John Deere has announced that it will be laying off approximately 150 production employees from its Des Moines Works facility in Ankeny, Iowa. According to a company statement released on Friday, March 15th, the layoffs are scheduled to take effect in April and May.
The decision was attributed to the necessity of aligning the production workforce size with the specific needs of the Ankeny factory. “Each John Deere factory balances the size of its production workforce with the needs of the individual factory to optimize the workforce at each facility,” the official statement explained. This adjustment reflects ongoing efforts to manage production levels at the Ankeny plant effectively.
Dustin Lemmon, a spokesperson for John Deere, indicated that the company would not be providing further comments beyond the initial statement. Attempts to reach Justin Limke, president of UAW Local 450, the union representing workers at the Ankeny location, for comment were not immediately successful.
The John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny is a significant manufacturing hub for the company, employing around 1,700 individuals. Of these, 1,136 are in production and maintenance roles. The plant specializes in the production of large-scale agricultural equipment, including sprayers and cotton pickers, essential for modern farming operations.
Despite the workforce reduction, John Deere is continuing with previously planned investments in the Ankeny facility. A 139,000-square-foot expansion of the sprayer manufacturing section is still anticipated to be completed within the year. Furthermore, the company has presented proposals to Ankeny city officials for the construction of a new 20,000-square-foot laboratory building, signaling ongoing commitment to the location for research and development activities.
This announcement follows recent news of Tyson Foods permanently closing its Perry, Iowa, pork processing plant, which will result in approximately 1,300 job losses. While the John Deere layoffs are smaller in scale, they contribute to a concerning trend of job reductions in Iowa’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors, highlighting the fluctuating demands and economic pressures within these industries. The Ankeny John Deere plant remains a major employer in the region, and these adjustments are part of the company’s strategy to maintain operational efficiency and responsiveness to market conditions.
