Every year, thousands of Series 6 tractors roll off the assembly line at the John Deere plant in Mannheim, Germany, for worldwide distribution. The plant is one of the most important employers in Mannheim and John Deere’s largest production facility outside North America.
It all began with Heinrich Lanz in 1921 – when the world’s first crude oil tractor, the HL 12, was presented in Mannheim. The 200,000th Bulldog was produced in 1956 – the same year John Deere took over Heinrich Lanz AG with its factories in Germany and Spain. Some 72 years after the introduction of the first Lanz tractor, the one millionth tractor left the Mannheim factory in 1993.
And just 30 years later, the two millionth tractor has rolled off the assembly line. The top model of the Mannheim production with 301 hp, a 6R 250, bears the portrait photos of more than 300 employees. Here, some of them have their say.
3.300 Experts
give their best to make a tractor roll off the assembly line.

I love the fact that I never know exactly what to expect in the morning. Having been there for the one millionth tractor, I’ve seen first-hand how much the factory has changed over the decades. That’s fascinating to see.
Jürgen Altmann, Quality Engineering / OFP Supply Chain Quality, 44 years of service
Every 4,2 minutes,
a tractor rolls off the assembly line in Mannheim, a total of 40,000/year.






I enjoy going to work every day. Over the past decades, I’ve been able to help plan and implement new manufacturing facilities. It’s really special to see how our field is evolving.lt.

Holger Pudack, Layout & Machine Planning, ME Services DFT, 33 years of service
2 times a week
220 tractors go by ship to Rotterdam or Amsterdam and then on overseas
When I think how we’ve already produced 2m tractors, I think of 2m satisfied customers. It’s nice that I can contribute to this as a Works Council member – while gaining an insight into all areas and very diverse topics through my work.

Cosmin Sirbu, Works Council, 26 years of service
2/3
2/3 of all tractors produced in Germany are manufactured by John Deere in Mannheim.

For us, progress always includes making our site more environmentally friendly. I work on that every day. Even as a child, I often walked past the plant and was always impressed by the tractors.
Daniel Sigmund, Environmental Manager Mannheim, 8 years of service
First
Million
Tractors
1.000.000 
70
Years
Second
Million
Tractors
1.000.000 
30
Years

I’m always really proud when I hear from dealers and customers that there’s nothing more that can be done to improve the delivery quality of our premium tractors. It’s great that we can all continue to write the John Deere success story together.
Peter M. Kuegler, Project Coordination of Premium Tractors in Final Assembly, 16 years of service
1-millionth
Tractor

JOHN DEERE 6400

JOHN DEERE 6400
- Performance
100 / max. 104 hp - Construction
Frame construction - Transmission
Partial 4-speed powershift transmission - Steering
Fully Manual - Connectivity
–
2-millionth
Tractor

JOHN DEERE 6R 250

JOHN DEERE 6R 250
- Performance
250 / max 301 hp with IPM - Construction
Frame construction - Transmission
Stepless AutoPowr™ transmission - Steering
Integrated AutoTrac - Connectivity
Data Transmission via JDLink™