(ED—John Deere has been in the news plenty these past few months, in part because of the thousands of employees the company has laid off as well as the news that Deere has moved some of its manufacturing to Mexico while laying off U.S. workers. The following comes from the company.)
John Deere was founded nearly 200 years ago in Grand Detour, Illinois, by an entrepreneur deeply committed to delivering innovative products to his customers. We’re proud of this legacy and it continues to drive us today.
- Since 2019, John Deere has invested more than $2 billion in our American factories, including our new See & Spray line at Des Moines Works in Des Moines, Iowa, the X9 combine assembly line at Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois, a new excavator factory in Kernersville, North Carolina, and new tractor line assemblies in Waterloo.
- In order to position our U.S. factories to undertake these highly value-additive activities it is sometimes necessary to move less complex operations, such as cab assembly, to other locations.
- John Deere’s economic impact in our U.S. hometown communities and all those where we have a presence is valued at $27 billion.
- The company deeply values the highly skilled U.S. workforce in our hometown communities that allow John Deere to make the best equipment in the world.
- In the U.S., John Deere employs approximately 30,000 people in more than 60 U.S.-based facilities across 16 states. Meanwhile, our valued John Deere dealers employ over 50,000 people at dealerships across the country and in 2023, the company spent over $16 billion with U.S.-based suppliers.
- Our company has the most highly skilled workers in domestic manufacturing in part due to its investments in skilled trades and dealer technician training programs for military veterans and high school students in rural communities across the country. These programs are helping to build the next generation of John Deere team members and we’re proud to build America’s manufacturing workforce of tomorrow.
John Deere is a great American company, employing great American workers, making the best equipment the world over.
We are proud of our history, our people and our ongoing role in U.S. manufacturing.