Deere & Company, the global corporation that manufactures the iconic John Deere brand of agricultural, construction and forestry equipment, is investing $29.8 million to expand operations at its Thibodaux facility.
The company will create 70 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of $47,472, and will retain 311 existing jobs in Louisiana, including 284 jobs at the Lafourche Parish facility. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 110 new indirect jobs, for a total of 180 new jobs in the Bayou Region.
The announcement coincides with Louisiana’s observation of Manufacturing Week, the 11th annual nationwide celebration of the sector’s continued growth and the career opportunities it has to offer.
The expansion involves the development and installation of a new production line and upgraded equipment, which will allow the Thibodaux facility to begin producing medium-chassis cotton harvesting models that will replace existing models currently built in China.
“The new cotton harvesters present a huge opportunity for John Deere Thibodaux to deliver innovative and technologically advanced solutions to our customers, which will increase their productivity and profitability,” said Mike Duplantis, factory manager at John Deere Thibodaux. “This expansion is possible due to the tremendous amount of hard work and resiliency of the Thibodaux team.”
The Thibodaux site currently serves as a design center for sugar harvesting and earthmoving scraper equipment as well as a manufacturing facility for a variety of agriculture and construction products. The company expects production of the new cotton harvesters to begin within the next two years and to reach full capacity by 2025.
To secure the project in Thibodaux, the state offered Deere a competitive incentive package including a performance-based retention and modernization grant of up to $1 million, and the services of LED FastStart, Louisiana’s nationally acclaimed recruitment, customized training and workforce development program. The company is also expected to participate in the Industrial Tax Exemption and Enterprise Zone programs.