Vermeer Corporation

At Vermeer, we’re not following the road less traveled – we’re carving that road out of the future’s unbroken landscape.

We’re always searching for “a better way” to accomplish the tasks that are reshaping the earth. We’ve developed innovative solutions for construction, forage, landscaping, mining, organic recycling, rental, tree care, wood waste other industries. And there’s always something new coming from our talented research and development team.

“Find a need. Fill that need with a product built to last. And simply build the best.”
-Gary Vermeer

Gary Vermeer prided himself on responding to need with innovation. He was known to say, “There ought to be a better way to do it.”

It began with his development of a mechanical hoist that eased the burden of unloading farm wagons. It grew to provide the very foundation for his company.

Along the way, the people of Vermeer have delivered a number of firsts to various industries. From the world’s first commercialized large round hay baler to tree spade to stump cutter.

In 1991, our creation of the Navigator horizontal directional drilling machine lineup was instrumental in installing fiber optics for the world’s information superhighway.

The innovative nature of Vermeer has significantly contributed to road constructions, surface mining projects and agriculture developments. We look forward to many years of finding new ways to help you do your job efficiently and effectively.

Vermeer is a global company in the truest sense.

From its modest beginnings in a small concrete-block building in Pella, Iowa, USA, Vermeer has grown into a global leader in forage, tree care, wood-waste processing, composting, compact and underground installation equipment.

Vermeer products are used on jobsites in more than 60 nations around the globe. Vermeer Corporation also operates sales manufacturing facilities in several countries and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide.

Since the year 2000, Vermeer has focused on serving international markets even better with a variety of new projects.

Gary Vermeer had a philosophy of always finding “a better way” to develop, manufacture and deliver quality products to customers. That philosophy is still alive today and has taken on new meaning.

For more than a decade, Vermeer has been on a journey to integrate lean principles into every aspect of the business — quality, cost, delivery, safety and morale. Simply stated, lean is the pursuit and elimination of waste which results in improved production efficiency and enhanced product quality and reliability. It involves constantly evaluating how we go about daily tasks and looking for ways to complete them more efficiently.

Vermeer has implemented lean principles throughout its manufacturing plants, which has led to some dramatic outcomes. For example, a brush chipper once took 52 days to manufacture. Now, using standardized parts and streamlined processes, the same machine is ready to ship in just two-and-a-half days.

What does this mean to customers?

Products can be backfilled to the dealership faster, resulting in the right equipment getting to the right spot at the right time. In addition, the quality control process is integrated throughout the manufacturing process, leading to more opportunities to enhance the quality of our products. It can also mean shorter lead times for building and shipping replacements parts, which helps keep vital parts on the dealer's shelf when you need them most.

Lean principles aren’t only for manufacturers. Contractors and farmers can integrate lean principles into their everyday operations. Simple steps — like organizing tools and following service tasks in a specific order — can help reduce preventive maintenance time and costs. 

Vermeer dealers are also implementing lean principles to help streamline service work in the shop and field. Service trucks and shops are being updated for more efficient placement of tools and parts, ultimately providing better service to the customer.

Lean is about empowering every employee in the company to find a better way of doing business. For Vermeer, it’s resulted in greater efficiency — but more importantly, higher employee morale and enhanced product quality.