Deere & Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sam Allen accepts the AEM Hall of Fame plaque from Rusty Fowler, 2012 chair of the AEM and CEO of Krone North America

John Deere, Pierre Bataille and Wood Brothers (Keith, Leonard and Mervel Woods Equipment Co.) are now among the celebrated manufacturers in the off-road equipment industry that have been inducted into the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Hall of Fame.

AEM Hall of Fame inductees are evaluated by an independent panel of industry experts on five criteria “that are vital to the health of the off-road equipment manufacturing industry.”

The criteria include innovation, industry contributions, leadership, corporate citizenship/social responsibility and sustainability.

Summaries from AEM for each of the 2012 honorees with some of the reasons they were selected for induction follow:

John Deere (Deere & Co.)

John Deere was a leader in his day in vision, innovation, and improving the quality of life for his fellow citizens.  The company marks its 175th anniversary in 2012, recognizing the significant influence Deere has had for almost two centuries in equipment manufacturing – an impact the Illinois blacksmith could not have imagined when he was first compelled to create tools that have evolved into machinery that helps build and feed the world.

“John Deere” has been synonymous with equipment almost since John Deere moved from New England to Grand Detour, Illinois, where his skills as a blacksmith were immediately in demand. Deere ultimately took his business to Moline, Illinois, which had access to better transportation routes and essential energy sources.

If Deere could have seen the future in 1837 when he created his innovative self-scouring plow for Midwestern farmers, he would have been amazed and proud to see that his namesake company would become a world leader in machinery manufacturing.

Deere built a global company on the core values of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation – one that produces machinery with a myriad of applications in agriculture, construction, forestry and turf care. John Deere made an everlasting mark and earned his place in the AEM Hall of Fame through the development of equipment manufacturing to its status today as a key contributor to our economic well-being and quality of life.

Pierre Bataille (Poclain)

Pierre Bataille was an industry innovator and a responsible leader, contributing to economic development in France while improving quality of life for his workforce and the industry.

The technology he helped develop, high pressure hydraulics, played a part in the huge increase in productivity for agricultural works, handling operations and earthmoving. He was a pioneer in development of the hydraulic excavator. He was the instigator to use production assembly lines for excavators in the early 1960s, increasing production and reliability; his concept of the swing drive and boom remain a standard today.

A leader in social responsibility, Bataille offered interest-free loans to his employees, a majority of whom were former farmers living in poor conditions who then more easily became homeowners. He developed a technical training center to provide workers and excavator operators with job training. Bataille established one of the first staffed company cafeterias for his employees and a network of buses to safely transport them to and from work; while not a widespread practice in the 1960s, Bataille instituted noise-reduction measures in the plant and on excavators.