• the U.S. replaced mainland China as the top buyer of Taiwanese agricultural products for the first time last year.
• Jost, a producer and supplier of safety-critical systems for the commercial vehicle industry, has announced the construction of a second production plant near the southern Indian city of Chennai.
• Amazone and FieldView, Bayer’s platform for digital agriculture, announced Nov. 22 they are starting a strategic collaboration with the aim of further promoting and simplifying the adaptation of smart farming practices.
• In its Dec. 8 WASDE report, USDA 2023-24 U.S. corn outlook is for higher exports and lower ending stocks. Exports are raised 25 million bushels to 2.1 billion reflecting the pace of sales and shipments to date.
• VDMA reported German tractor registrations down 4% year-over-year in November (flattish year-to-date).
• Ag tire and wheel manufacturer Trelleborg announced Dec. 4 that its first facility in Vietnam had begun production.
• Canadian ag equipment manufacturer S3 Group Ltd. announced Nov. 8 its acquisition of Power Pin Inc.
• Guardian Agriculture, a developer of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) systems for commercial-scale farming, announced Dec. 4 that it has become the first eVTOL manufacturer to begin commercial operations.

• According to EquipmentWatch’s 2022 Highest Retained Value Awards, John Deere had the highest 5-year residual value in tracked tractors at 67.3% among manufacturers, above the 57.9% category average.
• Northeast China could soon become a hotbed for international industrial investment, according to an Oct. 23 report from New China News Agency.
• Yanmar Turkey announced Oct. 12 the inauguration of its Tractor Production Plant in Izmir, Turkey.
• The Nigerian government said John Deere intends to open a tractor assembly plant in the country, according to an Oct. 31 report from Nairametrics.
• In a Nov. 4 report from The Wall Street Journal on retrofit kits for autonomy, AGCO stated 7% of farmers globally replace their equipment every year, leaving 93% using older models as potential customers for upgrades.
• According to CEMA, an industry trade association, the general business climate index for the European ag equipment industry has again fallen month-over-month.
• Manitou Group has announced an agreement to acquire 75% of COME S.R.L, a company specializing in the production of mechanically welded parts, and 75% of Metal Work S.R.L, a company specializing in laser cutting. 

This standing feature in the Ag Equipment Intelligence newsletter will catalogue notable dealership merger & acquisition activity since the previous newsletter.