US Timber Capacity 7-28-25

John Deere acquired the Timberjack Group, a Finnish manufacturer of forestry equipment, in December 1999. The acquisition was finalized in late April of the following year. This acquisition aimed to create the world's leading producer of forestry equipment, as Timberjack was the largest in the world at the time.  

The deal was announced in December 1999, with a purchase price of $600 million, and was completed in two stages. The first stage involved the initial announcement, while the second stage involved finalizing the acquisition in late April. John Deere established a headquarters for the Timberjack operations in the Atlanta area, although some headquarters functions remained in Finland. 

This acquisition allowed John Deere to achieve cost savings in product design, supply management, and manufacturing efficiencies. Both the Timberjack and John Deere brands were maintained in the forestry equipment market. 

Purchase of Timberjack by John Deere

John Deere acquired Timberjack Group of Finland, a manufacturer of forestry machines, in 

April 2000, with the purchase first announced in December 1999. The acquisition price was $600 million. Timberjack became a subsidiary of John Deere. 

Timberjack was founded in Woodstock, Ontario in the 1950s and developed a strong reputation for producing high-quality forestry tractors and skidders. Before being acquired by John Deere, Timberjack was owned by the Eaton Corporation, then became an independent company through a leveraged buyout, and was later acquired by FMG (ForestMachineGroup). 

The acquisition was seen as a way for John Deere to strengthen its presence in the forestry sector, expand its product line, and benefit from Timberjack's experience. Initially, John Deere intended to maintain both the Timberjack and Deere brands in forestry equipment. However, in 2006, the Timberjack product line was discontinued and integrated under the John Deere name, marking the end of the Timberjack brand. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=purchase+of+timberjack+by+john+deere

John Deere has continued as the leading producer of this equipment world-wide. Timber harvesting is now safer and more productive than anything we’ve seen in the past.

https://www.deere.com/en/forestry-and-logging/

Comments

In 1994, I received a call from Timberjack to serve as their Consultant to establish a Service Parts Warehousing Operation in Atlanta. I planned and executed the recruitment and hiring of staff. I was impressed with the equipment Timberjack was able to create. It was state-of-the-art. I recommended that the Manager of this operation be a Timberjack Manager with thorough knowledge of their equipment and customer base. They succeeded and we completed the job ahead of schedule.

The US is in a perfect position to restart our Timber Production with the best equipment on the planet.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader