The two millionth John Deere tractor has rolled off the production line at the German company’s plant in Mannheim this week.
Around 3,300 employees help produce 40,000 tractors per year at the site which was established in 1956, before the machines are exported all over the world.
The factory, which is one of the most important employers in the city, is now the largest John Deere production facility outside North America, following a sharp increase in production.
It is also the largest tractor production facility in Germany, as two-thirds of all tractors manufactured in Germany are produced in Mannheim.
John Deere employs 3,300 employees in its Mannheim site
The site benefits from its convenient location on the Rhine allowing around 250 tractors to be shipped twice a week to Rotterdam or Antwerp, and then overseas including the UK and Ireland.
The plant is also a development site for all medium tractors from John Deere and includes 250 engineers who focus on performance, comfort and efficiency.
Following the ceremony in the building’s new paint shop, the 6R250 tractor will be on display at the John Deere Forum and will be given a place of honour in the factory museum next to the one millionth tractor, a JD 6400.
The tractor cab offers the luxuries of a car including automatic air conditioning, Apple CarPlay and GPS steering.
6R250 John Deere will be on display alongside the one millionth tractor
Engineers are working on alternative concepts, such as the use of biofuels.
Electric drives are also being developed but only for smaller tractors as the battery capacity for larger machines is not yet sufficient.
Due to a shortage of skilled workers, the company runs a training workshop which offers 160 young people qualifications as mechatronics technicians, automotive mechatronics technicians, industrial mechanics, electronics technicians for industrial engineering and construction mechanics with a focus on welding technology.
