MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. — Case IH Agriculture on Wednesday publicly introduced its new, multiuse Racine Experience Center at CNH Industrial’s local tractor plant, 2701 Oakes Road.

Before a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Scott Harris, vice president of Case IH for North America, told guests the center is a gathering place and welcoming point for Case IH dealers, producers and employees.

Harris told guests that “whether you’re new to the Case IH family or a product expert, you’re in the right place to experience the Case IH brand.”

The center is not open to the public now, but Harris said the company is exploring that possibility. The center becomes a branded launch point for tractor plant tours; buyers often want to see their tractor come off the assembly line, Harris said later.

“And its design makes it really flexible,” he said, “allowing us to host a variety of events including new product introductions, equipment demonstrations, customer visits, plant tours, training, meetings.”

Before the audience and Case IH employees were invited to tour the center, other speakers included Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Sheila Harsdorf; Leandro Lecheta, CNH Industrial’s chief operating officer for North America; and Racine County Executive Jonathan Delegrave.

The tractor plant had already often hosted visitors from around the world, Lecheta said.

“But today marks a change in the way that we host these visits with customers, dealers and even you, our employees,” he said. “This Experience Center gives us the opportunity to clearly show, from the beginning of every visit, the passion and the pride we have for our people, for our products and for our brand, the Case IH brand.

“And we can do all this right here from Racine, Wisconsin, where our company began 175 years ago,” Lecheta added.

The Experience Center

The center had been in the works for more than a year, Harris said, in an area converted from offices, the North American parts operation and some other functions.

It includes a 20,000-square-foot product showroom, 150-seat auditorium — where a Case IH product film was playing Wednesday during the tour, complete catering capabilities, a dedicated conference room and a fan shop featuring site-exclusive Case IH merchandise such as shirts and caps, model and stuffed tractors, books and more.

The auditorium can be used for presentations and meetings, and the product-display area can be changed to feature different equipment throughout the year, Harris said. Wednesday, the lineup of tractors on display included the Case IH autonomous concept tractor. Also, in addition to the brand-new Case IH tractors, on display were a 1913, four-cylinder Case Model N touring car; and a 1913 Case 75-horsepower traction steam engine with metal tires.

The Experience Center also features large wall murals, one depicting the company’s long history. It has already hosted several customer events, Harris said later.

“We expect to get several thousand people through here annually, and we expect that to build over time,” he said.

“I believe that this Experience Center is a concrete example of vision and commitment to our brand, our customers, our employees and our community,” he said.

Harris also said the plan is to expand this type of Experience Center to each of Case IH’s North American plants.

“The hope is to further strengthen our brand in North America and the globe,” Harris said.