QUAD CITIES - Hundreds of workers at John Deere Harvester Works learned today they are being placed on indefinite layoff because of reduced market demand for its products.

Deere & Co. announced that 367 production workers will be laid off later this month at the East Moline plant. The layoffs are effective Sept. 21.

The factory produces combines and front-end equipment for harvesting.

In addition, the company said the remaining Harvester Works employees will start four weeks of inventory adjustment shutdown and two weeks of vacation shutdown on Sept. 21.

The Harvester layoffs come three months after Deere idled its John Deere Ottumwa (Iowa) Works plant. In June, the company announced that 700 of its 1,000 employees were being laid off there to align production with market demand. The plant produces balers, mower conditioners, windrowers and pull-type forage harvesters used by hay and livestock producers.

Earlier in the year, Deere's Davenport Works plant had two rounds of layoffs as demand for its construction equipment declined as a result of the weakened economy. In January, 190 people were laid off, while another 105 were laid off in March.