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Deere &
Company (usually known by its brand name John Deere) (NYSE: DE) is an
American corporation based in Moline, Illinois, and the leading
manufacturer of agricultural machinery in the world. It currently
stands at 98th rank in Fortune 500 ranking. Deere and Company
agricultural products, usually sold under the John Deere name, include
tractors, combine harvesters, balers, planters/seeders, ATVs and
forestry equipment. The company is also a leading supplier of
construction equipment, as well as equipment used in lawn, grounds and
turf care, such as ride-on lawn mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws,
snowthrowers and for a short period, snowmobiles.
John Deere products are known for their distinctive green and yellow
color scheme. The company's slogan is "Nothing runs like a Deere" and
has a picture of a deer as a logo, with wordplay pun on "nothing runs
like a deer."
Additionally, John Deere manufactures engines used in heavy equipment
and provides financial services and other related activities that
support the core businesses.
Deere &
Company Today
As of 2006, the Deere & Company employs approximately 47,000 people
in 27 countries worldwide, including the United States, Australia,
Turkey, Canada, United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Spain, Italy,
India, Poland, and Mexico, among many others. Inside the United States,
the company's primary locations are its administrative center in
Moline, Illinois, as well as various locations in the Midwest and
southeastern United States. Most manufacturing sites are in Iowa or
Illinois, as well as locations in Europe. Carl Westby is known as the
person that coined the phrase "Nothing runs like a Deere."
Major North American factories include:
Waterloo Works (foundry, engines, large agricultural tractors, drive
trains, service parts, product engineering center) Waterloo, Iowa
Harvester Works(large combine harvesters) East Moline, IL
Cylinder Division (hydraulic cylinders) Moline, Illinois
Seeding Group (planting equipment) Moline, Illinois and Valley City,
North Dakota
Davenport Works (wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated dump trucks,
forestry equipment) Davenport, Iowa
Dubuque Works (backhoes, crawlers, skid-steer loaders, forestry
equipment) Dubuque, Iowa
Des Moines Works (tillage equipment, cotton harvesters, sprayers)
Ankeny, Iowa
Ottumwa Works (hay and forage equipment) Ottumwa, Iowa
John Deere (cane harvesting equipment, scrapers) Louisiana
Horicon Works (lawn & garden and turf care) Horicon, Wisconsin
Augusta Works (small commercial and agricultural tractors) Augusta,
Georgia
Welland Works (agricultural and commercial front loaders, rotary
cutters, Gators) Welland, Ontario. However, this plant is scheduled to
close in 2009, with production moving to its existing factories in
Horicon, Wisconsin and Mexico.
Environmental
record
Researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute of the
University of Massachusetts Amherst placed Deere & Co. on its
"Toxic 100" list of top corporate air polluters in the US for the year
2000. Deere's "toxic score" (pounds released x toxicity x population
exposure) ranked it 18th on the list. The score accounts for both
fugitive (unintentional) and stack (intentional) releases. In terms of
volume alone, Deere's roughly 410,000 pounds of toxic chemicals
released in 2000 placed it 79th among the 99 companies listed. Over 90%
of the company's score came from the release of 3055 lbs of
diisocyanates in 2002.On March 23, 2007, a John Deere facility has been
recognized for its "green" efforts, and admitted into a select group of
environmental high performers. "We’re proud of our environmental record
and believe that this recognition shows what our factories can
achieve," says Laurie Zelnio, Deere & Company Director, Safety
& Environment. "The Davenport Works has provided an example for
other units to follow." "The way we look at it, if any company is
`green,' it's us. Green is our brand color and Running Green is a play
on our `Nothing Runs Like a Deere' slogan," says Robert W. Lane,
chairman and CEO, Deere & Company, Moline, Ill. "We have a vested
interest in striking a healthy balance with nature. I firmly believe
John Deere can make its biggest contribution to sustainability by
growing our business while simultaneously protecting the health and
safety of the environment, our employees and customers."
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