John Deere Complex Parts 1 
5
J o h n D e e r e an d C o m p l e x
Parts, Inc.1
On Friday, November 22, 2006, Blake Roberts, Hayley Marie, Stan Eakins and John
Pearson, members of one of John Deere’s supplier evaluation teams, were discussing the performance of Complex Parts. Complex Parts had provided questionable service to
John Deere’s Moline unit over the past year, and they were wondering if this merited giving their business to a different supplier. They needed to recommend a course of action to their project manager the next week.
Company Backgrounds
Deere & Company, headquartered in Moline, Illinois, was founded in 1837, and in 2007, they conducted business in over 110 countries and employed approximately 47,000 people worldwide. They are the world’s leading manufacturer of farm and forestry equipment, and also produce construction, commercial and consumer equipment. Other products and services produced by Deere included equipment financing, power systems, special technologies and healthcare. Net sales in 2006 were over U.S. $19 billion with total assets of more than U.S. $34 billion. Cost of goods sold in 2006 was approximately U.S. $15 billion.
Complex Parts, Inc. had been a supplier of John Deere for the past 10 years with annual sales to their Moline unit of approximately U.S. $3.5 million. They supplied Deere with a key manufactured part requiring significant engineering input and testing. Two other
Deere suppliers were capable of supplying this part; however, Complex Parts was providing all of Deere’s needs at the time. They had always taken a proactive approach to their dealings with John Deere, with sales engineers visiting weekly, participating in Deere’s cost reduction strategies, staying up with Deere’s design changes, and internalizing the Deere
Product Quality Plan. Complex Parts was interested in increasing their sales to Deere.
John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program
The Achieving Excellence Program (AEP) was a dynamic supply management strategy aimed at giving
J o h n D e e r e an d C o m p l e x
Parts, Inc.1
On Friday, November 22, 2006, Blake Roberts, Hayley Marie, Stan Eakins and John
Pearson, members of one of John Deere’s supplier evaluation teams, were discussing the performance of Complex Parts. Complex Parts had provided questionable service to
John Deere’s Moline unit over the past year, and they were wondering if this merited giving their business to a different supplier. They needed to recommend a course of action to their project manager the next week.
Company Backgrounds
Deere & Company, headquartered in Moline, Illinois, was founded in 1837, and in 2007, they conducted business in over 110 countries and employed approximately 47,000 people worldwide. They are the world’s leading manufacturer of farm and forestry equipment, and also produce construction, commercial and consumer equipment. Other products and services produced by Deere included equipment financing, power systems, special technologies and healthcare. Net sales in 2006 were over U.S. $19 billion with total assets of more than U.S. $34 billion. Cost of goods sold in 2006 was approximately U.S. $15 billion.
Complex Parts, Inc. had been a supplier of John Deere for the past 10 years with annual sales to their Moline unit of approximately U.S. $3.5 million. They supplied Deere with a key manufactured part requiring significant engineering input and testing. Two other
Deere suppliers were capable of supplying this part; however, Complex Parts was providing all of Deere’s needs at the time. They had always taken a proactive approach to their dealings with John Deere, with sales engineers visiting weekly, participating in Deere’s cost reduction strategies, staying up with Deere’s design changes, and internalizing the Deere
Product Quality Plan. Complex Parts was interested in increasing their sales to Deere.
John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program
The Achieving Excellence Program (AEP) was a dynamic supply management strategy aimed at giving