By: John Deere
This month, John Deere is celebrating its 75th year since its debut on the dozer market. Upon its entry into the dozer business in 1949 at its Dubuque, Iowa facility, John Deere has focused on meeting customer needs to improve job site efficiencies, according to the company.
Alex Fernandez, Dubuque factory manager, reflected on the past 75 years, highlighting three key attributes that stand out to the Dubuque team:
- Constant Innovation: “From our first model built in 1949 to today's high-tech dozers, our journey has been one of constant innovation. Today, our machines are equipped with SmartGrade technology which allows operators to achieve precise grading results efficiently and consistently,” shared Fernandez. “SmartGrade was first introduced on the 700K dozer in 2016, and today, over 20 John Deere construction models, including graders, dozers, excavators, and compact track loaders, utilize this technology.”
- Customer Feedback: "Our design philosophy has always centered around the customer. We listen, test, adapt, and innovate based on the real-world experiences of those who operate our dozers daily. This has been our tradition for 75 years and will continue to be our guide into the future.
- Manufacturing Excellence: "Building these machines requires a complex setup that includes six large machining centers, four lasers, a plasma cutter, and multiple press brakes.” Fernandez further explains, “We operate 29 robot arms in 22 robot cells and dozens of manual welding stations. Our production is organized across four assembly lines, and it takes more than 300 skilled individuals working together every day to bring each dozer to life."
Looking ahead
“The future of our dozers lies in further integrating new technologies that will make the dozer easier to operate on all job sites,” explained Fernandez. “As we work closer with customers to solve their biggest challenges, we are constantly looking to provide solutions that increase uptime and make them more productive.”
