MOLINE, Ill., April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- John Deere, in
collaboration with the UAW, the Iowa Department of Homeland
Security and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, announced
today it is producing protective face shields at John Deere Seeding
Group in Moline, Illinois. Deere
employees will initially produce 25,000 face shields to meet the
immediate needs of healthcare workers in several of its U.S.
manufacturing communities.
Materials and supplies are on order to produce an additional
200,000 face shields. The company is using an open-source design
from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison for the project and leveraging expertise,
skills, and innovation of its employee base.
"Our manufacturing and supply management teams, along with our
production and maintenance employees, the UAW, and our partners
have worked tirelessly to ensure we could lend our support and
protect our health-care workers during this crisis," said
John May, Chief Executive Officer,
Deere & Company. "By working closely with the communities where
our employees live and work, we can help support the needs we've
identified close to home and, as the project expands, address
additional, urgent needs across the country."
John Deere Seeding Group employees are supporting the special
project and are utilizing extensive and robust safety measures
adopted across the company to safeguard employees.
"This is a very proud day for the UAW and our UAW members," said
Rory L. Gamble, UAW President. "I
want to recognize the hard work that Secretary-Treasurer and
Agriculture Implement Department Director Ray Curry and Region 4 Director Ron McInroy contributed to this effort. This
included working to put the necessary health and safety provisions
in place for our members to begin manufacturing critically-needed
face shields for the health-care workers who are on the front lines
of this crisis saving lives. We are especially proud of the
courageous UAW members who are stepping up to do this critical
work."
The production of protective face shields is one of many
initiatives the company and its employees have executed in response
to the COVID-19 outbreak. Efforts in the U.S. have included the
following:
- PPE donations to health care facilities
- 2:1 employee match program encouraging donations to local food
banks and the American Red Cross
- Production of approximately 18,000 protective face shields for
use by factory employees
- Employee volunteerism efforts to sew cloth masks for community
members along with a match from the John Deere Foundation for the
time invested in this volunteer activity
- Launch of a COVID-19 innovations site to share open-source
specifications for related projects, including 3D-printed clips to
affix face shields to protective bump caps
For additional information regarding Deere's response to
COVID-19, visit our Coronavirus Update Center.
About Deere & Company
Deere & Company (NYSE:
DE) is a world leader in providing advanced products and services
and is committed to the success of customers whose work is linked
to the land - those who cultivate, harvest, transform, enrich and
build upon the land to meet the world's dramatically increasing
need for food, fuel, shelter and infrastructure. Since 1837, John
Deere has delivered innovative products of superior quality built
on a tradition of integrity. For more information, visit John Deere
at its worldwide website at www.JohnDeere.com.
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SOURCE Deere & Company