State-of-the-art agriculture equipment and technology learning center will serve as cornerstone of dealer and employee education efforts AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE:AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, is pleased to open the doors to the all-new Global Learning Center, Duluth (GLC), a state-of-the-art agricultural equipment and technology learning center. The 19,500-square-foot facility, the new home of AGCO Academy and AGCO University, will serve as the cornerstone of the company's comprehensive learning program for dealers and employees. Click here for the all-new AGCO Global Learning Center is a 19,500-square-foot state-of-the-art agriculture equipment and technology learning center that will serve as home of AGCO Academy and AGCO University employee and dealer education programs. "At our current pace, as much as 30 percent of the company's product line is replaced with new production-enhancing technology every three to four years. As growers invest in new technology, they rely heavily upon their dealers for information and assistance. It's our responsibility to ensure our employees and dealers fully understand these new products and their applications," explains Tim Miller, manager, global learning, for AGCO. "The Global Learning Center will help us deliver hands-on learning in a facility designed to meet the needs of adult learners. This investment is a testimony to an increased emphasis in education for our people." Consistent with AGCO's corporate mission of ‘Profitable growth through superior customer service, innovation, quality and commitment,' the GLC is the latest in AGCO's efforts to serve the expanding needs of customers around the world. "Investments in educating our dealers and employees will deliver tremendous return to our increasing global success," states Martin Richenhagen, chairman, president and CEO of AGCO. "Continued education prepares our team to embrace the innovations we're developing, adapt to the challenges of a changing economic environment, and ultimately help our customers produce feed, food, fuel and fiber as efficiently as possible." Located in Duluth, Ga., just steps from AGCO's Global headquarters, the GLC features three classrooms that boast the latest learning technologies to provide a more comprehensive instructional experience. Just as AGCO customers operate all aspects of machine and implement operation with the touch of a finger, instructors at the GLC can operate all technologies and classroom amenities from a single desktop control system. Three fully outfitted equipment repair and service bays help ensure students can apply what they've learned in the classroom through hands-on learning. The biggest equipment bay accommodates even AGCO's largest four-wheel-drive tractors and combines. Other GLC features include a student break room and a full kitchen, in addition to conference rooms and office space. AGCO's dealer training and education classes are offered through AGCO Academy, via seven schools that provide coursework on topics such as product training, technical service training, parts training, advanced technology solutions, dealer systems training, dealer management training and finance training. The Global Learning Center also fulfills the dealer network's request for additional education through regional learning centers, providing an ideal location to serve the eastern United States and eastern Canada. In-the-field training also is available at regional centers located in Boise, Idaho, Hesston, Kan., and Jackson, Minn. Four more regional training centers have been proposed throughout the United States and Canada. AGCO University is the employee-focused education program designed to develop and strengthen professional skills in management, leadership, compliance and business functions. AGCO's commitment to education also is being enhanced by updates to existing initiatives. During the Grand Opening event, visitors had the opportunity to preview new and improved program components such as the AGCO Academy and AGCO University websites; new online catalogs of all courses; and enhanced news pages in the AGCO Learning Management System (LMS), a system that allows dealers and employees to manage their individual learning experiences. The LMS provides users a one-stop location for information about class schedules, new curricula and course progression, among other information. AGCO employs a full gamut of learning initiatives and techniques designed to meet the needs of adult learners. Instructor-led lessons provide hands-on demonstration and allow students to interact with teachers. Online courses, training DVDs, webinars, podcasts and printed guides are portable resources that can be accessed from just about anywhere and allow students flexibility to progress through coursework based on their changing schedules. 3D CAD/ProE Animation is used to break complex machine parts down to easy-to-understand illustrations, showing how the pieces come together to form the part. New eLearning courses designed for people who use equipment in the field are also available through http://www.AGCOAcademy.com.The first courses cover sprayer operation or loader and backhoe operation. 05.16.2011