The Mannheim tractor factory is 50 under the colours of John Deere

This month of April factory of Mannheim (Germany) meets its 50th anniversary since the start up of the John Deere tractor assembly line. The new john Deere models 300 and 500 Lanz began a much more advanced era technically than the previous with Lanz Bulldog, being a success in manufacturing, but it also marked the beginning of a completely new approach to the requirements that needed the customers in the European market.

Since its inception in April 1960, the factory John Deere Werke Mannheim (JDWM) has manufactured more than 1.335.000 machines, to which is added thousands of units of excavators, wheeled and crawler manufactured until 1983. In the 1960s were made more than 5000 units per year. As a result of mechanization in agriculture production in Mannheim quickly increased to a total of 41,000 units in 1977. Following the structural changes in European agricultural markets and the rest of the world production in Mannheim declined during the 1980s and the early 1990s, making an average of 21,200 units in 1993. Products with innovative designs, the opening of the markets of central and Eastern Europe increased demand at the global level, and production in Mannheim improved recovering to reach a record high of 45,700 tractors in 2008.

Today are produced 29 different models ranging from the 70 HP to 200 HP of power, with a wide range of options and a multitude of accessories. These tractors are marketed in more than 80 countries worldwide, and approximately 50% of the production is sold in Western Europe.

Two John Deere, one new tractors and other old, before the factory in Mannheim.