The world's biggest John Deere dealer, RDO Equipment, is recruiting new staff in Australia as it prepares to take over from Hitachi Construction Machinery as the exclusive John Deere Construction and Forestry dealer across all Australian states, barring WA, on May 1.
A 50 per cent shareholder in Australian John Deere agricultural dealer, Vanderfields, and stockholder of Vermeer Australia, RDO operates out of more than 75 locations in the United States, as well as Africa, Mexico, Russia and the Ukraine.
RDO international operations manager, Ryan Offutt said he recently spent two weeks in Australia preparing for the launch.
"The business has grown, but our core values and commitment to people have not changed," he said.
Mr Offutt said the company had initiated a business wide recruitment drive, with a particular focus on diesel fitters, as it gears up to introduce the complete line of John Deere Construction and Forestry brands to Australia for the first time.
"We have a substantial investment program over the coming years, with new facilities planned in several locations across Australia, we want to make sure our team has what they need to get the job done," he said.
"We're looking for people who want to get in on the ground floor of a growing company. We want people who really believe in what we are doing.
"We have an incredibly strong and consistent culture which includes empowering local managers so they can focus on their customers. Our team includes staff with extensive experience and long-term service."
Mr Offutt said the Australian sales operation would be headed by Mark Kuhn.
"We have made a significant investment in this new partnership, and John Deere has too, particularly around parts inventory and training. As an example, service team members will have access to some of the highest quality capstone training available from any OEM, that's a great career opportunity for them," he said.
"I'm very optimistic about the future of our business in Australia. It's a fantastic country, and we have a great local team."