John Deere has announced a round of layoffs impacting 2 of its Iowa facilities. Citing decreased demand and lower order volumes, the company has confirmed to multiple media sources that the workforce reductions will see 101 employees in Waterloo and 40 in Des Moines facing their last day of work on October 17 and October 31 respectively.
A previously announced layoff of 71 workers at Deere’s foundry in Waterloo, Iowa goes into effect Sept. 19. When it announced those job cuts in August, it also announced the layoff of 167 workers from Quad City facilities located in Illinois.
In a statement shared with Farm Equipment, published news reports, Deere noted that the Waterloo layoffs will impact Tractor Operations, Drive Train Operations, Drive Train West and Engine Works, all of which are separate from the foundry.
“As is common in manufacturing, production schedules at each John Deere factory vary to align with seasonal farming needs. When fewer orders come in, each factory adjusts accordingly,” the company said in a statement. “Throughout this process we remain focused on providing customers the high-quality equipment they depend on, while investing to strengthen the foundations of U.S. manufacturing.”