In the 12 years since New Holland and Case merged to form CNH Global in the Fiat Industrial family, the New Holland brand has struggled to keep a foothold in some of the markets that it had once dominated in North America.

New Holland's PowerStar line of tractors have an integrated loader attachment.

The merger rattled the ground that New Holland stood on. That included areas like hay and forage equipment, as well as tractors and combines.

According to Abe Hughes, vice president of New Holland North America, “The momentum of CNH didn’t land on New Holland, and some of our focus and energy were lost.”

But, according to company executives at a recent media event held at the company's North American headquarters in New Holland, Pa., the company is regaining its footing and ready to get back into the game.

Hughes said, “[In 2009,] senior management recognized that New Holland is strong in other regions of the world and that we needed to change things here.”

New Products

At that time, Hughes was brought in to start the restructuring process that would lead to the brands reemergence.

That reemergence is fueled by the company's rich history in the industry, a heavy investment in R&D and a commitment to go above-and-beyond to satisfy Tier 4 emissions standards.

“Between 2010 and 2012, we’ve launched over 15 new products or new product families,” said Hughes.

Each of New Holland’s new products was on display during the media event held in late April 2012.

Three of those 15 new products fall under the market segment for rural lifestylers that New Holland labels RCMU (Residential, Commercial, Municipality, Utility). The segment includes small tractors, loaders, other attachments and more.

The new featured products include were the PowerStar tractor, the Boomer Compact Tractor and the "Class 3 cab" available on Boomer 3040, 3045 and 3050.

As Dan Valen, New Holland’s RCMU marketing segment leader, explained, the PowerStar line was designed with the North American consumer in mind "from a blank sheet of paper."

“Through a series of interviews, we learned there are some things that our customers really focus on. Those things were loader work, rotary cutters and hay making.”

In this video, Valen provides more details about the new PowerStar tractor.

The key features he highlights are the factory-installed, integrated loader, the high-visibility ceiling and rear panels, and the 540E PTO.

According to Valen, the future of the rural lifestyle equipment market rests in innovations that enhance comfort and make operation as easy as possible in the cab.

Following a short 2-minute lesson on the "bells and whistles" inside of the cab, I was ready to take one of their models for a drive on New Holland’s test track.

New Holland also introduced the 23-27 horsepower models of the Boomer Compact Tractor line. In contrast to the PowerStar models, this line was engineered like a larger model tractor and then brought down in size.

In this video, Valen gives more information about the Boomer Compact Tractor.

Coming later in 2012 is a larger Class 3 Cab for Boomer line of compact tractors.

For more information on New Holland and their new product lines, visit their website at http://agriculture.newholland.com/