A While the origins of the Deere-Hitachi relationship can be traced back to the 1960s, the two companies have maintained a joint marketing agreement since 2002. Hitachi sales, marketing, and many product-support activities in the Americas are managed by the Construction & Forestry Division of John Deere. Hitachi excavators are distributed and sold throughout the U.S. and Canada by a large number of dealership locations. Dealers in Central and South America include: Patricio Palmero S.A., Argentina; P&H MinePro Services in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela; and Chaneme Comericial S.A., Colombia.

Deere and Hitachi produce excavators at their Kernersville, North Carolina, factory — a 50/50 joint venture established in 1988. The Hitachi models produced there are the ZX200LC-3, ZX240LC-3, ZX270LC-3, and ZX350LC-3 units. All other Hitachi-branded construction excavators are produced in Japan. The purpose-built Forester models are produced at a Deere-Hitachi jointly owned plant in Langley, British Columbia.

Hitachi also sells rigid-frame mining trucks and mining shovels. Trucks from the 40- to 350-ton class are made in Guelph, Ontario. 200- to 240-ton-class trucks are manufactured in Japan. The huge mining shovels and backhoes are all produced in Japan.

A Hitachi has been able to leverage John Deere's comprehensive parts distribution system to improve parts fill and response to urgent needs. Hitachi parts now flow through a network of two national parts centers and 11 regional depots, compared to just two facilities in the past.

Hitachi dealers and customers also have access to resources through John Deere's training department to advance technical and operational skills.

Dealer locations have also increased significantly, providing more coverage for improved product support.

A Here's a timeline to put things in perspective. It includes milestones for both Hitachi and Euclid.

• 1910 Hitachi established in Japan as an electric motor repair shop
• 1915 Hitachi's invents their first water turbine generator
• 1920 Hitachi Ltd. is incorporated
• 1924 Hitachi releases their first DC electric locomotives
• 1931 Euclid Road Machinery is established
• 1939 Euclid's first rear dump truck
  Hitachi manufactures an electric cable-operated shovel
• 1946 Euclid's first coal hauler
• 1949 Hitachi's first power shovel – the U05
• 1951 Euclid's first 50-ton dump truck
• 1952 Hitachi first exports Hitachi shovels
• 1956 Hitachi's first diesel electric locomotive
• 1965 Hitachi's first bullet train
  Hitachi's first hydraulic excavator – the UH03 – is developed with Hitachi's own engineering and technology
• 1966 Hitachi Tsuchiura Works constructed in Japan. This becomes Hitachi's "mother" factory and home to R&D.
• 1970 Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. established as a member of the Hitachi Group to exclusively manufacture construction equipment
• 1975 Euclid introduces the R170 DC-drive haul truck
• 1978-79 Hitachi introduces the UH501 and UH801 mining excavators (forerunners of the EX1000 and EX1800)
• 1980 Total sales of excavators reach 50,000
• 1985 Euclid introduces R190 DC-drive haul truck
• 1987 Hitachi introduces the EX3500 mining excavator
• 1994 Euclid-Hitachi Heavy Industries Ltd. established
• 1996 Hitachi updates mining excavators to Dash-3 series
  EX2500 mining excavator is introduced
  R260 DC-drive truck introduced
• 1998 Mechanical drive trucks are updated to "C" series
  EX5500 mining excavator is introduced
• 1999 R280, the first AC-drive truck for Euclid-Hitachi, is introduced
• 2000 Hitachi purchases 100-percent ownership of Euclid-Hitachi
  EH Series of trucks introduced
  Hitachi Truck Manufacturing Ltd. is established
• 2004-2009 EH5000 AC-drive haul truck introduced
  EX8000 mining shovel introduced
  Mechanical drive trucks updated to Dash-3 series
  Mining excavators updated to Dash-6 series
  EH3500ACII with Hitachi's own AC-drive system is introduced
  Guelph, Ontario, truck plant updated
  Hitachinaka and Rinko Works open in Japan for increased large-sized excavator and haul truck production capacity