NMC and Butler Machinery Co. jointly announced an agreement to transition key agriculture and material handling responsibilities to each other in support of their respective product platforms and long-term growth initiatives. These changes are effective immediately. With the strong support of manufacturing partners AGCO and Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA), both companies will work closely over the next several months to ensure a seamless transition for their customers.

Butler Ag Equipment, a division of Butler Machinery, will pick up sales and service responsibility for the AGCO Application Equipment business for all of Nebraska along with sales and service responsibility for Challenger agriculture products in areas of Nebraska not already serviced by a Challenger Alliance dealer. NMC will retain the exclusive sales and service rights for the Challenger line of construction Scraper Tractors. “We are excited to become a member of the Agriculture community in Nebraska and look forward to bringing our commitment to the AGCO brands of Challenger, RoGator and TerraGator to agri-businesses within the state,” said Dan Butler, owner and president of Butler Machinery.

Butler Ag Equipment will be making significant agriculture investments in Nebraska, initially planning three facilities with a Fremont, Neb., location expected to be opening on April 1, 2013. NMC will continue to provide product support until such time that Butler Ag Equipment is ready to take full support ownership.

NMC Material Handling, a business unit of NMC, will pick up the sales and service responsibility for Caterpillar and Jungheinrich branded lift truck products for the majority of North and South Dakota, northwest Iowa and western Minnesota.  Commenting on the agreement, Rich Swanson, chief executive officer of NMC said, “Delivering reliable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient lift solutions to enhance customer productivity is at the core of what we do at NMC Material Handling and we are extremely honored to have the opportunity to work with new customers in our recently expanded territory.”

With an initial store location planned for Sioux City, S.D., NMC Material Handling expects to quickly add additional facilities and service personnel to expand the MCFA footprint in the territory. Butler Machinery will continue to provide product support until such time that NMC Material Handling is ready to take full support ownership.

Both NMC and Butler Machinery will retain their existing territories and exclusive rights in the sales and service of Caterpillar construction equipment.