If Gabriel García Márquez wrote a book about John Deere, he should have called it “100 Years of Quality.” More than a century has passed since the release of the first tractor of the company. Today, it is time to look back at the history of this legendary brand. Let’s start.

The Century of the Legend

Today, about half of all fields on the planet are processed with John Deere tractors that are produced in 12 factories around the world. Deere & Company has a turnover of over $40 billion a year. Nowadays, this brand has deserved to be the best, so on the www.epcatalogs.com site, its service manuals are available.

The brand has survived five intensive periods, which made this company stand out of the crowd:

1) Waterloo Boy (1918-1938)

During the first 20 years of tractor production, the company has experienced:

• World War I;
• Economic crisis;
• Workers’ strikes;
• Decline in sales from 5 thousand tractors to 79 units per year.

John Deere began manufacturing tractors during World War I when it purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in 1918. The first tractor was called the “Waterloo Boy.” During the first year, John Deere was able to sell more than 5.5 thousand of these machines. Some of them are still on the move, while the price for this model starts at $374 thousand.

2) Best Design (1938-1958)

In 1938, functionality was a priority in agricultural machinery trends, but not a design. However, John Deere decided to combine the quality and design, so it redesigned the Tractor A and B models. Later, the company produced tractors for the needs of the army alongside the ammunition, aircraft parts, etc.

3) Goliath and World Domination (1958-1978)

“Nothing Runs Like a Deere” is the official slogan of the company. During the third twenty years of its history, the company gained its maximum speed and began a big game in the tractor market. It became one of the largest manufacturers of agricultural machinery and won the sympathy of farmers thanks to model 8010 – huge diesel tractor with 215 hp engine called Goliath.

4) First Billion (1978-1998)

More than 75 years passed after the first tractor was built. In 1979, the number of employees reached a record of 65,392 people, while the sales were at the $5 billion level. The launch of John Deere’s first 4-row cotton picker in 1980 was more than successful.

5) New Millennium (1998-2020)

John Deere entered the new millennium with a new CEO – Robert W. Lane. The first tractor of the new millennium was the model 4700. Additionally, a new plant was opened in India, while in Luxembourg, John Deere received a banking license that gave John Deere Credit the right to finance equipment sales throughout Europe.

Finally, the story of John Deere has many ups and downs. However, the devotion to traditions combined with the latest technological trends is what makes this company very special.

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