Moline-based Deere & Company has acquired the intellectual property and related assets for tree planting equipment from Risutec Oy, a Finland-based equipment manufacturing company.
The acquisition, announced in a John Deere news release today, Feb. 17, is expected to close this month. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Risutec’s existing line of tree planters will be sold and serviced through select John Deere and Waratah forestry equipment dealers globally. Among Risutec’s product line is the large-scale Forest Maker.
According to the release, the move strengthens John Deere’s silviculture strategy and its ongoing commitment to providing customers in reforestation with solutions for sustainable forestry.
“We’re excited about the synergies and talent the Risutec team adds to our existing forestry expertise,” Mary Pat Tubb, John Deere’s vice president of global forestry, said. “Their knowledge of advanced mechanized tree planting solutions and global markets, along with their years of experience and passion for the industry, complements our existing team.”
Ms. Tubb added “Risutec’s products fill out our portfolio and significantly reduce reliance on manual tree planting, thereby reducing labor exposure to extreme weather, terrain and wildlife, while increasing productivity of our customers’ operations.”
Risutec’s portfolio of tree planters can be configured to match the customer’s operational conditions and can be outfitted with optional precision forestry software for enhanced productivity and forestry management data analysis, Deere said in the release.
Risutec, based in Nakkila, Finland, is known for its mechanized forest regeneration. It also announced the acquisition Tuesday on its LinkedIn page. Risutec CEO Jussi Aikala was quoted saying “We are excited about the synergies we will achieve together with John Deere. We share a passion for forest management. John Deere’s strong global position and distribution chain will help us grow together to the next level and gain the backing of a large company to enhance forest growth in all segments.”
