09-17-2025, 09:05 PM
Corporate Histories
John Deere traces its roots to the 19th century, founded by blacksmith John Deere, who built the first self-scouring steel plow in 1837. Over the decades, Deere & Company has expanded globally, producing tractors, combines, forestry and construction equipment, precision agriculture systems, and related services. It is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
CNH Industrial was formed more recently, in 2013, via the merger of Fiat Industrial and CNH Global. Its origins include the Case IH, New Holland, and Fiat brands. It designs and manufactures agricultural machinery, construction equipment, commercial vehicles, engines, and related technology. It has headquarters in multiple jurisdictions (nominally in the Netherlands / UK / Italy) and is controlled substantially by EXOR (the Agnelli family’s investment company).
Key Size Metrics and Comparisons
To assess "who's bigger", it helps to compare revenues, profit margins, market capitalization, market reach, and product breadth.
Here are some comparable data points:
Product Lines & Market Breadth
Recent Market Performance & Challenges
Which Is Bigger
Putting together financials, product scope, and brand strength:
Nuances & Strategic Insights
Conclusion
John Deere is larger overall than CNH Industrial in terms of revenue from agricultural equipment, profits, market dominance, and financial scale. CNH is not small— it's among the top manufacturers globally— but Deere remains the bigger of the two when comparing them head-to-head in core metrics.
If you want, I could pull up recent numbers (latest annual reports) to show exact revenues, assets, employees, etc., side by side to quantify exactly how much larger Deere is.
John Deere traces its roots to the 19th century, founded by blacksmith John Deere, who built the first self-scouring steel plow in 1837. Over the decades, Deere & Company has expanded globally, producing tractors, combines, forestry and construction equipment, precision agriculture systems, and related services. It is headquartered in Moline, Illinois.
CNH Industrial was formed more recently, in 2013, via the merger of Fiat Industrial and CNH Global. Its origins include the Case IH, New Holland, and Fiat brands. It designs and manufactures agricultural machinery, construction equipment, commercial vehicles, engines, and related technology. It has headquarters in multiple jurisdictions (nominally in the Netherlands / UK / Italy) and is controlled substantially by EXOR (the Agnelli family’s investment company).
Key Size Metrics and Comparisons
To assess "who's bigger", it helps to compare revenues, profit margins, market capitalization, market reach, and product breadth.
Here are some comparable data points:
- In recent quarterly reports, John Deere reported ~ $11.1 billion in equipment sales (agricultural & construction) in a quarter where sales were down year-over-year.
- CNH Industrial’s agriculture segment posted about $3.25 billion in its agriculture sales in a recent quarter, also down from the previous year.
- John Deere is generally considered to generate more than twice the revenues of CNH in many years.
- Profitability and margins tend to favor Deere: for example, Deere's profit margin, operating margin, return on equity, and return on assets are notably higher in comparative metrics.
Product Lines & Market Breadth
- John Deere: dominant in large tractors, combines, construction equipment, turf and lawn, precision agriculture. Strong R&D in automation, sensors, precision farming. Widespread dealership network globally.
- CNH Industrial: includes brands New Holland Agriculture, Case IH, New Holland Construction, Case Construction, Steyr. Also involved in commercial vehicles (e.g., trucks, buses) and powertrain / engines. More diversified spanning ag machinery, construction, and commercial vehicles.
Recent Market Performance & Challenges
- Both companies have faced sales declines in recent quarters due to challenging agricultural conditions, input cost pressures, weaker demand, and macroeconomic issues. CNH agriculture sales down ~ 17% year-over-year in one quarter.
- Deere also saw declines in equipment sales (~ 16%) in parts of its business, especially in its production & precision agriculture segment.
- Both have adopted early order programs (incentives, discounts) to stabilize demand and reduce dealer inventory.
Which Is Bigger
Putting together financials, product scope, and brand strength:
- John Deere is larger in revenue, especially in its core agricultural equipment segment.
- Deere tends to have higher profitability margins and greater market capitalization.
- CNH Industrial is broader in product diversification (construction, commercial vehicles, engines) but generally smaller in its core ag machinery sales compared with Deere.
Nuances & Strategic Insights
- Diversification by CNH gives it more buffer in downturns of one sector (e.g., ag) but also complexity managing multiple lines across regions.
- Technological investment: Deere’s investment in precision agriculture, automation, dealer network, R&D has given it advantages in brand loyalty and margin. CNH has also increased investment in tech, but catching up.
- Geographic strength: CNH tends to have stronger penetration in some emerging agricultural markets; in South America and parts of Europe, CNH is a strong competitor. Deere is strong in North America, but is global.
Conclusion
John Deere is larger overall than CNH Industrial in terms of revenue from agricultural equipment, profits, market dominance, and financial scale. CNH is not small— it's among the top manufacturers globally— but Deere remains the bigger of the two when comparing them head-to-head in core metrics.
If you want, I could pull up recent numbers (latest annual reports) to show exact revenues, assets, employees, etc., side by side to quantify exactly how much larger Deere is.
