AEM kicks off year-long 125th anniversary celebration

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) officially kicked off its year-long 125th anniversary celebration.

“For 125 years, AEM has served as a steward of our industry and provided an industry-wide consortium that transcends individual member company size, products or individual business concerns,” said John Lagemann, SVP Ag & Turf Sales & Marketing for John Deere and AEM chair. “Through AEM, more than 1,000 member companies take off their proverbial competitive hats and work together on key issues for the betterment of the industry.”

AEM, the North American-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers, provides innovative business development resources to advance the off-road equipment manufacturing industry in the global marketplace. Its member companies manufacture and market a wide variety of equipment, from large earthmovers and agricultural equipment to smaller hand-held, portable and walk-behind machinery, designed to handle a myriad of specialized tasks. AEM members make the machines that provide the productivity to feed, build and power the world.

“Through the years, then as now, none of AEM’s accomplishments would have been possible without the engagement of its member companies and their dedication to serving their industry,” said Dennis Slater, president of AEM.

“As we give a nod to our past endeavors, we asked our member leadership to share what AEM has meant to them and their organizations. The result is AEM’s leadership stories, their look back and their look ahead to the next 125 years.”

Each month, AEM will feature an enlightening and entertaining conversation  with one of its volunteer leaders at /www.aem.org/125-years .

“Our celebration will culminate at our Annual Conference, November 18 through 20 in Marco Island, Florida,” said Slater. “The conference is always a highly-anticipated event and this year we will be celebrating 125 years of building momentum in our industry, and this annual conference is not one to be missed.”

AEM will feature anniversary updates throughout the year in the AEM Industry Advisor. Don’t miss any updates by subscribing to the newsletter at www.aem.org/subscribe.

125 Years of Thinking Forward

AEM’s robust history began from a unique vantage point – when its industry segments came together to create a fundamentally more powerful voice and advocate for the off-road equipment manufacturing industry.

In 1894, the precursor of the Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI) formed with three members – John Deere, CNHi and AGCO (Massey-Ferguson). Seventeen years later in 1911, the group that evolved into Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) had their first meeting.

“We may be one of the oldest associations in the U.S, but we’re also a very forward-looking organization,” said Slater. “Both EMI and CIMA had a common goal – advocating for better roads that brought products to market faster, safer and more efficiently. And today we continue to advocate for our industry on many levels and provide a number of services that help our members win in a global marketplace.”

The memberships of CIMA and EMI voted to consolidate to form AEM, and in 2002 AEM was formally established.