Cutter
Guest
Patents are the farthest criteria from determining the life-span of a product (cars, trucks, tractors, combines, lawn mowers, toys, etc)! What lexion patents are you, or the Challenger person referring toIJ There are so many patents that go into a make and brand of combine, it's not even funny. That's what makes each brand so unique. There have probably been several patents on the lexion and other combines that have expired, but you don't see many of those machines disappearing. Every patent surrounding the origins of all AGCO combine has expired. The Deere STS is somewhat a result of an expired patent. The spiral flighting used at the intake of the STS's rotor combined with a front beater were taken from the original patents of the White (now Massey) combine. You shouldn't be so gullible to think that something so minimal will have even the slightest affect. On orders of magnitude, I would say that Claas is in a far greater position to succeed in North America than if a similar expansion were attempted by one of its competitors. Claas is the world's largest manufacturer of harvesting equipment and in most year's the largest manufacturer and seller of combines. I would say that makes them pretty much the industry's foremost authority on much of the history of moder day harvesting equipment and you will find very few working within the industry willing to argue that point and no one within the relm of Challenger remotely qualifies to make comments about the future of any of its competitors - any authority that AGCO ever had in the combine _ harvesting business expired long ago!