Deere & Co. announced today it will move the production of EZtrak zero turn mowers from its factory in Horicon, Wisconsin to its facility in Greeneville, Tennessee.

"This is a customer-focused initiative that moves the production of this product line closer to its customer base," said James Field, president of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division. "We also will improve our logistics for distributing this product."

Today's action does not reduce the number of core wage employees in Horicon but does reduce the number of seasonal employees that are hired during peak manufacturing at the facility. The move will result in an increase of manufacturing operations and distribution positions in Greeneville.

John Deere Horicon Works manufactures premium lawn equipment and utility vehicles. Today's action will provide additional factory space and workforce stability.  Meanwhile, the John Deere factory in Greeneville will expand its product line from solely being focused on the John Deere 100 Series Lawn Tractor and will improve utilization of its manufacturing capacity. Production of the EZtrak product will begin in Greeneville by early Oct 2014.