CNH Industrial receives 2022 Flanders’ Lifetime Achievement Trophy for its longstanding operations in the region
24 March 2022, EU: CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) has been awarded with a ‘Lifetime achievement trophy’ from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the government agency for international entrepreneurship in the Flanders region of Belgium. This trophy recognizes the longstanding commitment and investment on behalf of foreign companies operating in the region. The awards ceremony, now in its tenth year, took place on March 22 at the Technopolis in Mechelen, and was attended by Jan Jambon, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders.
CNH Industrial has a long history in Flanders, with significant investments dedicated to its R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations. The Company’s Zedelgem site commenced operations in 1906 as a medium-sized local business producing harvesting equipment and is still located on the street named after its founder, Leon Claeys. Through the years, the site has expanded considerably, and is today home to the New Holland Agriculture, a global agricultural brand of CNH Industrial, Center of Excellence for Harvesting. The most recent renovations took place in 2017 to enhance its engineering labs and production lines. Today the site employs some 2,900 people, of which 400 are engineers. Continued investments will see the Company integrate new energy sources and further automation.
“Our facilities in Flanders are key to our global strategic operations: the Zedelgem plant currently houses our global R&D Center of Excellence for forage harvesters, large square balers and combine harvesters. Our Antwerp plant is crucial in delivering tractor components to sister sites across the globe,” said Tom Verbaeten, Chief Supply Chain Officer, CNH Industrial. “We are committed to further investing in and recruiting for our operations in the region, which has a unique collaborative ecosystem of universities, incubators, multinationals and start-ups. Our sites are also advantageously close to major ports and transport routes, favoring streamlined logistics, and the efficient transport of our products to even the most remote markets.”
Both the Zedelgem and Antwerp sites engage in proactive recruitment and currently employ over 4,100 people.
“It is inspiring to see how a major multinational company such as CNH Industrial has become so closely embedded in our region, generating mutual growth and creating new jobs. The fact that CNH Industrial is continuing to invest in expansion and innovation projects is encouraging and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration,” said Jan Jambon, Minister-President of the Government of Flanders.