John Deere has closed its Mazzotti self-propelled sprayer operation in Ravenna, Italy, ending production of both Mazzotti-branded machines and the John Deere 300M Series. The shutdown follows persistently low order volumes and marks the end of Deere’s nine-year attempt to expand its position in the European self-propelled sprayer market through the Italian manufacturer.
The decision is limited to the Mazzotti business and does not affect other John Deere manufacturing facilities. However, it removes a specialized European sprayer platform from Deere’s portfolio and confirms the company’s shift toward a smaller, more standardized global machinery lineup.
Ravenna Plant Closed
John Deere confirmed the closure and liquidation of Mazzotti Srl on May 7, 2026. The Ravenna operation employed 29 people, with support measures for affected workers addressed through consultations involving the company, Italian labor unions and local authorities.
Low order volumes were identified as the primary reason for shutting down the business. The factory produced self-propelled sprayers in relatively limited quantities, making it increasingly difficult to justify a separate manufacturing site, engineering structure and supply chain for a niche product family.
The closure also affects other manufacturers that relied on Mazzotti’s production capacity. Mazzotti supplied chassis and cab units for the Kverneland iXdrive self-propelled sprayer, which has also been discontinued, with Kverneland no longer accepting orders for new machines.
John Deere 300M Production Ends
The shutdown has ended production of the John Deere 300M Series, including the Italian-built 332M and 340M self-propelled sprayers. These machines were based on Mazzotti engineering and were developed for European farms requiring more compact dimensions, lower machine weight and greater maneuverability than Deere’s larger sprayer platforms could provide.
John Deere introduced the 300M Series in its traditional green and yellow colors at Agritechnica 2023. The machines received a redesigned cab, updated chassis, upgraded wheel motors and greater integration with Deere’s precision agriculture technology.
Despite those improvements, the 300M failed to generate sufficient sales. Reports from several European markets suggest that pricing was a significant obstacle, particularly against established regional competitors. The machines also struggled in countries with highly specific application regulations. In the Netherlands, for example, the 300M reportedly failed to meet local drift-reduction requirements and never achieved a meaningful market presence.
Parts and Service Continue
The end of production does not mean immediate abandonment of machines already in service. John Deere has confirmed that existing Mazzotti and 300M owners will continue to receive parts and service support through the company’s dealer network.
This commitment is essential because many of the later machines incorporated John Deere engines, cabs, precision farming systems and the M-Spray dual-circuit solution system. The integration of Deere components should make some areas of long-term support easier, although Mazzotti-specific chassis, hydraulic and structural parts will still require careful supply management.
Owners should therefore not interpret the factory closure as an immediate threat to machine operation. However, the discontinuation will inevitably influence resale values, parts planning and long-term fleet decisions, particularly for contractors operating several Mazzotti-based sprayers.
Deere Acquired Mazzotti in 2017
John Deere acquired Mazzotti in 2017 to strengthen its European self-propelled sprayer business. The Italian company brought experience in compact, high-clearance machines designed for specialty crops and European row-crop farming.
Mazzotti initially retained its own commercial identity. In 2021, it became an officially endorsed John Deere brand, with machines carrying the “Mazzotti by John Deere” name and receiving an increasing number of Deere components and technologies.
The next stage of integration arrived with the 300M Series. John Deere styling replaced the traditional yellow Mazzotti appearance, while the machines were positioned as part of Deere’s wider European application equipment lineup.
That transition was intended to turn a regional specialist platform into a more scalable John Deere product. Instead, the limited sales performance showed that global branding and dealer access could not overcome the economics of a relatively small market segment.
Why the Strategy Failed
The failure of the Mazzotti strategy should not be interpreted simply as a technical failure. The machines offered several characteristics valued by European operators, including compact dimensions, high crop clearance and configurations suited to narrower fields and specialty applications.
The fundamental problem was commercial scale.
Self-propelled sprayers are expensive machines that require substantial annual utilization to justify their ownership costs. Across many European markets, high-capacity trailed sprayers remain a more economical option because farmers can use an existing tractor rather than investing in a separate power unit.
Mazzotti therefore operated in a narrow space between lower-cost trailed equipment and larger self-propelled sprayers purchased by major farms and contractors. That segment was not large enough to support the sales volumes John Deere expected.
The company also had to maintain separate production processes, parts inventories, engineering resources and dealer training for a relatively small number of machines. Once orders remained low, closing Ravenna became a more logical financial decision than continuing to support an increasingly complex product platform.
Technical Perspective
John Deere overestimated how much value its name could add to a specialized European sprayer platform.
Mazzotti gave Deere immediate access to proven engineering and a segment in which the company lacked a suitable compact machine. But acquiring the product was only the first step. Deere still had to persuade farmers that the 300M offered a better economic proposition than established self-propelled competitors or significantly cheaper trailed sprayers.
The 300M’s technical modernization was not enough. Farmers do not purchase application equipment simply because it carries a globally recognized badge. They calculate annual hectares, labor requirements, chemical savings, transport limitations, depreciation and expected resale value.
The closure also illustrates a broader risk in the agricultural machinery industry. Large manufacturers often acquire specialist companies to fill gaps in their portfolios, but those businesses can lose the flexibility that made them successful. A regional manufacturer can adapt machines to local regulations and customer preferences. A global corporation usually needs higher volumes, standardized components and a clearer return on investment.
John Deere will benefit from a simpler lineup and reduced manufacturing complexity. At the same time, the company has surrendered a compact self-propelled sprayer platform that addressed applications not ideally served by its larger machines.
The lesson is clear: a famous brand can improve distribution and visibility, but it cannot create demand where the ownership economics remain unconvincing.
About John Deere
John Deere is the primary agricultural machinery brand of Deere & Company, headquartered in Moline, Illinois. Its equipment portfolio includes tractors, combines, forage harvesters, sprayers, planters, construction machinery, forestry equipment and precision agriculture systems.
The company acquired Mazzotti in 2017 and operated the Italian specialist for approximately nine years before closing and liquidating the business in 2026. The shutdown affects only the Mazzotti operation and not John Deere’s other manufacturing facilities.
John Deere’s European self-propelled sprayer strategy will now rely more heavily on larger platforms, including machines produced at its Horst facility in the Netherlands.
About Mazzotti
Mazzotti was an Italian manufacturer specializing in self-propelled agricultural sprayers for row crops and specialty applications. The company was headquartered in Ravenna and became part of John Deere in 2017.
Its machines were initially sold under the Mazzotti name and later under the “Mazzotti by John Deere” identity. The final stage of integration produced the green and yellow John Deere 300M Series, including the 332M and 340M models.
The 2026 closure ended production of Mazzotti-branded sprayers, the John Deere 300M Series and the Mazzotti-built platform used for the Kverneland iXdrive. The Ravenna shutdown affected 29 employees.
