International Business

John Deere

This is a paper concerning the John Deere plant in Germany. There are five references used for this paper.

Introduction number of American companies now have plants overseas. It is important to examine the John Deere plant in Germany and explore its efficiency.

German Plant

In 1837, a blacksmith named John Deere produced a polished-steel plow to aid farmers, which would later become the cornerstone of the John Deere Company. In 1956, the company became a multinational manufacturer when it bought a majority interest in a German tractor company, and by 1993, the company "moved from third to first place in tractor sales among 20 contenders in Germany (http://www.deere.com/servlet/AgHomePageServlet)."

The company's European Headquarters are located at the German plant, which is responsible for "building the 6015 series of tractor model in the expanded utility tractor line (unknown, Farm Industry)." The company recently expanded the line of tractors manufactured at this plant and "added several new models in its 95- to 125-hp range (farmindustrynews.com/ar/farming_goodbye_gearshift/index.htm)." The company "employees 2,200 people, has an annual production output of approximately 28,000 tractors, and is the largest and most important John Deere factory outside the United States (www.it.bton.ac.uk/research/euindia/knowledgebase/workingpaper/pag...)."

While the company is operating efficiently, it has been undergoing a reorganization process, which includes "decentralizing production and service departments, introduction of team work in all production lines, management and administration, and a reduction of hierarchical levels (www.it.bton.ac.uk/research/euindia/knowledgebase/workingpaper/pag...)."

The company's output was affected in 2002 when, like many other industries in Europe, it was hit with a strike by the engineering and automotive industry (unknown, AFP).

Conclusion

John Deere has been an important part of the agricultural industry for over 150 years.

The company has proven its success not only in the United States, but also worldwide in countries such as Germany, where its efficiency is has made it a top producer.

Works Cited

Goodbye Gearshift. (accessed 19 November, 2003).

A farmindustrynews.com/ar/farming_goodbye_gearshift/index.htm>).

John Deere. (accessed 19 November, 2003). http://www.deere.com/servlet/AgHomePageServlet).

University and Industry. (accessed 19 November, 2003). www.it.bton.ac.uk/research/euindia/knowledgebase/workingpaper/pag...).

Unknown. Business of buying. Farm Industry News. (2002): 01 November.

Unknown. German automakers to be hit by strike on Monday. Agence France

Presse English. (2002): 03 May.