Massey Ferguson

Massey Ferguson Limited is a major agricultural equipment manufacturer that was based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, before it was purchased by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger of Massey Harris and the Ferguson Company farm machinery manufacturer in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However, in 1958, the name was shortened for the first time to coin the brand Massey Ferguson. Today, the company exists as a brand name used by AGCO and remains a major seller around the world.

History

The firm was founded in 1847 in Newcastle, Ontario by Daniel Massey as the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory. The company began making some of the world's first mechanical threshers, first by assembling parts from the United States and eventually designing and building their own equipment. The firm was taken over and expanded by Daniel's eldest son Hart Massey who renamed it the Massey Manufacturing Co. and in 1879 moved the company to Toronto where it soon became one of the city's leading employers. The massive collection of factories, consisting of a 4.4 hectares (11 acres) site with plant and head office at 915 King Street West, became one of the best known features of the city. Massey expanded the company and began to sell its products internationally. Through extensive advertising campaigns he made it one of the most well known brands in Canada. A labour shortage throughout the country also helped to make the firm's mechanized equipment very attractive.