AriensCo and Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. today announced a strategic partnership that will mean Yanmar, a Japan-based manufacturer of engines, agricultural machinery and energy systems, becomes the majority partner in Brillion-based AriensCo.
The Ariens family will retain a significant stake in their outdoor power equipment business and lead operations and strategy for the company from its existing headquarters in Brillion, Wisconsin. Both companies will continue operating as usual under their respective brands, from their current headquarters, with the same teams, and with their manufacturing and distribution networks intact, AriensCo said.
“There are moments in the life of a family business when you have to make brave leaps the earlier generations never could have imagined because you know, in your heart, it’s right for all the people depending on you,” said AriensCo Chairman & CEO Dan Ariens in a letter to the community. “This is one of those moments.”
Ariens said the company is joining forces with Yanmar “to meet customers’ demand for more advanced technologies in their equipment and to realize the benefits of scale in an increasingly complex sourcing environment.”
The partnership between the two multigenerational family-owned businesses positions them to lead the development of next-generation industrial power equipment, AriensCo said.
Ariens said the industry “is changing faster than at any point in its history. Autonomous equipment, battery-powered products, artificial intelligence and global supply chains are transforming what customers expect and what it takes to compete. We have watched our industry consolidate around us, and we made a choice: move boldly with the right partner, or risk falling behind. Yanmar is that partner.”
With beginnings in 1912 in Osaka, Japan, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933, the same year as AriensCo was founded.
Yanmar was founded “with the same commitment to quality, craftsmanship and long-term thinking that our family has always stood for,” Ariens said. “When we sat across from them, we felt like we were talking to people who understood us—not a corporation looking for an acquisition, but a family looking for a partner.”
Ariens also said in his letter that while some changes are expected, “there are no plans to move operations or reduce our local workforce at any site. If anything, the strength of this partnership means we are better positioned to grow.”
“As a family business with a history spanning more than 100 years, Yanmar shares our belief that family ownership is a competitive advantage,” Ariens said. “This partnership provides continuity by keeping family ownership at the heart of AriensCo. It allows both companies to look beyond short-term business performance to deliver long-term value to our dealers, customers, partners and communities around the world. We are stronger together.”
Yanmar’s world-class engineering, production and diagnositic capabilities complements AriensCo’s established North American and European manufacturing and distribution networks and allows the partners to compete at scale while staying rooted in their respective histories.
The partnership is also expected to create new opportunities for AriensCo’s nationwide dealer network.
“AriensCo has built trusted brands and strong customer and dealer relationships over generations,” said Takehito Yamaoka, President and Representative Director of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd. “Together, we aim to create greater value for customers, dealers and the communities we serve. This partnership will also provide a strong foundation for the long-term growth of both companies.”
Ariens, Gravely, AS-Motor and all associated brands will uphold their commitments to dealers, customers, employees and communities, AriensCo said.
