Juku. thecre . „ . MleEiveritig On The CMnmittinent Ife LeiutarsKtlir
Commitment To Leadership Drives Deere In An Age Of Change
MOLINE, 111. The con
cept of leadership in business
and industry goes well beyond
simple measures such as unit
sales and market share. It ex
tends to less tangible, but even
more important ideals such as
commitment and partnership.
An ongoing commitment to
agriculture and enduring part
nerships with customers and
dealers go a long way in defin
ing John Deere’s leadership in
the marketplace. The respon
sibilities that come with this
status are something the com
pany takes quite seriously,
said Doug DeVries, senior vice
president, agricultural mar
keting for John Deere’s North
American, Australian, and
Asian Division. In the follow
ing interview, DeVries shares
thoughts on what it means to
be a leader in the farm equip
ment industry and in agricul
ture as a whole.
Following the interview is a
series of articles providing ad
ditional perspective on how
John Deere asserts its leader
ship in key areas ranging from
product engineering, design
and development to customer
service and support.
Q. What are some of the
key qualities and attributes of
an industry leader?
A. Being an industry leader
means being committed to
that business for an extended
period of time. At John Deere,
we’re well into our second
ceptury of commitment to the
Agricultural marketplace. Ag
riculture always has been the
foundation of our business,
and it will continue to be the
foundation for well into the
future.
(J. As the leader of the farm
equipment industry, what do
you believe are the expecta
tions customers have for John
Deere?
A. Customers expect us to
be there for them over the
long haul. They expect us to
know and understand their
business and anticipate their
changing needs and require
ments. They also expect us to
transfer our knowledge into
new innovations and products
that help them run their oper
ations more efficiently, more
productively and more profit
ably.
These expectations have
been created by the
generations’ worth of commit
ment we’ve shown our cus-
Deere Specialists Share
Cropping Systems Knowledge
(Continued from Page A 24)
training provides a real-world
perspective on the challenges
and risk that growers have to
manage on a day-to-day
basis,” Foster said. “We’re
pretty proud of this program
and the contribution it makes
to the company. We believe
this training helps create a
greater appreciation of the
Long-term commit
ment to the market is a
critical aspect of indus
try leadership, said Doug
DeVries, senior vice
president of agricultural
marketing for John
Deere’s North American,
Australian, and Asian Di
vision.
tomers. This commitment
started 165 years ago when
John Deere introduced the
self-scouring plow and carries
through today with the pro
ductive technology of our new
8020 and 9020 Series tractors.
It’s our ability to live up to
this commitment and consis
tently meet and exceed cus
tomers’ expectations that has
kept us at the forefront of the
farm equipment industry.
Q, From your perspective,
how do you feel John Deere is
asserting its leadership in
some of these critical areas?
A.
• Product development, de
sign and engineering Mak
ing sure we know and under
stand our customers’ business
and their needs is absolutely
critical. That’s why we place
such a heavy emphasis on
engaging customers both
John Deere and competitive
owners in every step of the
process involved in developing
new products and services.
Another critical factor is con
tinuously striving to integrate
new technology into our prod
ucts. As a company, we invest
nearly $1.5 million a day in re
search and development to
identify, adapt and apply new
technology that will deliver
real, tangible benefits to our
customers. The return on this
investment is evident in pro
ductivity-enhancing features
level of investment producers
have in their farm operations.
And that helps foster even
more empathy among the
folks who work in customer
and product support.
“The end result,” Foster
said, “is the company contin
ues to deliver the superior
product, service, and support
our customers have come to
expect from John Deere.”
ADVERTISEMENT
such as the new GreenStar*
AutoTrac Assisted Steering
System, which is available on
our track tractors.
• Manufacturing and quali
ty assurance Quality goes to
the very core of who we are as
a company. It’s engrained in
our culture and it’s one of our
critical competitive strengths.
Quality is a major area of em
phasis and will remain an on
going requirement in every
thing we do. Our focus on
continuous improvement in
our manufacturing processes
is also critical. The goal here is
to make sure we provide our
customers with the right ma
chine at the right time for
their operation.
• Customer service and
support Service and sup
port is just as critical as prod
ucts in the overall value prop
osition we provide our
customers. Making sure their
ownership experience is sec
ond to none is vital to our
business. That’s why we work
in close partnership with our
dealers to make this experi
ence the very best it can be.
Our parts distribution system,
which ensures dealers receive
out-of-stock parts within 24
hours, is the industry stan
dard. Still, we realize we can’t
rest on our laurels, and that’s
why we’re constantly looking
for ways to make it even
better.
• Dealership support
Our John Deere deal
ers play an absolutely
essential role in meeting
the expectations and re
quirements of our cus
tomers. The strength of
our dealers’ relation
ships and their excep
tional support provide a
critical link between our
customers and the com
pany. There’s no way
we could go it alone, nor
would we even consider
it. That’s why continu
ing to build the strength
of our dealers is one of
three key priorities of
the North American
Marketing Group in the
years ahead.
• Advocacy on behalf
of agriculture We be
lieve it is critical to sup
port the industry that
has helped make us
what we are as a compa
ny. That’s why we feel it
is so important to back
legislation, research or
initiatives that return
something to agriculture
whether it’s new in
dustrial uses for ag com
modities, soy and etha
nol-based diesel, free
trade, or a strong farm
bill, just to name a few
examples.
Q. In the current era
of mergers, consolida
tion and contraction,
John Deere is seemingly
the one and only farm
equipment manufactur-
ADVERTISEMENT
er that hasn’t been affected
Why?
A. First, it’s really not true
to say we’re unaffected. We’re
impacted every single day by
the changing landscape of the
marketplace. But having said
that, one reason we haven’t
been involved in much of this
contraction over time is be
cause we continue to provide
the broadest line of equipment
of any single manufacturer in
the business. This is a critical
advantage that allows us to do
product matches and technol
ogy integrations that deliver
greater performance and more
value to our customers.
Q. Agriculture is going
through another challenging
period, yet John Deere recent
ly conducted the single largest
new product introduction in
the company’s 165-year histo
ry. What signal does this send
the rest of the industry and,
more importantly, to custom
ers?
A. When your company has
been an integral part of agri
culture as long as ours has
been, you know there are
going to be challenging eco
nomic times. As a leader you
can’t let that fact diminish
your commitment to bringing
customers new products and
new innovations that help
7000 TEN SERIES
JOHN DEERE TRACTORS
> 7510 Model with
115-hp
> Instructional Seat
option
> Auto Quad™
Transmission
IN STOCK:
John Deere 7510, Cab, 4WD
John Deere 7810, Cab, 4WD
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16,2002-A25
them do their jobs more effi
ciently, productively and prof
itably.
While last August’s new
product introduction was our
largest ever, it was only one in
a series over the past three
years. And by the end of 2003,
we will have literally delivered
a completely new, comprehen
sive product line to our deal
ers and customers. The under
lying message is “We’re
committed to our customers
and their business, and we’re
committed for the long haul.”
Q. There’s little doubt that
agriculture and the farm
equipment industry are being
reshaped right before our eyes.
How do you see John Deere’s
role evolving as the company
strives to remain in its posi
tion of leadership in the years
to come?
A. I think you’ll see us con
tinue to operate by the princi
ples that have served us so
well through the years. We’re
going to do the very best job
we can understanding the
needs and requirement of our
customers and investing in
new innovations to help meet
these needs. It’s really just a
continuation of a process that
John Deere himself started
165 years ago.
> Increased
horsepower ratings
> SIX horsepower
sizes to choose from
-95,105,115,120,
135, and 150 hp
John Deere