One of China’s longest established tractor manufacturers, YTO, has announced that it will discontinue production of tractor transmissions from March 2019 onwards in its factory based at Saint-Dizier in the north of France.

YTO acquired the former International Harvester plant from Italian Argo, which makes Landini and McCormick tractors, back in 2011.

The St Dizier factory was originally opened by International Harvester in 1924. After the Case IH merger in 1990, tractor production was discontinued.

In 2001, Italian Argo acquired the transmission plant and sold it to YTO in 2011.

YTO has been manufacturing tractors in China since 1955. It has had joint ventures with Fiatagri and Goldini tractors in the 1980s and 1990s and attempted a joint venture with AGCO in 2005.

The current range extends to an 180hp tractor. The production of transmissions will be moved to China.