ARGO SpA is a family-owned Italian holding company

Holding company

A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...

 owned by the Morra family that manufactures agricultural equipment.

History and Growth

It was founded by Valerio Morra in 1980 with his purchase of MBS Spa. In 1987, ARGO purchased Pegoraro Spa of Vicenza

Vicenza

Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...

. Sixty-six percent of Landini

Landini (tractor)

Landini SpA, headquartered in Fabbrico, Italy, was founded by Giovanni Landini in 1884 to produce agricultural equipment. Landini had just started making tractors in 1925 when Giovanni died preventing the completion of the first prototype tractor...

 was purchased in 1989 from Massey Ferguson

Massey Ferguson

Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was...

, with additional shares purchased in 1994. In 1995, the tractor business was expanded with the purchase of Valpadana

Valpadana

Valpadana is an Italian manufacturer of tractors. It was purchased by ARGO SpA in 1995, owners of Landini, Laverda and McCormick Tractors International.-History:...

 Spa, followed by S.E.P. Spa and Laverda

Laverda (harvesters)

Laverda is a manufacturer of combine harvesters and hay equipment, based in Breganze, Italy. It was founded in 1873 by Pietro Laverda to produce farming implements in the Province of Vicenza. 1963 was the year the first self-propelled Laverda combine was manufactured, the M120. Laverda formed a...

 in 2000 from CNH Global

CNH Global

CNH Global N.V. is a global, full line company operating in both the agricultural and construction equipment industries. CNH's scope includes integrated engineering, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of equipment on five continents...

. S.E.P. manufactures small, specialty tractors and equipment, while Laverda manufactures combines and hay-equipment. The remaining 9% of Landini that was owned by AGCO

AGCO

AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia, USA. As a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO offers a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage and tillage equipment, which are distributed through more than 2,700 independent...

 was purchased by ARGO in 2000. 2001 saw further growth with the purchase of the McCormick

McCormick Tractors

McCormick Tractors International Ltd. manufactures a complete range of tractors for agricultural and general use. The company was formed in 2000 when Case IH divested assets in order to gain European Union regulatory approval to merge with New Holland Ag...

 name and tractor factory in Doncaster

Doncaster

Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, after the merger of Case IH

Case IH

Case IH is an American mechanical company, one of the world’s largest brands of agricultural equipment. With headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, it has a network of more than 4,000 dealers and distributors that operates in more than 160 countries...

 and Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

's New Holland Ag

New Holland Ag

New Holland is a full range manufacturer of agricultural machinery. New Holland agricultural products include tractors, combine harvesters, balers, haying tools, equipment used in lawn, grounds and turf care, grape harvesters....

 into CNH Global

CNH Global

CNH Global N.V. is a global, full line company operating in both the agricultural and construction equipment industries. CNH's scope includes integrated engineering, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of equipment on five continents...

. The regulatory bodies reviewing the merger required some factories to be sold, which included Laverda

Laverda (harvesters)

Laverda is a manufacturer of combine harvesters and hay equipment, based in Breganze, Italy. It was founded in 1873 by Pietro Laverda to produce farming implements in the Province of Vicenza. 1963 was the year the first self-propelled Laverda combine was manufactured, the M120. Laverda formed a...

 from Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

, and McCormick Tractors International

McCormick Tractors

McCormick Tractors International Ltd. manufactures a complete range of tractors for agricultural and general use. The company was formed in 2000 when Case IH divested assets in order to gain European Union regulatory approval to merge with New Holland Ag...

 from Case IH

Case IH

Case IH is an American mechanical company, one of the world’s largest brands of agricultural equipment. With headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, it has a network of more than 4,000 dealers and distributors that operates in more than 160 countries...

. 2007 saw ARGO selling 50% of Laverda to AGCO

AGCO

AGCO is an agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Duluth, Georgia, USA. As a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, AGCO offers a full line of tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage and tillage equipment, which are distributed through more than 2,700 independent...

. AGCO bought the remaining 50% of Laverda in late 2010/early 2011, thereby also acquiring Fella-Werke

Fella-Werke

Fella-Werke GmbH is a German forage harvesting company based in Feucht, Germany; . It was established in 1918 as a harrow manufacturing company, but since then has been through a lot of changes....

.

Brands

ARGO manufactures or distributes the following brands of primarily agricultural equipment:

• Landini
  Landini (tractor)
  Landini SpA, headquartered in Fabbrico, Italy, was founded by Giovanni Landini in 1884 to produce agricultural equipment. Landini had just started making tractors in 1925 when Giovanni died preventing the completion of the first prototype tractor...
  
  
• McCormick
  McCormick Tractors
  McCormick Tractors International Ltd. manufactures a complete range of tractors for agricultural and general use. The company was formed in 2000 when Case IH divested assets in order to gain European Union regulatory approval to merge with New Holland Ag...
  
  
• Valpadana
  Valpadana
  Valpadana is an Italian manufacturer of tractors. It was purchased by ARGO SpA in 1995, owners of Landini, Laverda and McCormick Tractors International.-History:...
  
  
• S.E.P.
• Pegoraro