John Deere Company

Clear and effective employee communication was critical when, after losing nearly $100 million in two years, the Commercial and Consumer Equipment Division of John Deere made the tough decision to shut down 3 facilities in North and South Carolina. To assist with this vital communication need, Projections provided a custom video that addressed not only the immediate business concerns, but the issues that reached far beyond the business itself, including the economic impact on the communities, some 475 employees, and their families.

The Results

"The video that you developed for John Deere Consumer Products to announce and explain the movement of our assembly operations to
Mexico was magnificent. Not only did it achieve the employee understanding we were looking for, I feel it was responsible for the following:

• Deere Corporate Office did not receive one phone call from anyone on the subject, press or employee.
• Both the state of North Carolina and South Carolina agencies that work with companies on this type situation said we should be used as a model for other companies.
• Employees whose jobs were being phased out volunteered to help with the Mexico start-up.
• To date, we have not lost many of our employees since the announcement, which was the other objective that we had.

We appreciate the immediate response and excellent cooperation we received from you on this project."