News & Events
Forest Products Announcement
Six Caterpillar dealers have agreed in principle to acquire certain assets of Pioneer Machinery, Inc., a premier distributor of forestry products in the southeastern United States.
In a strategic move that will better position Caterpillar to serve forestry customers in the southeastern United States, six Caterpillar dealers have agreed in principle to acquire certain assets of Pioneer Machinery. Caterpillar acquired Pioneer Machinery from private ownership in 2001, and Pioneer is currently owned by Caterpillar and the six Cat dealers whose service territories cover the same area in the southeastern United States. The Caterpillar dealers involved in the transaction are Yancey Bros. Co. (Georgia), Blanchard Machinery (South Carolina), Carolina Cat (western North Carolina), Carter Machinery (Virginia), Gregory Poole (eastern North Carolina), and Ring Power (Florida).
“This strategic decision will provide continuity for the strong Pioneer brand while improving alignment of our forestry product distribution channel with the traditional Caterpillar dealer business model,” said Bill Mayo, Caterpillar vice president with responsibility for the North American Commercial Division.
Pioneer Machinery, based in West Columbia, South Carolina, operates 23 facilities in six southeastern states. Pioneer Machinery facilities in Georgia are located in Gainesville, Washington, Macon, Statesboro, Moultrie and Waycross.
“This enhancement to our distribution model means greater value can be provided to our customers since they will have a single source for their equipment needs,” said Carpenter.
The transaction is expected to be finalized after the parties conduct a due diligence process. The transition of Pioneer’s commercial operations to the respective dealers will begin as soon as definitive agreements are completed.
Pioneer sells and services all types of logging and recycling equipment, including skidders, feller bunchers, knuckleboom loaders, delimbers, slashers, chippers, log trailers, grinders, crushers, screens and site prep tractors.
Cat Forest Products is headquartered in LaGrange, Georgia, where it manufactures wheel skidders, felling heads and track feller bunchers. Other Caterpillar plants in the Americas, Asia and Europe continue to produce forest swing machines, excavators, wheel loaders and other machines working in forests throughout the world. In addition, Caterpillar operates the Caterpillar Forest Product Training Center in Alabama—home of Forest Pro University—which supports the training, safety awareness and product demonstration needs of dealers, customers, associations and universities.
About Yancey Bros. Co.
Yancey Bros. Co., recognized as the nation’s oldest Caterpillar dealer, has been serving customers across the State of Georgia since 1914 with the highest levels of sales, parts and service available in the industries we serve. Still family-owned and operated, Yancey now operates from five distinct divisions with facilities in eighteen Georgia communities; Albany, Augusta, Austell, Bloomingdale, Brunswick, Calhoun, Columbus, Conley, Cumming, Dacula, Dublin, Griffin, Jefferson, Kennesaw, Macon, Resaca, Savannah and Valdosta. Yancey also operates a single service facility in Alabaster, Alabama.