Deere And Co
Deere & Company (Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively called John Deere)
have operations which are categorized into four major business segments.
The agricultural equipment segment manufactures and distributes a full line
of farm equipment and service parts — including tractors; combine, cotton and
sugarcane harvesters; tillage, seeding and soil preparation machinery; sprayers;
hay and forage equipment; material handling equipment; and integrated agricultural
management systems technology.
The commercial and consumer equipment segment manufactures and distributes
equipment and service parts for commercial and residential uses — including
small tractors for lawn, garden, commercial and utility purposes; walk-behind
mowers; golf course equipment; utility vehicles; landscape and irrigation equipment;
and other outdoor power products.
The construction and forestry segment manufactures, distributes to dealers
and sells at retail a broad range of machines and service parts used in construction,
earthmoving, material handling and timber harvesting — including backhoe loaders;
crawler dozers and loaders; four-wheel-drive loaders; excavators; motor graders;
articulated dump trucks; landscape loaders; skid-steer loaders; and log skidders,
feller bunchers, loaders, forwarders, harvesters and related attachments.
The products and services produced by the segments above are marketed primarily
through independent retail dealer networks and major retail outlets.
The credit segment primarily finances sales and leases by John Deere dealers
of new and used agricultural, commercial and consumer, and construction and
forestry equipment. In addition, it provides wholesale financing to dealers
of the foregoing equipment, provides operating loans and finances retail revolving
charge accounts.
John Deere is also engaged in special technologies operations and provides
managed health care plans. John Deere’s worldwide agricultural equipment; commercial
and consumer equipment; construction and forestry; and special technologies
operations are sometimes referred to as the “Equipment Operations.” The credit
and health care operations are sometimes referred to as “Financial Services.”
An important part of the competition within the agricultural equipment industry
during the past decade has come from a diverse variety of short-line and specialty
manufacturers with differing manufacturing and marketing methods. Because of
industry conditions, especially the merger of certain large integrated competitors,
the agricultural equipment business continues to undergo significant change
and may become more competitive.