COLDWATER, OH - New Idea.
If you ask a farmer what that
name means, more than likely
he’ll say, “good spreaders”. And
there’s a very good reason for that
association. In 1899, a village
schoolmaster named Joseph
Oppenheim invented the first
successful box-type manure
spreader and founded the New
Idea Spreader Works in Maria
Stein, Ohio. Ever since, manure
spreaders have been a very im
portant product line for New Idea.
In the early years, the demand
for spreaders was brisk and New
Idea grew quickly to become an
important manufacturer of
spreaders and other farm im
plements, such as the first steel
wagon with automotive-type
steering, transplanters and a
variety of com harvesting and
shelling equipment. In fact, in 1927,
New Idea introduced the first com
picker ever developed for use with
a tractor.
Other popular products of those
early years included com shelters,
portable elevators, hay loaders,
side delivery rakes and field
mowers.
THE AVCO YEARS
The 1940’s were turbulent times.
And many changes occurred at
New Idea as well. Avco Cor
poration purchased the company
in 1945. And the new influx of
working capital facilitated many
changes and new products.
The Coldwater manufacturing
plant was expanded again to
greatly improve its manufacturing
capabilities. In addition, the in
crease in financial resources made
a series of acquisitions and new
product offerings possible. This
had a major impact on sales and
earnings growth for many years.
For example, in 1951, New Idea
acquired the Horn Manufacturing
Company of Fort Dodge, lowa, and
added several products to the New
Idea line including a stalk
shredder, hydraulic loader and a
steel wagon.
Then in 1953, Ezee-Flow Cor
poration was acquired and its line
of dry fertilizer spreaders was
added to the New Idea family of
farm equipment.
Through the ’sos and into the 60s,
the New Idea product line con
tinued to grow. There were many
new hay tools, new spreaders and
new com pickers. And then in 1963,
New Idea acquired the
manufacturing and marketing
rights for the “Uni-tractor” line
from Minneapolis Moline. And by
1965, New Idea had introduced the
Uni-System...a line of self
propelled harvesting equipment
with separate, interchangeable
Power Units and processing units.
Through the late ’6os and ’7os,
New Idea improved the Uni-
System adding larger, higher
horsepower Power Units and in
creased capacity processing units.
And because farms were getting
fewer and larger, the New Idea
product line changed to include
larger spreaders and yet more
efficient hay harvesting equip
ment.
In 1977, a new round baler was
introduced. And then again in the
fall of 1978, a new generation of
larger, 6-row, self-propelled Uni-
System harvesters was in
troduced.
So by the late ’7os, the New Idea
line was (for a short-line company)
extensive. With over 34 acres of
manufacturing facility under roof
on the 78 acre Colwater site, New
Idea was positioned for expansion
at a time when few could envision
the economic calamity that was
about to overtake the U.S.
agricultural economy.
In the five years between 1979
and 1984, New Idea aggressively
revised its rqarketing plans,
eliminated unrequited burden and
inventory, and conceived and
executed a survival strategy which
worked.
New Idea: a lot more than
During those years, Avco Cor
poration decided to focus its
resources to the nurturing of its
core business of insurance, finance
and defense. New Idea was for
sale.
But even that didn’t stop
progress. In 1982, New Idea
completed several years of
product testing and development
and introduced a new generation of
conveyor manure spreaders.
In addition, the company in
troduced the Solids Plus spreader
line, a new self-propelled forage
harvester, and its 866 windrow
pickup, the first pickup of its type
to feature automatic header height
control.
Then in the summer of 1982, New
Idea purchased the hay tool assets
from International Harvester. A
joint agreement was also an
nounced to manufacture hay tools
form.
New Idea also introduced a new
line of conservation and con
ventional planters in 1982. Made
possible by a marketing
agreement with Kinze Manufac
turing, the new planter line
boosted sales and attracted many
new dealers.
ALLIED BUYS NEW IDEAS
And then on July 20, 1984, the
Chicago-based Allied Products
Corporation announced its decision
to purchase New Idea from Avco.
Allied Products Corporation is a
diversified industrial manufac
turer with core businesses which
include agricultural equipment,
transportation products and
materials technology.
Its current agricultural equip
ment manufacturing holdings
include Bush Hog, Kewanee,
Continental Gin and New Idea. And
while the agricultural economy
continues to receive downward
pressure from low farm income,
high inventories, low prices and
weak international demand, Allied
Products and New Idea remain
profitable. In fact, Allied’s 1984
sales grew 81%. And the 122%
increase in its common stock book
value made it the leading gainer on
the New York Stock Exchange
during 1984.
New Idea has completed a
repositioning for growth. In
ventories are trimmed. Facilities
are updated. Processes are
modernized. And the business is
being managed in a lean, yet
aggressive manner. New Idea has
returned to profitability.
Evidence of their profitability
can be seen in the introduction of
new equipment. The company
recently introduced a new line of
very competitively priced manure
spreaders which have accounted
for a 30% spreader sales growth
and significantly increased New
Idea’s spreader market share.
Other recent product an
nouncements include new low
profile forage harvester heads,
new forward fold planters, and
new high horsepower Power Units.
All of the new products, as well
as the other products currently
Hr
Conferva
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FARM SHOW OUTDOOR DISPLAY
‘good spreaders’
being offered to New Idea dealers,
include the new company identity
and color scheme recently an
nounced. While retaining the well
known New Idea name, the new
company logo and colors identify
this 84-year old company as an
organization that is up-to-date and
aggressive.
NEW IDEA TOMORROW
So what about tomorrow? New
Idea management states they are
strongly committed to supplying
the highest quality products at
competitive prices for North
America’s farmers and ranchers.
As an example, the new spreader
line now has a list price thousands
York soil project deadline near
YORK - York County farmers
in the Conewago and Codorus
Creek Watersheds who have
critical manure runoff and soil
erosion problems may qualify for
up to $30,000.00 to correct potential
pollution problems, under the
Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay
Financial Assistance Program.
According to York County
Conservation District Chairman.
Keith Eisenhart, “Farmers in the
Conewago and Codorus Creek
Watersheds have from January 1 -
17 to apply for funding under the
Bay Program.” The locally ad
ministered Bay Program provides
cost-sharing to farmers for the
installation of soil and nutrient
C.B. HOOBER & SON INC.
the tillage
innovators
He
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of dollars lower than previous
models. And while reducing prices,
they are improving their quality
and making product im
provements that offer the best
dollar value available to the far
mer today.
And in addition, New Idea has
diversified its product line with the
recent announcement of its new
Ford Bronco II Plus for Applied
Concepts, which is the first of
several new' automotive products
that will better utilize their 78 acre
facility.
If the new New Idea’s per
formance is a sign of things to
come. New Idea is once again, a
company on the grow.
conserving measures such as
grass waterways, animal waste
storage facilities, and contour
stripcropping.
Applications are being taken at
the York County Conservation
District Office at 118 Pleasant
Acres Road, York between the
hours of 8:30 and 4:30 and also at
the following locations: January 7
at the Dover Township Municipal
Building (1 p.m.-8 p.m.); January
9 at the Springfield Township
Municipal Building (1 p.m. - 8
p.m.); and January 14 at the
Paradise Township Municipal
Building (1 p.m. - 8 p.m.). Farmers
can find out more about this
program by calling the District
office at 771-9430.
Sells
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