AGCO ramps up Hesston manufacturing plant
AGCO’s critical upgrades to its Hesston, Kansas, facility went live on Jan. 1, 2024, and the company has welcomed the first group of employees returning from furlough in the first week of January, according to the company.
An additional wave of employees returned the following week, and the balance of employees will return in waves over the course of the first quarter as production ramps up with the new systems, said Jessica Stone, who is a director of the supply chain and plant lead at Hesston. The above photo is of a Massey Ferguson 2370 baler.
Implementation of the upgrades required all production areas to be shut down; employee furloughs that occurred during this time were not demand-related, she said. During this time, AGCO has worked to provide impacted eligible employees with supplemental pay and retention bonuses, she said.
“The upgrades are a result of continued investment in the facility’s critical systems that will ensure the long-term productivity of the site,” Stone said. “AGCO greatly values our Hesston employees and appreciates the ongoing teamwork to learn and implement the new systems in production.”
In October 2023 the company announced as part of its plan it would have a series of temporary furloughs that would impact about 900 employees.
In 2022, when AGCO recognized Hesston’s 75th anniversary, it was the company’s No. 1 location for manufacturing implements and combine harvesters.
AGCO, based in Duluth, Georgia, had net sales of approximately $12.7 billion in 2022. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com.
