PLA by John Deere
PLA by John Deere is a Brazilian-Argentine manufacturer of agricultural sprayers, planters, and nutrient applicators, acquired by Deere & Company in 2018 and distributed exclusively through John Deere's authorized dealer network across Latin America.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersCanoas, RS, Brazil
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PLA by John Deere does
PLA by John Deere is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) that manufactures agricultural sprayers, planters, and crop-protection equipment for farmers in Brazil and Argentina. The business traces its origins to PLA (Pulverizadores Agrícolas), founded in Argentina in 1988, and was acquired by John Deere in 2018; it now operates two manufacturing facilities in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and Las Rosas (Argentina), with 101-250 employees. The product portfolio spans self-propelled sprayers (models 1025E, 4630, M4025, 230M, 430R, 440R, M4030, M4040), the GreenSystem sub-brand of trailed and mounted sprayers (PV Pecuária, PV1006, PV1008, PV1020), self-propelled and trailed dry nutrient applicators (M4040DN, 400R DN, DN1106), and the Hagie 204SP self-propelled detasseler, supported by John Deere's precision-agriculture ecosystem including the StarFire 7500 GNSS receiver, G5/G5Plus monitors, JDLink telematics modems, the Operations Center cloud platform, ExactApply nozzle control, and CommandDrive hydrostatic transmission.
Underlying technology emphasizes precision application: ExactApply provides individual-nozzle control with turn compensation, See & Spray Select enables computer-vision-based targeted herbicide application, and the M4040DN dry nutrient applicator shares approximately 90% of parts commonality with the M4040 sprayer platform. The Pacote Essencial de Agricultura de Precisão package bundles StarFire 7500, G5/G5Plus Universal monitor, and JDLink Modem M/R with optional annual subscriptions for AutoTrac, section control, and SF-RTK signal correction at +/- 2.5cm accuracy, supporting a recurring-software revenue layer on top of hardware sales.
PLA by John Deere's business model is hardware sales of agricultural equipment, distributed exclusively through Deere & Company's authorized dealer network across Brazil and Latin America, with pricing handled at the dealer level and not publicly disclosed. The end customer is fragmented agricultural producers needing equipment for crop protection, nutrient application, and planting operations; revenues are consolidated into Deere & Company's agricultural segment rather than reported on a stand-alone PLA basis. Marketing leverages John Deere's brand presence, dealer communications, agricultural trade shows, and digital platforms including the John Deere Brazil website. The PLA sub-brand is retained for category-specific product identity (sprayers and planters) while inheriting John Deere's global brand equity, dealer infrastructure, and precision-agriculture technology stack.
PLA by John Deere firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PLA by John Deere
- Legal name
- John Deere Brasil Ltda.
- Website
- https://pla.com.br
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- PLA by John Deere is a Brazilian-Argentine manufacturer of agricultural sprayers, planters, and nutrient applicators, acquired by Deere & Company in 2018 and distributed exclusively through John Deere's authorized dealer network across Latin America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PLA by John Deere industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Machinery
- NAICS
- Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crop Protection & Application Equipment (Sprayers/Spreaders) (IMAHACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Precision Agriculture & Farm Technology Equipment (IMAHACAH), Field & Orchard Sprayers (Boom, Airblast, Spot Sprayers) (AFAAADAA), Potato & Specialty Crop Planters (Potato, Garlic, Sugarcane) (AFAAABAJ)
Keywords
Where PLA by John Deere is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canoas, RS
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices2 records
Markets served
PLA by John Deere business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Agricultural Equipment Sales: PLA generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of agricultural sprayers, planters, and related equipment to farmers and agricultural producers. Following John Deere's 2018 acquisition, revenues are consolidated under John Deere's agricultural segment.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
PLA by John Deere product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PLA by John Deere manufactures agricultural sprayers, planters, and related equipment—including self-propelled and trailed sprayers, dry nutrient applicators, and a self-propelled corn detasseler—primarily for farmers and agricultural producers in Brazil and Latin America. The equipment is integrated with proprietary precision agriculture technologies such as ExactApply, See & Spray Select, StarFire GNSS receivers, JDLink telematics, and the John Deere Operations Center cloud platform, and is sold exclusively through John Deere's authorized dealer network.
Product overview
PLA by John Deere is a product line of agricultural sprayers, planters, and equipment that became part of John Deere's portfolio following the company's acquisition of PLA (Pulverizadores Agrícolas) in 2018, with manufacturing facilities in Canoas (RS), Brazil and Las Rosas, Argentina. The portfolio is organized around self-propelled sprayers (models 1025E, 4630, M4025, 230M, 430R, 440R, M4030, M4040), trailed and mounted GreenSystem sprayers (PV Pecuária, PV1006, PV1008, PV1020), self-propelled dry nutrient applicators (M4040DN, 400R DN), and the GreenSystem DN1106 trailed nutrient applicator. The Hagie 204SP detasseling machine rounds out the specialty equipment range. Supporting the equipment lineup is a precision agriculture ecosystem including the StarFire 7500 receiver, G5/G5Plus Universal monitors, JDLink modems, and the John Deere Operations Center cloud platform, all available through the Pacote Essencial de Agricultura de Precisão package.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 1025E Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled agricultural sprayer with steel boom sizes of 24, 27, or 30m, 2,500L tank capacity, and 1.60m ground clearance, designed for crop protection and nutrient application on commercial farms.
- 4630 Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with steel boom sizes of 24 or 27m, 2,300L tank capacity, and 1.27m ground clearance, for crop protection applications.
- M4025 Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 27m steel or 30 and 36m carbon fiber boom options, featuring optional ExactApply precision spraying technology.
- 230M Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 27m steel, 30m and 36m carbon fiber booms, 3,000L tank, standard INC and optional INC Pro and ExactApply systems, 1.70m ground clearance, 2.70m to 3.30m track width.
- 430R Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 30m and 36m steel, 36m carbon fiber and 40m hybrid boom options, 3,000L tank, supporting Conventional, INC, INC Pro and ExactApply systems, 1.7m or optional 1.9m ground clearance.
- 440R Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 4,000L tank capacity, for large-scale crop protection operations.
- M4030 Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 27m and 30m steel or 36m carbon fiber boom, 3,000L tank, 1.70m ground clearance.
- M4040 Self-Propelled Sprayer Self-propelled sprayer with 30m steel or 36m carbon fiber boom and 4,000L tank capacity.
- PV Pecuária GreenSystem Pull-Type Sprayer Pull-type sprayer for livestock applications with up to 11m spray width and 400L or 600L tank capacity.
- PV1006 GreenSystem Mounted Boom Sprayer Mounted boom sprayer with 12 to 16 meter boom and 600L tank capacity for tractor-mounted crop spraying operations.
- PV1008 / PV1008L GreenSystem Mounted Boom Sprayer Mounted boom sprayer with 14 to 20 meter boom and 800L tank capacity.
- PV1020 GreenSystem Trailed Boom Sprayer Trailed boom sprayer with 18 to 20 meter boom and 2,000L tank capacity for row-crop applications.
- M4040DN Drybox Self-Propelled Dry Nutrient Applicator Self-propelled dry nutrient applicator with New Leader DN460 6m3 box, 1.52m ground clearance, dual feed gate system, and up to 36m spreading width; shares 90% of parts commonality with the M4040 sprayer.
- 400R DN Self-Propelled Dry Nutrient Applicator Self-propelled dry nutrient applicator with up to 6m3/8 ton box capacity, 36m spreading width, integrated scales, LED light package, CommandDrive transmission, and optional manual or electric tarp.
- DN1106 GreenSystem Trailed Nutrient Applicator Trailed nutrient applicator with G4 distribution technology from New Leader, 6m3 stainless steel 304 box, applies lime up to 18m and nutrients up to 30m, ISOBUS/GreenStar Rate Controller compatible, 100-125cv power requirement.
- 204SP Hagie Self-Propelled Corn Detasseler Self-propelled detasseling machine with John Deere 4.5L Tier 3 engine producing 173hp, 195.6cm ground clearance, pneumatic independent suspension, QuickTach implement quick-change system, and toolbar configurations for 4-1/4-2 detasseling patterns.
Companies that use PLA by John Deere
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
PLA by John Deere technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
PLA by John Deere partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- John DeereflagshipIn 2018, John Deere acquired PLA, a Brazilian manufacturer of sprayers, planters, and agricultural equipment. The acquisition integrated PLA's specialized equipment portfolio into John Deere's agricultural solutions, expanding John Deere's manufacturing footprint in South America with facilities in Canoas (Brazil) and Las Rosas (Argentina).
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PLA by John Deere competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland): Major global ag-equipment manufacturer with strong Latin American presence in tractors, sprayers and planters under Case IH and New Holland brands; competes broadly with John Deere/PLA at the dealer and application-equipment level.
- John Deere (Deere & Company): Parent company and ultimate owner of PLA; comparable as the entity that defines PLA's competitive set, owns the technology stack (Operations Center, JDLink, See & Spray), and sets distribution strategy across Latin America.
- AGCO Corporation (incl. Massey Ferguson, Valtra, GSI, Hagie): Global agricultural equipment OEM whose Hagie brand is a direct self-propelled sprayer competitor to PLA's lineup; AGCO's broader portfolio (tractors, combines, application equipment) competes with PLA/Deere across the Deere Brazil range.
- Mahindra & Mahindra (Farm Equipment Sector): Global agricultural-machinery group (tractor-led) with growing presence in sprayers and planters; overlaps with PLA at the application-equipment level in emerging markets and provides a useful valuation/scale benchmark for a niche ag-machinery OEM.
Emerging players
- Bühler Industries (incl. Farm King, Allied): Manufacturer of agricultural equipment (sprayers, loaders, tillage) with growing North American and international distribution; partial overlap with PLA's trailed sprayers and nutrient-application equipment.
Direct peers
- Jacto: Brazilian (São Paulo-based) manufacturer of sprayers, coffee harvesters, and precision-agriculture products. Directly comparable to PLA on self-propelled and trailed sprayers for Latin American crop producers, with overlapping dealer networks and a precision-agriculture portfolio of its own.
- Amazone (Amazonen-Werke): German manufacturer of crop-protection sprayers, fertilizer spreaders and seed drills with European-anchored but globally distributed product platform; comparable in target customer (large arable farmers) and product (boom sprayers, ISOBUS-enabled control).
- Stara: Brazilian family-owned manufacturer of self-propelled sprayers, planters, spreaders and agricultural implements; closest direct competitor to PLA in the Brazilian crop-protection/planting market with overlapping product categories sold through a regional dealer footprint.
- Hardi (now part of Kverneland/AGCO orbit): Specialist manufacturer of crop-protection sprayers (mounted, trailed, self-propelled); directly comparable product platform to PLA's GreenSystem and self-propelled lines and a frequent reference point for sprayer technology benchmarks globally.
- Kuhn (Kuhn Group, subsidiary of Bucher Industries): French/global manufacturer of planting, spraying and tillage equipment with a Latin American distribution presence; overlaps with PLA's planter and sprayer lines and competes at the application/planting equipment level.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PLA by John Deere social profiles
Digital presencePLA by John Deere financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PLA by John Deere leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PLA by John Deere subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
PLA by John Deere funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PLA by John Deere M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PLA by John Deere
What does PLA by John Deere do?
PLA by John Deere manufactures agricultural sprayers, planters, and related equipment—including self-propelled and trailed sprayers, dry nutrient applicators, and a self-propelled corn detasseler—primarily for farmers and agricultural producers in Brazil and Latin America. The equipment is integrated with proprietary precision agriculture technologies such as ExactApply, See & Spray Select, StarFire GNSS receivers, JDLink telematics, and the John Deere Operations Center cloud platform, and is sold exclusively through John Deere's authorized dealer network.
Is PLA by John Deere a public or private company?
PLA by John Deere is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PLA by John Deere founded?
PLA by John Deere was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is PLA by John Deere based?
PLA by John Deere is headquartered in Canoas, RS, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does PLA by John Deere make money?
One revenue line is on record: agricultural Equipment Sales.
Who are PLA by John Deere's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland), John Deere (Deere & Company), AGCO Corporation (incl. Massey Ferguson, Valtra, GSI, Hagie) and Mahindra & Mahindra (Farm Equipment Sector). Bühler Industries (incl. Farm King, Allied) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Jacto, Amazone (Amazonen-Werke), Stara, Hardi (now part of Kverneland/AGCO orbit) and Kuhn (Kuhn Group, subsidiary of Bucher Industries).
Does PLA by John Deere have an API?
No public API is recorded for PLA by John Deere.
What industry is PLA by John Deere in?
PLA by John Deere's product category is Agricultural Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHACAC, Crop Protection & Application Equipment (Sprayers/Spreaders), with a secondary code of IMAHACAH, Precision Agriculture & Farm Technology Equipment. Its NAICS code is 333111 and its SIC code is 3523.