Deere to add jobs as result of Bell agreement

Deere plans to add 30 to 40 jobs at its John Deere Davenport Works in spring as a result of an agreement with Bell Equipment of South Africa. Through the agreement, Bell will license Deere to manufacture Bell-designed articulated dump trucks in North America and Deere will license Bell to manufacture Deere-designed side-shift backhoe loaders and four-wheel-drive loaders in South Africa. Bell currently supplies trucks to Deere for resale under the Deere brand name. The companies say the new agreement is designed to provide cost-reduction opportunities and leverage the advantages of local manufacturing for both parties. Deere owns 32 percent of Bell’s shares.