The 20-year-plus relationship between BMW Group subsidiary Designworks and John Deere continues to yield excellent results. In 2016, the companies received eight awards in international design competitions for John Deere construction and forestry equipment – the most in these market segments. “Designing highly complex machinery requires a deep technological understanding” said Oliver Heilmer, president of Designworks. “Ever since we conducted our first H Crawler project for John Deere in 1996, the foundation for success between our companies has been the continuous sharing of knowledge and experiences, along with a constant fostering of a shared design culture.” In 2016, international committees for design quality acknowledged the achievements of the long-standing relationship between Designworks and John Deere.
Red Dot Award
Two John Deere crawler dozers – the 850K Crawler and the 1050K Crawler – were recognized in early 2016 with the Red Dot Award for outstanding product design. The design is conceived to communicate the two core features of these vehicles – robustness and strength. At the same time, the bulldozers’ look needs to correspond with the already established John Deere industrial design language. Unifying elements such as the faceted exterior surfaces create a bold, no-nonsense expression. These sloping surfaces improve the operator’s view of the blade, side, and machine, making operation easier and more efficient. The new cabin design is quieter and more comfortable than previous models, contributing to the wellbeing of those who spend many work hours in these machines in some of the world’s roughest terrains.
Good Design Award
In December, the companies received further confirmation of their design achievements. The Good Design Award jury honored five John Deere products, from a variety of product lines. These awards affirmed the high design quality of the 850K and 1050K Crawlers. In addition, the 843L Wheeled Feller Buncher was honored for its achievements in improving productivity and working conditions in harsh environments. The 410L Backhoe Loader received an award acknowledging its capabilities in enhancing productivity, operating ease and comfort. Finally, the 848L Skidder convinced the jury with its outstanding performance, anti-fatigue and comfort solutions in skidding. The Good Design Award is one of the world’s most prestigious, recognized, and oldest design award programs. It was established in 1950 to honor outstanding achievements in design.
iF Design Award
In January, the prestigious iF jury announced its results, selecting the 1050K Crawler among the winners. “Regardless of the industry, as we look to the future, we face more technological and digitalization challenges being balanced with a clean aesthetic appearance” said Oliver Heilmer. “As a part of the BMW Group, we strongly believe that design leadership can help answer some of these challenges. Through collaboration and cross-industrial knowledge exchange we are able to develop compelling product solutions – for customers and for business”, he adds.
