Massey Harris
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| Subsidiary of AGCO | |
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Duluth, Georgia, US |
| Products | Agricultural machinery, consumer and commercial equipment, financial services, Tractors |
| Website | masseyferguson.com |
Massey Ferguson Limited is an American-owned major manufacturer of agricultural equipment until recently based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Massey transferred its headquarters to Buffalo, New York in 1997 before it was acquired by AGCO new owner of former competitor Allis-Chalmers. The current business was formed by the 1953 merger of farm machinery manufacturers Massey Harris of Canada and Britain's Ferguson Company under the new name Massey Harris Ferguson. In 1958, the name was shortened to Massey Ferguson. Today Massey Ferguson is only a brand name used by AGCO but its machinery remains a major seller around the world.
Massey Ferguson was founded in 1847 in Newcastle, Ontario by Daniel Massey as the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory. To begin with it made some of the world's first mechanical threshers at first by assembling parts from the United States but eventually designing and building their own equipment. Daniel's eldest son Hart Massey renamed the enterprise the Massey Manufacturing Co. and moved it to Toronto in 1879 where it soon became one of the city's leading employers. The massive collection of factories, consisting of a 4.4 hectares (11 acres) site with plant and head office at 915 King Street West (now part of Liberty Village), became one of the best known features of the city. Massey expanded further and began to sell its products internationally. Through extensive advertising campaigns he made it one of the most well known brands in Canada. A labour shortage throughout the country also helped to make the firm's mechanized equipment very attractive.
In 1891, Massey Manufacturing merged with A. Harris, Son & Co. Ltd to become Massey-Harris Limited and became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. Massey-Harris made threshing machines and reapers as well as safety bicycles, introducing a shaft-driven model in 1898. In 1910 it acquired the Johnston Harvester Company located in Batavia, New York, making it one of Canada's first multinational firms.
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