John Deere to invest R150M into local warehouse

In terms of capacity, it will have more than three times the capacity of the existing warehouse in Rosslyn, outside Pretoria.

"This warehouse will support dealers across sub-Saharan Africa," said John Deere sub-Saharan Africa MD Len Brand, in a statement this week, adding that the investment is in line with the company's continuous focus to give customers a unique ownership experience. "John Deere always recognised the importance of not only having parts available in the market where customers operate, but also ensuring dealers have the capability to effectively support customers to ensure maximum uptime is achieved with their equipment," said Brand.

Since 2005, the company has made several other investments, as part of its efforts to strengthen its presence in South Africa and the broader region. A dealer development programme requires dealers to invest in people, facilities and training, while a a local Apprentice Academy allows John Deere, in cooperation with its dealers, to add 50 qualified technicians per year. There are now 205 qualified technicians in the country, as opposed to 140 in 2007.

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