Deere & Company has selected a location in Kernersville, North Carolina, for the construction of a 115,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The factory will expand the production capacity of Kreisel Electric products. Kreisel, which John Deere acquired majority ownership of in 2022, produces battery technology for e-mobility and stationary systems as well as Level 3 charging systems. The production facility can support a production capacity of up to 2 GWh. John Deere plans to break ground on the new facility in the fall of 2023. Production is estimated to begin in 2025.
"Our customers are facing challenges that require their businesses to be more dynamic than ever before – we are engineering the technological innovations they'll rely on to do so," said Jennifer Preston, global director of John Deere Electric Powertrain and CEO of Kreisel. "Together with Kreisel, John Deere is expanding its electrification portfolio to include more scalable solutions to meet a wider range of our customer's application needs."
With the new battery manufacturing facility, the company will develop and manufacture Kreisel batteries and CHIMERO charger technology.
This new facility will support a production capacity increase to serve the off-highway market in North America. John Deere is also updating a facility to enable battery production at its factory in Saran, France – the primary manufacturing location for John Deere engines in Europe. The Kernersville-based facility will have a non-fossil-fuel-consuming design and is prioritizing sustainable energy features in major systems like the facility's HVAC, energy recovery system, lighting, and irrigation control.
The new facility will be equipped to produce Kreisel battery pack designs and CHIMERO chargers.
Why Kernersville?
Kernersville provides access to a diverse pool of technical talent from local trade and academic institutions and is well-connected to infrastructure, including highways, seaports, and airports.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state's support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process. The next phases of the development of the facility and construction timelines are subject to additional regulatory approval.
