John Deere Des Moines Works Plant Tour for Three from AKC Marketing

John Deere Des Moines Works plant tour for three from AKC Marketing.

Three AKC Marketing staffers – Ann Marie Edwards, public relations manager; Amanda Greteman, senior graphic designer, and Tom Sacco, senior copywriter attended a special monthly NAMA meeting, May 8.  

They got a behind-the-scenes tour of John Deere Des Moines Works to see Deere's biggest machines being brought to life in some of the most modern and efficient factories in the world.

John Deere Des Moines Works began life in World War II as the Des Moines Ordnance Plant (1941 - 1945). Production has transitioned from building machine gun ammunition to machines that help feed and clothe the world. Deere bought the 547-acre facility in 1947, rolling the first Deere machine off the assembly line in 1948: the 226 corn picker.

Today, Deere employs nearly 2,000 people in its Ankeny facility. Four machines are the focus of production: self-propelled sprayers, cotton pickers, tillage equipment and grain drills. Deere implements a “just in time” assembly practice to reduce line changes, downtime and warehousing.

John Deere retirees lead the plant tours, beaming with pride as they share the Deere story with a blend of the past and present. It’s easy to see why competitors are “John Deere Green” with envy after hearing the Deere story from those who’ve lived it.

NAMA - The National Agri-Marketing Association (http://www.nama.org) is the nation's largest association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness.