by Kevin Baskins, Des Moines Register
John Deere on Thursday confirmed additional layoffs of 345 production workers from its operations in Waterloo, effective Sept. 20.
That brings to 894 the total since the beginning of the year at the plant. One of Deere’s largest, it currently has about 5,000 total employees, with about 3,000 working in production and maintenance jobs.โฏ
The company also plans to lay off seven employees from its Coffeyville, Kansas, plant, effective Aug. 9. It employs 245 people there, with about 145 working in production.
The company is experiencing a slowdown in demand for its farm equipment amid a decline in agricultural prices.
“As the largest global manufacturer of agricultural equipment, John Deere, like many others in the industry, faces significant economic challenges, including rising global operational and manufacturing costs, and reduced customer demand,” the company said in a statement to the Des Moines Register. “These changes are being made due to reduced demand for the products produced at these facilities. As stated in our second quarter earnings call, industry sales are expected to decline 20% from 2023 to 2024.”
Other layoffs by Deere in Iowa
The additional layoffs in Waterloo would bring the company’s total workforce reduction in Iowa by to 1,429 since the beginning of 2024, according to numbers reported to the state’s Workforce Adjustment and Retraining and Notification, or WARN, site.
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