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Deere & Company-Kreisel Electric GMBH Plan Kernersville, North Carolina, Operations

08/16/2023
Deere & Company and Austrian-based Kreisel Electric GMBH, plan to establish its North American headquarters and battery and charger manufacturing operations in Kernersville, North Carolina. The $69.6 million project is expected to create 50 jobs in Forsyth County.

The new 115,000-square-foot facility, adjacent to Deere’s current location, will produce Kreisel battery packs for high performance and large, off-highway equipment applications, in addition to CHIMERO charger technology for e-mobility, stationary systems and Level 3 charging solutions.

“As the demand for electric solutions continues to increase, this strategic investment in growing our production capacity will help strengthen our position as an international battery technology leader. Within the evolving off-highway equipment market, we are prioritizing the development of a robust charging ecosystem and battery portfolio that can support and sustain the long-term adoption of electrification across a wide variety of applications,” said Pierre Guyot, Senior Vice President of John Deere Power Systems and Chairman of Kreisel Electric.

A performance-based grant of $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with John Deere Electric Powertrain’s location in North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

“John Deere could have established this new company anywhere in the world, but they chose North Carolina,” noted N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “As the company continues to address the evolving needs of the global community, they can rely on our commitment to further developing a diverse, well-trained advanced manufacturing workforce to support them.”

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), other key partners in this project include the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Forsyth Tech Community College, Forsyth County, Town of Kernersville, Greater Winston-Salem, Inc., Whitaker Park Development Authority, and Duke Energy.

“With North Carolina’s commitment to clean energy, top workforce in the country and favorable business climate, the state has become a leader in the electric vehicle and battery sector,” added Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “We are positive that John Deere and Kreisel’s partnership will continue to propel North Carolina and the nation into a clean energy economy.”

Kreisel Electric GMBH provides customers with state-of-the-art battery technology solutions for a wide range of mobile and stationary applications. The company focuses on the development of immersion-cooled electric battery modules and packs for high-performance and off-highway applications. John Deere acquired majority ownership of Kreisel in 2022.

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