Deere & Company estimates its planned improvements at a Moline, Ill. manufacturing plant will amount to approximately $58 million. The John Deere Seeding plant manufactures planting machinery, a market for which global demand has been steadily strong over recent years.
Moline also is the site of $47-million expansion at Deere & Co.’s Cylinder division, and a $70-million project to increase manufacturing capacity for large farm tractors, in Waterloo, Iowa. In 2011 Deere initiated an $85-million improvement program at its a self-propelled sprayer plant in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2010 it started a $100-million update of its Waterloo foundry complex. It has a long list of capital projects underway in BRIC countries, too.
"This investment reflects the past success of John Deere Seeding and prepares the factory to further serve customers in the future," stated John May, president of Deere’s Agricultural Solutions business unit.
John Deere has been manufacturing equipment for planting since 1877, and the Moline operations date to 1879. John Deere Seeding currently has approximately 800 employees there, but in its announcement it stated no significant change to total employment is anticipated.
The investments will include a new paint system and wider use of automations system and robotics. The improvements are related to a new factory master plan that aims to enhance process efficiency and product quality.
"Deere continues to invest in facilities, both in the U.S. and around the world, to enhance our position as the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment," according to May.
"Our investments at John Deere Seeding are focused on helping agricultural equipment customers succeed in the important work of feeding the world," he concluded.
In the past two years, Deere & Co. has initiated expansions of manufacturing plants in Brazil, China, India, and Russia, all strong growth markets for its portfolio of farming and forestry equipment.
