John Deere 2012 Annual Report Download - page 6

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 6 of the 2012 John Deere annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 60

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60

6
New parts centers were announced or opened during the year in
Germany, Argentina and South Africa. Finance operations were
launched in Russia, Chile, Thailand and India. Deere now has a
retail-financing presence in nearly three-dozen countries and all
those where we have significant sales.
The company also opened offices in Brazil and China that bring
together employees of different divisions in a common setting.
By operating as a more integrated enterprise – one of the
principles underlying our growth strategy – we can leverage
the complementary strengths of all our businesses. This adds
further momentum to our growth efforts.
Even as we extend our global reach, the U.S. and Canadian markets
remain vitally important. Last year, the region accounted for
more than 60 percent of our sales and revenues as well as most
of our profit and spending on capital programs.
We are committed to zealously defending our market-leading
position with production farmers and other customers in the U.S.
and Canada – and are investing accordingly. Of the 15 or so
major projects under way in the company today, about half are
in the United States. In 2012, significant factory expansions
were announced for tractors, sprayers, and cylinders, among
other products. We added some 2,300 to our U.S. and Canadian
employee base as well.
John Deere is becoming a more global enterprise by the day.
Yet we fully intend to achieve meaningful growth in North
America as we find even better ways to serve those customers
who remain such a crucial part of our success.
MAJOR YEAR FOR NEW PRODUCTS
New products play a central role in our growth plans. Last year
John Deere continued with a record introduction of products,
most of which feature improvements in power, comfort and
performance.
Advancements in the 748H Skidder make it easier for customers to
move more wood, more reliably, on less fuel. An AutoShift option
selects the optimum gear based on load, further reducing fuel use and
allowing the operator to focus on running the grapple.