Moline, Ill.-based Deere & Co. said it expects delivery delays for some construction excavators built under a joint venture with Japanese equipment manufacturer Hitachi Ltd., The Wall Street Journal reported.

Deere said it’s still assessing the effects of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami on the Japanese suppliers that provide components for Deere- and Hitachi-branded excavators and Hitachi mining equipment.

Deere is responsible for marketing and selling excavators, mining equipment and compact construction equipment for both brands in North America and South America.

Rival construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. also has warned that disruptions in its supply chain in Japan could sporadically affect the company’s assembly plants elsewhere in the world.