John Deere Reman breaks ground on facility expansion in Strafford, MO

By Ray McCarty, president/CEO, Associated Industries of Missouri

May 5, 2025 - Today, I joined many company executives, local officials and local chamber leadership as John Deere Reman broke ground on an expansion of one of their facilities in Strafford, near Springfield, MO.

In a statement, Kevin Schrag, John Deere Reman Manager, said the project will expand the John Deere Core Center facility by an additional 120,000 square feet and represents an investment of $13.5 million.

John Deere Reman remanufactures engines, transmissions, axles, hydraulics, engine components, and electronics products to deliver like-new performance at a lower cost, with reduced environmental impact. The company's skilled employees use a variety of techniques to bring components back to their original John Deere specifications, or better.

Speakers at the groundbreaking event, from left: Denver Caldwell, Vice President, John Deere Aftermarket & Customer Support; Ryan Campbell, President, John Deere Worldwide Construction & Forestry and Power Systems; Kevin Schrag, Manager, John Deere Reman; Martha Smartt, City Administrator, Strafford, Missouri; and Matt Morrow, President and CEO, Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, Missouri

The John Deere Reman expansion is critical for Deere because it will provide the space needed to store and manage Core. Core is the lifeblood of any remanufacturing business. It is the used and worn-out material that is returned, disassembled, cleaned, and qualified to use as critical raw material that gets transformed into John Deere Reman products. Increased space to collect and manage this Core will fuel growth of our entire remanufacturing business. Also, the expansion will drive increased operational efficiency by consolidating outside warehouses and improving the overall flow of materials in the remanufacturing process. 

For the community, the investment and expansion are evidence of Deere’s continued commitment to manufacturing in the US and the Springfield area. John Deere is proud to have been in the remanufacturing business for nearly 27 years in the Springfield area, when it started as a joint venture with the Springfield Manufacturing Corporation. Thirteen years ago, the John Deere Core Center was constructed with the intention and expectation to grow the remanufacturing business. At the time of construction, Deere committed to providing 55 new high-quality jobs for the region. Today, the facility employs more than 200 people.  

For customers, the John Deere Reman business is a cornerstone of Deere’s commitment to delivering exceptional value:  

• It offers complete replacement options for major components, such as complete engines, transmissions, and axles, ensuring our customers experience minimal downtime and can get back to work quickly.  

• It offers products at a lower-cost alternative to new components without compromising quality or performance. This includes replacement parts such as fuel components, starters, alternators, turbos, electronic controllers, displays, and more.  

• John Deere Reman components are backed by the same, if not better, warranty than new products.   

Reman creates service capacity for major components like engines, transmissions, and axles for John Deere dealers. By using Reman components, lengthy repairs can be avoided and valuable technician time is saved, enabling dealers to serve additional customers who might otherwise be out of reach.  

John Deere Reman bolsters Deere’s longstanding commitment to supporting equipment long into the lifecycle of the product.  

John Deere’s is committed to manufacturing in the United States:

• Since 2019, John Deere has invested more than $2.5 billion in our American factories, including our new See & Spray line at Des Moines Works in Des Moines, Iowa; the X9 combine assembly line at Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois; a new excavator factory in Kernersville, North Carolina; and new tractor line assemblies in Waterloo.

• In the U.S., John Deere employs approximately 30,000 people in more than 60 U.S.-based facilities across 16 states. Meanwhile, our valued John Deere dealers employ more than 50,000 people at dealerships across the country and in 2023, the company spent over $16 billion with U.S.-based suppliers.

• More than 75% of all John Deere products sold in the U.S. are assembled at U.S.-based manufacturing facilities. Less than 5% of John Deere’s U.S. sales are assembled in Mexico. Deere is a net exporter of U.S.-assembled Ag & Turf equipment and John Deere is a global brand that operates in more than 30 countries.

• Deere strategically leverages its global footprint to enable investments in new product programs and technological advancements at U.S.-based facilities. Deere relies on highly skilled U.S. employees to build their most technologically advanced equipment such as the 9RX tractor.

• John Deere’s economic impact in our U.S. hometown communities and all those where we have a presence is valued at $27 billion. The company has highly skilled workers in domestic manufacturing in part due to its investments in skilled trades and dealer technician training programs for military veterans and high school students in rural communities across the country. These programs are helping to build the next generation of John Deere team members and Deere is proud to build America’s manufacturing workforce of tomorrow.

For more information, visit John Deere's Commitment to U.S. Manufacturing.

John Deere Reman currently employs more than 500 people and operates five different locations in the Springfield area.