By Our Writer
Construction and agriculture equipment maker, John Deere, is introducing a range of its advanced G-series motor graders to the Sub Sahara Africa market, including East Africa, to meet the region’s growing economy and emergent equipment needs, the company has said.
Hentie Breedt, the company’s marketing and communication manager for Africa & the Near Middle East said in an e-mail to The Infrastructure Magazine that, “customers across the region will benefit from the size and scale of the John Deere construction equipment product line-up including the successful motor grader line featuring industry-exclusive technology and innovation.”
In East Africa, John Deere is more known for their agricultural equipment including the famous John Deere range of farm tractors. But the company says now it is targeting the region with a range of construction equipment that is made with today’s customer in mind, and that is backed by innovation, integrity, quality and commitment.
Breedt told this Magazine that “John Deere is built on a legacy of innovation. The grade of motor grader line-up is built on John Deere’s legacy of technological and mechanical innovation. Most notably it comes with the industry-first SMARTGRADETM configurations, whilst delivering on capabilities that allow operators to work more efficiently on any job site.”
He said, “The G / GP model range comes standard with fast, simple ground-level access to all daily service points including fuelling, diesel exhaust fluid, engine oil, hydraulic, transmission and differential filter bank enabling quick and simple inspection and service.”
The company said one of the models in the G-series, the 622G, is suited to contractors, roadbuilders and municipalities looking for a cost-effective machine equipped with many of the features of its larger siblings including a superior cooling package that offers fuel savings of up to 10 per cent over larger models. It provides increased performance in a cost-effective six-wheel drive package while allowing for reduced daily operating costs.
For this equipment, the operators have a choice of controls enabling them to select the best option for their operation. For example, there is a choice between dual-joystick controls or fingertip armrest mounted controls or a field kit allowing them to easily switch between the two. The dual-joystick control option assists in reducing operator fatigue eliminating the twisting wrist motion or uncomfortable combinations common to other joystick systems.
The GP models within the range include advanced features such as automatic-return-straight; high-resolution reverse camera; rear mounted ripper/scarifier; front dozer blade; 16 light LED package and an Automation Suite that helps operators improve productivity by reducing the number of controls required to perform common tasks such as auto-articulation, blade flip and operator selected machine pre-sets.
Breedt said that selected models in the range will also include the John Deere Connected SupportTM which leverages the power of telematics to deliver higher levels of uptime and reduced operating costs. The JDLinkTM Dashboard, the user interface for the telematics system gathers and organises a wide variety of machine information empowering owners to better manage their fleet. This technology also enables dealers to connect to the machine remotely to trouble shoot issues and upgrade control software reducing the need for site visits to conduct maintenance.
The comprehensive range of motor grade models that will be on offer across the Sub-Sharan African region including the 620G, 620GP, 622G/GP, 670G/GP, 672G/GP, 770G/GP, 772G/GP, 870G/GP, and 872G/GP providing customers with a wide variety of features and technologies to match their job site requirements and budget.
Breedt said their customers will have access to support through the John Deere dealer network and service by their highly trained and certified equipment technicians backed by a network of regional parts distribution centres.
John Deere boasts over 180 year history. Started in 1837 by John Deere, as a one man black smith workshop, in Vermont, US, the company (and its founder) are known to have been the first to produce a steel plough in the America. Since then the company has grown from a metal workshop to a global technology and equipment enterprise that provides technology to solve modern-day construction, agriculture, mining challenges.
In both 2020 and 2021, John Deere was named one of the “world’s most ethical companies “ by Ethisphere Institute. The Institute through its annual publication, Ethisphere, assesses and recognizes companies that espouse ethical business practices with the idea to advancing and recognizing ethical business practices, thereby encouraging corporate character, marketplace trust, and business success.
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