Equipment Manufacturer Layoffs Roll On at AGCO, John Deere
As ag equipment companies continue to face weakening demand and a farmer user base discouraged by low commodity prices and high operating expenses, another round of job cuts was announced this week.
John Deere is handing out pink slips to 279 workers at its East Moline, Illinois, Harvester Works plant, according to WRAM 1330 AM in Monmouth, Illinois. The dismissed employees last day is August 30th, according to the report.
Combined with rounds of layoffs in Urbandale, Waterloo, and Ankeny, Iowa, John Deere has slashed just north of one thousand workers from its employment base over the last two months.
One of John Deere’s chief rivals in the large ag equipment space, Duluth, Georgia-based AGCO Corporation, confirmed this week that it will reduce it’s overall salaried workforce by about 6%. The company did not specify which of its locations will be affected by the cuts.
The company estimates that it will incur charges for one-time termination benefits of approximately $150 million to $200 million in connection with severance payments, employee benefits payouts, and related costs.
According to KSN.com in Wichita, Kansas, AGCO reps said the decision to reduce its workforce is not directly related to its shift in production to Mexico, which was announced earlier in June.
Meeting with a group of ag media this week at its 2024 Tech Day event in Salina, Kansas, AGCO President and CEO Eric Hansotia expressed his dismay in confirming the layoffs. He pointed to the cyclical nature of the ag equipment industry while pledging that his organization will uphold the affected workers dignity and respect as the process moves forward.
New Holland, Aftermarket Autonomy Startup Collaborate on Driverless Orchard Tractors
New Holland and Bluewhite, an autonomous technology company, announced a multi-phase partnership to collaborate on distribution, manufacturing and integration of Bluewhite’s autonomous solutions for New Holland tractors in North America.
The partnership will enable New Holland tractors to operate fully autonomously in orchards, vineyards and other specialty crop operations.
Now select New Holland dealers in the western U.S. have the rights to sell, distribute and service Bluewhites’s aftermarket kits for existing New Holland tractors.
Order writing will begin this summer, with future regional and global expansion to come.
New Holland says the capabilities of Bluewhite’s technology bolsters its strategy to bring autonomous solutions across all segments it serves, and it builds upon CNH’s acquisitions of Raven, Augmenta, and Hemisphere, which are driving New Holland’s autonomy offerings for row crop and broad acre farmers.
“The integration of Bluewhite into our technology stack allows our customers to access much-needed autonomous technology in an attainable aftermarket solution,” said Carlo Lambro, Brand President of New Holland.
Bluewhite, formerly Blue White Robotics, leverages AI, sensor fusion, advanced vehicle integration and precision implements control to help growers remotely manage their fleets and data. Bluewhite leadership says its autonomous farming technology has been field tested on multiple crops and tractor models across 150,000 acres in the U.S.
Founded in 2017 by Ben Alfi, Yair Shahar and Aviram Shmueli, Bluewhite is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, with offices in Fresno, California.
“Our long-term partnership with CNH and New Holland combining autonomous technology with tractors and harvesters in the orchards and vineyards sector is a milestone in achieving our mission of making cutting-edge innovation accessible to the agriculture sector,” said Ben Alfi, Chief Executive Officer, Bluewhite.
New Holland and Bluewhite are also exploring future possibilities for factory-installed solutions.
