IT could easily have been a Scottish success story, but the choice by John Deere to open its European plant in Mannheim – ahead of its other choice in Central Scotland – means that it recently celebrated the production of its two millionth tractor there.

Back in the early 1950s, the Illinois-based chiefs from John Deere knew that to make serious inroads into Europe, they would have to build a European production plant and Scotland was a front runner for this, until a change of government and politics got in the way.

Then John Deere acquired the Lanz business in Germany and a manufacturing powerhouse was born. Now, around 3300 employees produce 40,000 tractors a year at the site, before they are exported all over the world. The factory is now one of the most important employers in the city.

READ MORE: Las Vegas debut for JCB’s ground-breaking hydrogen engines

Mannheim is the city of inventors, it is claimed. The car, the bicycle and the tractor were invented there, and while no cars or bikes are produced in the city today, tractors continue to roll off the line in the Lindenhof district.

The Heinrich Lanz company laid the foundation stone for one of the most successful tractor factories 102 years ago, producing the Bulldog and John Deere tractors have been produced there since 1956.

Due to the sharp increase in production, the factory is now the largest John Deere production facility outside North America. It is also the largest tractor production facility in Germany, as two-thirds of all tractors made in Germany are produced there.

The factory benefits from its convenient location on the Rhine, via which about 250 tractors are shipped twice a week to Rotterdam or Antwerp, and then overseas, including to the UK and Ireland.

READ MORE: John Deere goes for added precision and comfort in six-cylinder ranges

However, the plant is not only a production site. It is also a development site for all medium tractors from John Deere and more than 250 engineers work on the tractors of tomorrow and beyond.

Today's tractor cabs offer the luxuries of a car with automatic air conditioning, AppleCar Play, comfortable seats, GPS steering and much more.

Developers also put a lot of effort into clean fuel combustion; the same strict exhaust emission standards apply to tractors as they do for other vehicles. At the same time, engineers are working on alternative concepts, such as the use of biofuels.

Electric drives are also being developed, albeit only for smaller tractors, as the battery capacity for larger machines is not yet sufficient. In 2026, the first fully autonomous and battery-driven tractor delivering approximately 100hp will be presented.

John Deeres 6R and 6M Tractors

The development department led the way with the introduction of the frame design on the Mannheim tractors. The sturdy bridge steel frame gives the tractors enormous stability when using heavy implements.

In addition, the other components of the tractor can be built lighter. For example, the gearbox housings are made of aluminium. After the introduction of the frame design in the 1990s, production figures went steadily upwards.

For more than 20 years, John Deere has been the market leader for tractors in all major Western European countries. The current success is due, among other things, to the flagship of Mannheim production, the 6R 250.

With a maximum output of 300 hp, it is the largest tractor ever built in Mannheim. Overall, Mannheim tractors cover the range from 90-250hp rated power in the ‘luxury’ class.

The two millionth tractor was, fittingly, a 6R 250. As a thank you to the production team, the tractor is wrapped in portrait photos of more than 300 employees.

The tractor was unveiled at the Mannheim plant in late March and went on display at the John Deere Forum. Longer term, it will be given a place of honour in the factory museum next to its little brother, the one millionth tractor, a JD 6400.

It took 70 years from the start of production for 1m John Deeres to be produced, but the second million rolled off the line about 30 years after that.

The training workshop at the Mannheim plant is also looking back and forward. It celebrates its 100th anniversary this summer. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, it is becoming increasingly important for the company to train qualified young people.

Currently, the training workshop 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.

Timeline of Mannheim tractors:

1921: Lanz introduces the world's first crude oil tractor, the 12hp Bulldog HL. The tractor is powered by a horizontal one cylinder engine, the so-called glow-head engine. The peculiar shape of the cylinder head and the protective cap above it give the tractor the name Bulldog.

1936: Lanz sells the first express Bulldogs. With these machines, the transport problem in agriculture can be decisively improved. The Eilbulldogs are also increasingly used by hauliers for road transport.

1942: The 100,000th Bulldog left Mannheim.

1945: Bombing destroyed 90% of all buildings on the factory site. In the summer of 1945, the American occupation authorities grant production permission. Reconstruction, however, proceeded slowly.

1953: On February 9, the 150,000th Bulldog rollsed off the assembly line – 30,000 have gone abroad, while 120,000 remained at home.

1956: The 200,000th Bulldog is manufactured and John Deere took over Heinrich Lanz Ag with its factories in Germany and Spain.

1960: After almost 40 years, production of the Bulldog ends. The two successor models, the John Deere-Lanz 300 with 28hp and the John Deere-Lanz 500 with 36hp, are launched. They had modern four cylinder, four-stroke diesel engines.

1962/63: The tractor range is supplemented by the 100, 700 and 3010 models.

1967: The company name is changed again and tractor bonnets now only said 'John Deere', without the Lanz suffix.

1974: The 30 series is introduced, with the models 830 to 1130. John Deere is the first German tractor manufacturer to show an integrated, comfortable OECD-tested cab with a noise level of only 86 dB(A).

1980: JD built a cab plant in Bruchsal. Today, this site covers 63 ha. From 1981, the first SG2 comfort cabs come off the production line.

1986: The 50 Series is introduced with models from 38114hp.

1992: The innovative 6000 Series tractors with the all-steel bridge frame arrived. Initially four, four-cylinder models from 75-100hp were produced.

1993: 72 years after the introduction of Lanz's first crude oil tractor, the one millionth tractor rolled off the production line.

1997/98: Mannheim introduced the 6010 series with a suspended front axle and new economical PowerTech engines.

2001/2002: The 6020 Series is introduced to the market and covers the range from 80-160hp.

2002: Mannheim tractors are the first to offer a GPS steering system called AutoTrac.

2004: On February 23, the 300,000th frame-built tractor rolls off the final assembly line, and the new training workshop is opened.

2005/2006: The 6030 Series is launched with models from 115-203hp

2011: At Agritechnica, JD presents the new 6R Series tractors. The large 6170R, 6190R and 6210R models are introduced first. In 2021, six more four-cylinder and six-cylinder models will be added.

2017: Mannheim pushed into the 300hp max power range with the 6250R.

2023: The two millionth tractor, a 6R250, rolls off the production line.