Matthew Foster, Vice President responsible for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Case IH, has been elected as the new Chairman of CEMA’s Product Group for large tractors and combine harvesters. Following a unanimous election on December 22, Foster will chair the group for the next 3 years, taking over from Christoph Wigger, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Region 2 at John Deere, who had led the Group since 2010 and did not stand for re-election.
Commenting on the market situation for tractors and combine harvesters in Europe which is regularly analyzed by the group, Foster says, “2016 was a difficult year for the industry, with the European agricultural tractor market declining by 6.7%. At the beginning of 2017, industry expectations for certain countries like Germany and France remain cautious, while other markets such as the UK and Spain are displaying encouraging signs of growth. Overall, we are pleased to see that CEMA’s monthly Business Barometer has turned into the positive again for the first time in the past 2 years, which shows a certain degree of optimism has returned.”
CEMA’s Product Groups bring together representatives of leading European manufacturers in defined areas. Currently, there are five CEMA Product Groups: for large tractors and combine harvesters, for fertilizing technology, plant protection, grassland equipment, seeding and tillage equipment. The main focus is placed on the joint assessment of the market based on CEMA’s statistical exchanges. Prerequisite for participation is membership in a national industry association that belongs to the European umbrella organization CEMA.
