The DEUTZ-FAHR History Is Just As Long As It Is Impressive
The Deutz-Fahr brand has a lot of history, but it all started in 1864 with the N.A. Otto &Cie, founded in Cologne by Nicolaus Otto and Eugen Langen. This was the first internal combustion engine manufacturer in the world. Since 1938, the company is known as the Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz AG.
The Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz AG (GFD) company was founded six years later, and in 1876 Otto was able to finish his work on the four-stroke engine design.
The Pioneer
Otto developed an ignition system using a low-voltage magnet which was bought by Bosch. In 1894, self-propelled machines such as tractors, went into production in the plant run by the Deutz subsidiary in Philadelphia, USA. GFD initiated the production of diesel engines thirteen years later. Meanwhile, Ettore Bugatti used the Cologne plant to build cars for five years in a row. The company was 50 years old in 1914 and by that time it had employed more than 2,000 people.
The Deutz AG company was created in 1921 after the company and the Motorenfabrik Oberursel AG decided to join forces. The F1M414model was the first compact tractor in the world to go into mass production which happened in 1936. It was produced for 15 years straight after which it was redesigned and went into production for another eight years.
Klöckner was bought in 1938 and soon the company was renamed to KHD. It stood for Klöckner – Humboldt – DEUTZ AG, which happened to be one of the largest industrial companies in Germany. Sadly, WWII resulted in a lot of damage which was the reason for the production halt that lasted for a couple of years. Most of the Cologne manufacturing facilities were leveled to the ground after the war.
The Resurrection
A massive reconstruction was initiated after WWII ended. In a total of five years everything went back to its previous state. More than 13,000 employees were busy working there. Soon the new engines and newly developed front suspension were introduced, and it propelled the company towards a huge success. In a couple of years, the SIADA company, based in Argentina, began producing Deutz tractors.
The first crawler was assembled in 1953, followed by an entirely new tractor series five years later. Another contract with an Argentinian partner was signed the following year, and production there began almost immediately after that. KHD adopted the Magirus logo in 1964.
The four-wheel drive tractor model range introduced in 1965 was a massive success! More than 380,000 units were produced.
The Official Name
Deutz-Fahr became an official name in 1968 when most of FAHR’s shares were bought. FAHR was already a part of KHD and had plenty of experience in producing agricultural machinery. The company also acquired Ködel&Böhm a year later. It was another firm which had specialized in making agricultural equipment.
Production in Argentina began in 1970, followed by the introduction of the all-new DEUTZ INTRAC tractor series a couple of years later. These machines proved to be extremely versatile and effective. In 1978 the Deutz DX model line was launched, which had an electric hitch, a suspended cabin and a 4WD system.
All the tractors that rolled out of the assembly line after 1982 were badged with the DEUTZ-FAHR brand.
The Millionth Tractor
Fast-forward to 1992 when Deutz-Fahr celebrated their 1,000,000th tractor. Some of the models launched after 1993 used the modern new automatic transmission developed by the SLH group (SAME+LAMBORGHINI+HÜRLIMANN) called Electronic Powershift. A couple of years later, KHD and Deutz-Fahr became part of SLH, after which the SAME DEUTZ-FAHR GROUP was established.
Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG was renamed in 1997, becoming Deutz AG and focused on manufacturing an extremely wide range of engines. Four years later, the all-new Agrotron tractor range was introduced. It featured sleek design and new technology, including a CVT transmission.
The company celebrated a century of thresher production in 2009.
A variety of new models were launched and they were soon recognized for their qualities. The Deutz-Fahr Agrotron 7250 TTV won the Tractor of the Year award in 2012. The Deutz-Fahr 6 Series equipped with the MaxiVision cab won the prestigious German Design Award the following year. In 2014, the Deutz-Fahr 9340 TTV won the same prize which was a major success since the tractor was a high-power segment model.
The entirely new production plant was opened in 2017. The gigantic facility built in Lauringen is still the most advanced factory in Europe. It was a really important investment, and the total cost of the project exceeded 90 million EUR.
Deutz-Fahr offers a huge range of wheel and crawler tractors and combine harvesters, as well as agricultural technology.
More info at: https://www.deutz-fahr.com/en-ea/.