New Holland’s UK Plant Commemorates Six Decades of Production With Special Edition Tractor

New Holland, a brand of CNH, is celebrating 60 years since the opening of its tractor factory in Basildon, England, with the unveiling of a celebration edition tractor.

The milestone also sees the strengthening of the plant’s role as the brand’s Alternative Fuels Centre of Excellence, alongside its position as its global tractor production facility.

The Basildon plant was developed on a greenfield site in the early 1960s by Ford and later purchased by Fiat. Seeking to modernise the production processes possible at its existing car and tractor plant at nearby Dagenham, the company was encouraged to develop a dedicated tractor facility in the new town of Basildon. Work began on April 2, 1960, and was completed on February 29, 1964.

Today, a complete tractor rolls off the Basildon assembly line every five minutes, with over 10,000 different product specifications, ensuring buyers across the world – 85% of production is exported – get exactly the tractor they need.

To mark the Basildon plant’s 60^th birthday, New Holland has unveiled a celebration edition T7.300 tractor. The graphics that adorn it celebrate the era in which the Basildon factory was founded, taking inspiration from the 1960s decade which saw so many leaps forward in technological advancement. Created by CNH Centro Stile, the anniversary edition’s livery is inspired by the colours and patterns of ‘Swinging ‘60s’ London, with psychedelic shapes characterized by vivid and fluid colours of blue, yellow, maroon and pink around New Holland’s distinctive leaf logo in bright yellow on the hood. The tractor, of which only one unit will be produced, was unveiled at the Basildon 60^th anniversary celebratory event in April and will be showcased at exhibitions throughout 2024.

The latest developments at Basildon include significant investment in its role as the New Holland Alternative Fuels Centre of Excellence. In 2006, the firm declared its ambition to be the ‘Clean Energy Leader’ in the tractor sector, and in 2021 put into production at Basildon the industry’s first tractor of its type, the T6.180 Methane Power, to be joined later this year by the T7.270 Methane Power CNG. These developments make possible the Energy Independent Farm, allowing biomethane captured from waste farming products such as livestock manures to be used as fuel.

“We are proud to celebrate 60 years of our plant in Basildon, that well represents the evolution of the New Holland brand, from a manufacturer of agricultural machinery to a company that advances sophisticated software technology for agriculture, fostering the brand leadership on a global level. Today Basildon is a hub for innovation, where we produce tractors that are exported worldwide, and a Centre of Excellence for Alternative Fuels, where our T6.180 Methane Power tractor is produced,” says Carlo Lambro, New Holland Brand President. “As the only volume tractor producer in the UK, we are also very proud of our workforce here, with their skills, dedication and commitment. It’s a milestone for the whole company and for everyone who works or has worked in the plant.”