February 09, 2006 - On the back of its second consecutive year of record growth John Deere forges its commitment to Australian and New Zealand customers on the farmsite, worksite, and homesite with the unveiling of its world-class training centre, a multi-million dollar facility designed to produce a new breed of dealer personnel and provide support to its increasing customer base.

Speaking at the official opening, Kerrie Keeler, Managing Director of John Deere’s Australian and New Zealand branch, said “This new training centre in Brisbane is at the forefront of training facilities in our industry and will provide John Deere dealers and customers with a magnificent environment to gain an expanded knowledge of new products, systems and practices.”

The official opening was also attended by David Everitt, President of Deere & Company’s Agricultural Division for North America, Australia, Asia, and Global Tractor and Implement Sourcing; Doug De Vries, Senior Vice President for Agricultural Marketing; and Bharat Vedak, Senior Vice President of Intelligent Mobile Equipment. Accompanying the John Deere Limited leadership team on a tour of Australian facilities, dealers and customers were Craig DeBo, Director of Human Resources; and John Winter, Director of AMS. The support shown from international Deere & Company executives underpins the significance of the Australian and New Zealand market to Deere’s overall global footprint. Supporting the dealer network and ultimately the end-users of the John Deere products is the goal of this facility.

The new Training Centre boasts five (5) classrooms that comfortably seat 40 students each, two (2) large workshops and a 1,000 square metre covered outdoor training area to aid in the development of the product and technical skills of the Australian and New Zealand dealer network. The high-tech classrooms feature an advanced automation system to control the audio/visual equipment while laptops connected to wireless networks allow technicians and dealer personnel to master the many supporting computer applications that John Deere provides.

“We have created a state of the art learning environment in our new workshops equipped with air conditioning, an extremely high level of lighting, eight infra-red remote controlled exhaust extraction units and a hard-wearing, high-gloss, multi-coat epoxy floor finish,” explains Andy Tomkins, Training Manager, John Deere Limited. “Each workshop in the 2,660 square metre facility is capable of holding the full product range from small lawn tractors through to several 15 tonne combine harvesters.”

John Deere’s Training Centre is just one of the extensive training initiatives employed to keep the John Deere dealer network up-to-date with the latest advancements in technology and management practices.

“We also deliver instructor led training via the Internet and face to face at regional locations throughout Australia and New Zealand. We partner with Registered Training Organisations for the delivery of nationally accredited certificate courses up to diploma level in the business skills areas of Management, Sales and Parts disciplines.” says Tomkins. “Our John Deere University, a web based resource for obtaining training, provides a structured approach to training our dealer Management, Sales, Parts and Technical staff as well.”

Coinciding with the development of the new Training Centre, the John Deere Credit Limited Headquarters were also expanded to facilitate the growing size of this business. John Deere Credit provides a range of flexible financing solutions designed to assist commercial operators with their capital requirements when purchasing new or used equipment. For homeowners special terms are available when purchasing qualifying residential products.

John Deere is the world's leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment and a leading supplier of equipment used in lawn, grounds and turf care. Additionally, John Deere manufactures engines used in heavy equipment and provides financial services and other related activities that support the core businesses. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has established a heritage of quality products and services providing performance that endures to customers worldwide.

For more information on John Deere products, or to find out more about John Deere Apprenticeships call into your local John Deere Dealer, FREECALL 1800 800 981 in Australia and 0800 303 100 in New Zealand, or visit our Web site at www.deere.com.au.

High Resolution Image - New Training Centre and John Deere Credit Building (large file)
High Resolution Image - Advanced Classrooms (large file)
High Resolution Image - Self-Propelled Sprayer in Highly Lit Workshop (large file)
High Resolution Image - Large Workshop houses Multiple Machines (large file)
High Resolution Image - Large Uncovered Training Area (large file)

Specifications subject to change. Please contact your local dealer for more detailed information.