john deere
Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (/ˈdʒɒnˈdɪər/), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment and lawn care equipment. It also provides financial services and other related activities.
Deere & Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DE.[3] The company's slogan is "Nothing Runs Like a Deere", and its logo is a leaping deer with the words "John Deere". It has used various logos incorporating a leaping deer for over 155 years. It is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
It ranked No. 84 in the 2022 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.[4] Its tractor series include D series, E series, Specialty Tractors, Super Heavy Duty Tractors, and JDLink.
History
[edit]19th century
[edit]Deere & Company began when John Deere, born in Rutland, Vermont, United States, on February 7, 1804, moved to Grand Detour, Illinois, in 1836,[5] to escape bankruptcy in Vermont. Already an established blacksmith, Deere opened a 1,378-square-foot (128 m2) shop in Grand Detour in 1837, which allowed him to serve as a general repairman in the village, as well as a manufacturer of tools such as pitchforks and shovels. Tools were just a start; the item that set him apart was the self-scouring steel plow, which was pioneered in 1837 when John Deere fashioned a Scottish steel saw blade into a plow.[6] Prior to Deere's steel plow, most farmers used iron or wooden plows to which the rich Midwestern soil stuck, so they had to be cleaned frequently. Deere created a highly polished steel surface that allowed the soil to slide easily.[7] This tool addressed the difficulty of tilling the Prairie State's soil[8] and greatly aided migration into the American Great Plains in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The traditional way of doing business was to make the product as, and when, it was ordered. This style was very slow. As Deere realized that this was not going to be a viable business model, he increased the rate of production by manufacturing plows before putting them up for sale; this allowed customers to not only see what they were buying beforehand but also allowed his customers to purchase his products straight away. Word of his products began to spread quickly.