Rural Lifestyle Dealer caught up with Jerry Johnson, president of Woods Equipment Products Division, at the recent Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City to learn more about the company's new partnership with Yanmar America.

Jerry Johnson is president of Woods Equipment Products Division.

"For dealers, the partnership offers a broader range of product choices, with Woods still providing the same great products, delivery and service," Johnson says. He says the Yanmar-branded attachments let dealers provide a complete package to customers.

Under the agreement, Yanmar will market and distribute Woods attachments through its dealer network. The agreement covers a line of attachments compatible with Yanmar tractors ranging from 24 to 49 horsepower. The attachments include cutters, finish mowers, snow blowers, scrapers, discs, rakes, post-hole diggers, stump grinders and blades. All included equipment will be branded "Yanmar." Based on ordering early this year, the first shipments to Yanmar dealers are expected the beginning of March.

Johnson says Woods' strategy to serve dealers direct and OEMs, such as Yanmar, helps the company respond to the market faster and provide better support to all our customers.

"Adding volume to a manufacturing business increases overall capacity and with that, comes more flexibility in responding to customers' needs," Johnson says.

In the initial stages, Woods and Yanmar will work together to provide service to dealers, with Yanmar taking over service for the attachments at a later date.

In the partnership announcement, Ted Bregar, president of Yanmar America, also referred to better retail financing options for both the tractors and attachments.

Woods also has partnerships with McCormick USA and John Deere.

Johnson shares additional comments about the Yanmar arrangement in this video. Read the company announcement here.