Deere & Co. and Kreisel Electric GMBH, an Austrian company that Deere acquired last year, will create 50 jobs in Forsyth County to make lithium-ion batteries for electrified off-road equipment.
John Deere Electric Powertrain will invest $69.6 million to establish its North American headquarters and build a battery and charger manufacturing facility in Kernersville, the company said.
Moline, Ill.-based John Deere will produce Kreisel battery packs for high performance and large, off-highway equipment applications at its new facility. The factory will also manufacture Chimero charger technology for e-mobility, stationary systems and Level 3 charging solutions.
Forsyth County commissioners last week approved an incentives package worth up to $1.3 million to build the plant and hire 87 people, the Triad Business Journal reported. A performance-based grant of $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with John Deere Electric Powertrain’s location in North Carolina.
This new venture calls for a 115,000-square foot space to expand the manufacturing of Kreisel batteries and chargers in the North American market.
“As the demand for electric solutions continues to increase, this strategic investment in growing our production capacity will help strengthen our position as an international battery technology leader,” says Pierre Guyot, senior vice president of John Deere Power Systems and chairman of Kreisel Electric, in a release.
New positions include assemblers, material handlers, packagers, and quality inspectors. These new jobs will have the potential to contribute an annual payroll impact of more than $3.3 million to the region.
Deere now makes hydraulic excavators at its Kernersville plant, where it employs about 800. The 470 P-Tier Excavator that John Deere makes in Kernersville was a semifinalist in the Coolest Things Made in NC contest sponsored by the NC Chamber.