John Deere Opens the MyJohnDeere Platform to Collaborating Software Developers and Companies

Agricultural industry software companies will leverage MyJohnDeere to assist customers in managing machine and agronomic data.

OLATHE, Kan. , Nov. 14 -- In order to provide more value to agricultural producers, John Deere is collaborating with other businesses to deliver new applications and services that help customers more quickly turn data into management decisions. This collaboration supports improved productivity, efficiency and yield. Companies will provide software and applications to interface with MyJohnDeere, JDLink™, and Wireless Data Transfer – three important elements of Deere's overall technology strategy for the agricultural industry.

In 2012, John Deere introduced MyJohnDeere, a comprehensive information platform to help agricultural producers consolidate the management of equipment information, production data and farm operations. This centralized, online platform allows producers to access, view, archive, manage and share a wide variety of business information.

"Our goal is to provide a preferred, safe and secure environment for these applications, while building valuable features to connect customers with trusted advisors," said Cory Reed , Senior Vice President, Intelligent Solutions Group, Deere & Company. "Customers will be able to make choices about the use and flow of the data."

MyJohnDeere is an open platform that provides customers with a complete and comprehensive solution for their data management needs. Customers are able to view and manage this information from smart phones, tablets, and computers when and where they need it.

Reed said the Deere strategy of non-exclusive collaboration with other companies will enable data to be available in a convenient, easy-to-use platform, as determined by the customer, while maintaining John Deere's core principles surrounding data management. A special web site, www.JohnDeere.com/Trust, has been created to explain Deere's position on data management and security.

"The MyJohnDeere platform will allow input suppliers, ag retailers, local agronomists and software companies to provide applications and software that connect through the platform," said Reed. "A recent DuPont Pioneer announcement is an example of how these collaborations will greatly benefit our customers by expanding the choices they have to improve productivity, efficiency and yield. Producers should also expect to see more collaborative applications with other businesses going forward."

For companies or developers interested in connecting their applications to the MyJohnDeere platform, visit http://developer.deere.com/.

For more information on MyJohnDeere, Wireless Data Transfer, and JDLink, visit the web site at http://MyJohnDeere.com or contact your local John Deere dealer.

Deere & Company (DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.

Early Spring Brings OPE Sales Boom

Milwaukee -- March 22 -- An early spring across much of the U.S. has boosted outdoor power equipment sales, in some cases leaving dealerships and manufacturers such as Ariens Co. scrambling to keep up.

It's not a bad problem to have, especially after some recent years when the weather and the economy left the industry in the doldrums.

Some dealerships are already reordering lawn and garden equipment after they sold what they thought would be several months of inventory.

A large Ariens dealership in Louisiana sold more than a month's worth of products in one weekend, said company president Dan Ariens.

In early January, Brillion-based Ariens Co. switched from making snow removal equipment to lawn and garden machines - about a month ahead of schedule.

It will keep making lawn and garden gear well into the fall, Dan Ariens said.

That's partly because inventories are tight, and consumers have returned to more normal spending habits after several years of not making equipment purchases.

"They're buying more than they did last year, regardless of the weather," Ariens said.

Briggs and Stratton Co., the world's largest manufacturer of small gasoline engines, says it remains cautiously optimistic about outdoor power equipment sales this spring.

Thursday, Briggs announced layoffs at its Poplar Bluff, Mo., factory that makes engines for the European market and has too much manufacturing capacity for the current level of business.

The company expects global sales to be up 4% to 5% this year, with strengths in developing nations.

An early spring in the United States, while encouraging, doesn't always boost lawn and garden equipment business in the following months, according to Briggs and Stratton.

The good weather can end quickly, said company spokeswoman Laura Timm.

Sales lost from poor weather in April aren't necessarily made up in May, Ariens added.

Privately held Ariens Co. does not release annual sales figures but is considered one of the market-share leaders in two-stage snow throwers and is a smaller player in the lawn and garden equipment business with larger competitors such as Toro and John Deere.

The company's independent dealerships compete with Home Depot and other retail chains, some of which also sell Ariens products - although they are different models.

Increasingly, online shopping has changed the marketplace for outdoor power equipment.

"We try not to have our product on Amazon.com, but sometimes it will show up there," Ariens said.

In some ways the Internet has made it easier for salespeople because they don't have to spend as much time explaining their products.

"About 90% of consumers who walk into our power-equipment dealers have already got all of the information they wanted, gathered from online," Ariens said.

Power equipment dealerships usually don't compete with large retail chains and online businesses based on price. Instead they emphasize service, parts and repairs.

Speedway Sales and Service, a dealership in New Berlin, has been inundated with service work in recent weeks.

"Hopefully, spring doesn't hit a brick wall like winter did," which slowed snow thrower sales, said Speedway owner Rizwan Ahmad.

The nearly snowless winter in some areas hurt landscape contractors who rely on snow plowing for their winter income. Many of them use some of that money to buy commercial lawn equipment in the spring.

"Given their tight cash position, some may not buy as much equipment early in the season," said Tom Cromwell, president of Kohler Engines, a division of Kohler Co.

Hopefully they can make up lost income through a strong lawn-cutting season.

"April and May are really the critical months for this business, so we would love to see continued warm temperatures and enough rain to keep things green and growing," Cromwell said.

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John Deere Reman To Generate 55 Jobs

Strafford, MO – November 21 -- Less than two weeks after one new business brought 59 jobs to Strafford, the city will break ground today on another project that will generate 55 jobs.

John Deere Reman marks the construction of a $14 million, 275,000 square foot manufacturing plant with a 2 p.m. ceremony in the new Strafford Industrial Business Park.

Gov. Jay Nixon plans to attend, along with Strafford officials and representatives from the John Deere Reman company.

When completed, the plant will store and process used parts and material that are used to remanufacture new equipment for John Deere.

The new plant will serve John Deere dealers in the United States.

The new jobs will be generated over five years, according to the company.

John Deere Reman currently remanufactures equipment components at a plant in Partnership Industrial Center in Springfield.  That plant will continue to operate.

Today's groundbreaking is the latest positive economic news for Strafford,

Consumer Magazine Addresses Three September 2011 John Deere CPSC Recalls

September 27 -- “Nothing runs like a Deere,” says John Deere’s slogan. And for years, Consumer Reports’ rigorous tests and brand-repair surveys have consistently borne that out for the company’s lawn tractors, which have been tops in CR’s performance Ratings and reviews and in our annual reliability surveys. That’s why we were especially surprised by three recent recalls of Deere tractors announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in just three days.

The recalls affect seven models of John Deere lawn tractors and more than 55,000 machines overall, and include hardware failures for the tractor brakes and blade-braking system along with an engine fan that breaks, causing the engine to overheat and possibly catch fire. The Deere-related recalls were based on information Deere reported to the CPSC on its own and came only days after the company’s oldest factory celebrated its 100th anniversary.

After we reported on the recalls, Consumer Reports interviewed representatives from John Deere to better understand what went wrong and to ask the questions owners and consumers might ask. We also spoke with Kawasaki, which makes the engine involved in the breaking fans. What we found suggests that Deere is taking some smart steps to address the problems and prevent them from reoccurring. But our research also indicated that the engine-fan problem could affect other equipment from some commercial brands.

Engine-fan failures

“Something in the mix went awry,” is how Greg Weekes, a John Deere group product marketing manager, described what went wrong with the composite cooling fan on the Kawasaki FS541V engines used in Deere’s X300, X300R, and X304 Select Series tractors. Kawasaki had modified its engines to comply with the latest restrictions from the Environmental Protection Agency on engine emissions, said Weekes. He confirmed that the fan design hadn’t been changed, but that the problem lay in a faulty batch of fans from a supplier.

Of about 36,500 lawn tractors sold nationwide at John Deere dealers between September 2010 and July 2011, the recall notice reported 163 failures, including 83 incidents of engines melting or engine fires and one minor burn injury. The repair is free—John Deere said that its dealer technicians can do the repair on the homeowner’s premises or will pay for transporting the tractor to the dealer if necessary.

Kawasaki sells the same engine to other outdoor-equipment manufacturers, including Exmark and Bob-Cat—two commercial brands. While there have been no other recalls related to this engine, Kawasaki has issued a service bulletin to its distributors instructing them to replace the assembly, at company expense, when a unit is taken into the shop for any reason. Our advice to lawn pros: Take Kawasaki up on its free offer.

Brake and blade-brake failures

Two of the John Deere recalls resulted after sharp-eyed staffers spotted fallen bolts in both the assembly area and on a warehouse floor, where the tractors awaited shipment. That, once Deere contacted the CPSC, ultimately resulted in two recalls. One recall was of roughly 15,500 John Deere model D100, D110 (photo), D120, and D130 lawn tractors sold nationwide at Deere dealers, Home Depot, and Lowe’s from December 2010 through September 2011. The hardware used to hold the mower blade-brake assemblies on the mower decks was breaking. A similar recall, in which hardware used to hold the brake assembly to the transmission was breaking, resulted in the recall of 5,200 D100 units sold nationwide—except in California—at John Deere dealers, Home Depot, and Lowe’s from October 2010 through September 2011. About 1,920 D100 models fall under both recalls.

According to John Deere, the stray bolts had broken loose because of hydrogen embrittlement—a manufacturing defect that can occur during the baking process when bolts and other fasteners are electroplated for corrosion resistance. After the process, the metal fasteners became brittle and snapped when tightened. The problem is especially hard to spot, says Deere, since breakages can occur as long as 48 hours after assembly. The company told us it is moving to a pricier manufacturing process for its fasteners to preclude further hydrogen embrittlement.

What to do

Consumer Reports has tested and recommended three of the recalled John Deere models: the X300, X304, and D110 (a CR Best Buy). We bought our test models before the problems first arose and found no such issues during our tests. The three recall notices list serial numbers for the models included. John Deere is sending letters to all registered owners. You can also call the company at 800-537-8233 or visit www.johndeere.com for more information. The free repair applies no matter where you purchased your tractor, including Home Depot or Lowe’s, where Deere has posted recall notices.

CPSC, John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors Powered by Kawasaki Engines

September 16 -- The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC. Consumers should stop using the product immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: John Deere X300, X300R and X304 series tractors

Units: About 36,500 tractors

Manufacturer of Tractors: Deere & Company, of Moline, Ill.

Manufacturer of Engines: Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Hazard: The cooling fan (A) installed on top of the front mounted Kawasaki engine in the lawn tractor can break. If the cooling fan is not operational, the engine can overheat causing the surrounding plastic to melt, creating the risk of fire and serious injury.

                                               

Picture of recalled Tractor showing location of cooling fan (A)

Incidents/Injuries: There have been 163 reported failures, including 83 reports of engine melting or engine fires and one report of a minor burn injury following a fan failure fire.

Description: This recall involves John Deere X300, X300R and X304 Select Series™ Lawn Tractors with Kawasaki FS541V engines manufactured between September 20, 2010 and July 21, 2011 within the following serial number ranges listed below. The model number is on both sides of the tractor hood, and the serial number can be found on the machine frame near the front right tire.

1M0X300B++M180001 thru 1M0X300B++M180600

1M0X300C++M180001 thru 1M0X300C++M208330

1M0X300E++M180001 thru 1M0X300E++M180718

1M0X300F++M180001 thru 1M0X300F++M180888

1M0X300G++M180001 thru 1M0X300G++M183700

1M0X300H++M180001 thru 1M0X300H++M180145

1M0X300J++M180001 thru 1M0X300J++M180106

1M0X304A++M180001 thru 1M0X304A++M184936

1M0X304B++M180001 thru 1M0X304B++M180696

1M0X304C++M180001 thru 1M0X304C++M180054

Sold at: Nationwide at John Deere dealers in the U.S. from September 2010 to August 2011 for between about $3,000 and $4,000.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Customers should stop using the mowers immediately and contact a John Deere dealer to make arrangements to have the engine cooling fan replaced. All registered owners of the recalled mowers will be directly notified by John Deere.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Deere & Company at (800) 537-8233 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays ET or visit the firm’s Web site at www.johndeere.com           

CPSC, John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors, Brake Failure Can Cause Loss of Control

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 14 -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: D100 Lawn Tractors

Units: About 5,200

Manufacturer: Deere & Company of Moline, Ill.

Hazard: Hardware used to hold the brake assembly to the transmission housing can break. This can cause the brakes to fail, posing an injury hazard due to loss of control.

Incidents/Injuries: None

Description: The recalled lawn tractors are green with yellow seats and mower decks. Model D100 tractors are included in this recall. The model number is located on both sides of the tractor’s hood. Tractors with the serial numbers below are included in this recall. Serial numbers are located under the right rear fender.

    1GXD100A…BB051247 thru 1GXD100A…BB053312

    1GXD100E…BB114388 thru 1GXD100E…BB139599

Sold at: John Deere dealers, Lowe’s, and Home Depot stores nationwide, except California, from October 2010 through September 2011 for about $1,500.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled lawn tractors and contact the company for a free hardware inspection and repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Deere & Company at (800) 537-8233 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Saturday or visit the firm’s website at www.johndeere.com

Deere Dealers to Sell Honda Products in the US

September 20 -- John Deere is phasing out its Deere-branded walk-behind lawnmowers and snowblowers starting in 2012, as part of a sales and marketing agreement with Honda Power Equipment.

Honda premium power products  will be sold at participating John Deere dealerships in the U.S., and  Deere will no longer sell its own walk-behind lawnmowers and snowblowers. Deere will continue selling its riding mowers and lawn tractors.

“Deere has made it very clear in the recent past that we're focused on global growth businesses, and the two of them we're most focused on are agriculture and construction equipment,” Deere spokesman Ken Golden said Tuesday.

“We've sold walk-behind lawnmowers since the 1970s, but have not manufactured them ourselves for a long period of time. We believe this is a necessary product offering, but not one that fits into Deere's core competencies,” he said.

Under the terms of the agreement, participating Deere dealers will offer Honda’s  walk-behind lawnmowers, generators, tillers, water pumps and snowblowers. Shipments of Honda inventory to Deere dealerships will be phased in, beginning in 2012.

It will not affect sales of Deere riding mowers or lawn tractors, Mr. Golden said.

“We want to offer a high-quality product for our customers and our dealers, and Honda is known for its commitment to quality, durability, and customer service, just like Deere,” he said. “So this is a good match for a Deere customer.”

Sales of Deere lawnmowers have remained “very strong,” Mr. Golden said, but the company does not publicly break out figures for individual product lines, he noted.

“They're a small part of our overall business. We think that Honda has already made the investment to have a very sustainable business in this area,” Mr. Golden said. “We hope this relationship lasts a long time; they're a leader in this product.”

Deere has also contracted with a third party to manufacture its walk-behind mowers and snowblowers for at least a decade, he said. The agreement with Honda also will not affect Deere's commercial turf and golf-course equipment business.

Honda does not make a riding mower, so that also is “a nice match” with Deere, Mr. Golden said. “Our customers will go to a John Deere dealership for the riding mower line.”

“This new alliance with John Deere allows Honda Power Equipment to expand its reach by providing products that meet the high quality and reliability standards that John Deere customers have come to expect,” Scott Conner, vice president, Honda Power Equipment, said Tuesday in a news release.

John Deere dealerships are independently owned and the company said all 1,500 active dealers that sell lawn equipment will be offered the opportunity to sell the Honda product line during a sign-up period beginning later this year, Mr. Golden said. Deere said it may also consider the agreement for Canadian dealers in the future.

Customers who want to purchase a new Honda power product, or service an existing product, at a Deere dealership will be able to do so at participating Deere dealers after the dealer is added to the Honda sales network. Deere said the program could take through 2013 to be completely phased in, but there are about 200 dealers that already sell the Honda products, Mr. Golden said.

This is not the first time Deere has discontinued a lawn care product line, he added. A couple years ago, Deere added Stihl chainsaws to its dealerships, after it stopped making Deere-branded chainsaws.

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