We mined John Deere’s acquisitions, investments, and partnerships to discern the company’s strategic priorities.
US-based manufacturing giant John Deere is well-known for its distinctive tractors and other farm equipment. But after announcing a new, tech-focused operating model in 2020, the company has been selling robots, sensors, and other advanced hardware to help its agricultural clients reap the benefits of data analysis and automation.
In 2021, John Deere’s revenues reached $44B, up 24% year-over-year — with the company saying that its tech shift was a key driver of its results.
Industrial sectors across the board are exploring emerging technologies with a newfound eagerness in the face of rising labor costs, persistent supply chain issues, and formidable sustainability goals. For Deere, this means an effort to maintain its leadership position by spearheading advances in agtech.
Through acquisitions, partnerships, and investments, John Deere has strived to automate its tractors and other machinery, expand its software suite breadth, and implement IoT capabilities across farms, construction sites, and other industrial settings.
Using CB Insights data, we uncovered the 6 most important strategic priorities highlighted by John Deere’s recent acquisitions, investments, and partnerships since the beginning of 2017. We then categorized companies by their business relationships with John Deere across these priorities:
- Autonomous tractor tech
- Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)
- Farm management software
- Robots & drones
- Sensor systems
- Automotive tech
