000 m² and will create 62 jobs by
the end of 2018 after a 2.1 million euros investment.
-
2018 – Only five years after the opening of its new cab facility, on
August 28th, AGCO launches the operations of its new
Logistic Centre in Beauvais after investing another 11 million euros
and creating 103 new jobs.
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and
distribution of agricultural solutions and supports more productive
farming through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO
products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®,
Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® precision technologies
and farm optimization services. Founded in 1990, AGCO is headquartered
in Duluth, GA, USA. In 2017, AGCO had net sales of approximately $8.3
billion. For more information, visit http://www.AGCOcorp.com.
For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter:
@AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag
#AGCOIR.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181016005270/en/
Source: AGCO
AGCO
Ulrich Stockheim, +1 770-813-6002
Chief Communications
Officer
Ulrich.Stockheim@AGCOcorp.com
Cell:
+49 1732993545
or
Xavier Arruego, +33 3 44 11 29 40
Manager,
Public Relations AGCO EME
Xavier.Arruego@AGCOcorp.com
Cell:
+33 6 70 65 77 00
