BY ANDY TAYLOR
MOLINE, Ill. — John Deere & Company said Thursday, Aug. 28 it plans to further expand manufacturing capacity of its large, high-horsepower tractors — resulting in improvements to the manufacturer’s Coffeyville production assembly. A total of $97 million will be spent at various Deere facilities across the globe.

John Deere owns the former Funk Manufacturing plant in Coffeyville, where Deere builds transmissions and other drive train components.

A John Deere spokesperson said it was not yet known if the improvements at the Coffeyville plant will result in additional employment.

Other parts of the John Deere expansion will create 103,000 square feet of new manufacturing space at a drive train operation in Waterloo, Iowa.

The project announced Aug. 28 is in addition to the investment of approximately $90 million that Deere had announced in February to increase manufacturing capacity at the Waterloo Operations. In combination, the projects will increase John Deere’s manufacturing capacity to build high horsepower tractors in Waterloo by about 40 percent and increase capacity for other tractor components and service parts. The company said both projects are expected to be complete by early 2010.

Tractors built in Waterloo are exported to more than 130 countries and are highly popular with the most productive farmers and growers in North America.