John Deere Implements Automation to Work More Intelligently
Heavy equipment manufacturer John Deere, like many companies, is implementing more automation into its manufacturing processes. Chad McCarty, Manager, Material Flow Design & Automation, Enterprise Engineering – Manufacturing Technology at John Deere, said there are various factors driving this:
- the evolving workforce,
- improvements in process predictability
- enhanced safety and productivity,
- the ability to make decisions around data.
By automating various tasks and processes, the company can mitigate some of the risks associated with the labor shortages facing the manufacturing industry. In addition, automation allows work to continue while personnel are on a break as well as handles some of the more dangerous tasks, keeping the human labor force safe.
“At the end of the day, it’s working more intelligently through the scaling of automation…[while] also remaining adaptable and flexible to what the future of manufacturing is,” said McCarty. “Automation allows us to adapt quicker and be more flexible within our factories.”
McCarty said use of a private 5G network is having a positive impact on John Deere’s automation journey. Improved processing speeds and data payload are some of the benefits that can be achieved, as well as 5G’s ability to better handle the larger number of devices connected to the network.
In this interview with Power & Motion, McCarty discusses the technologies John Deere is employing to enable automation of its manufacturing processes, the benefits of doing so as well as the role 5G is playing in its automation journey.
About the Author
Sara Jensen
Executive Editor, Power & Motion
Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.
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