A year to remember for David

David Howes around the time he started with DEUTZ UK in 1980.

Year number 40 with DEUTZ was significant in more ways than one for resident technical whiz David Howes.

David celebrated 40 years with DEUTZ UK and DEUTZ Australia on 1 April 2020, just as Victoria entered its first coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown.

For several months David, who works in technical and service support at DEUTZ Australia’s Melbourne head office, worked three days a week at home and two in the office.

Thankfully, the business was able to continue relatively normally, with a combination of home and office roles. “We’re small enough to be flexible so I think it’s all worked out,” David says.

Known throughout DEUTZ as a technical guru, David loves to tinker and can solve almost any problem with a smile.

He helps dealers, OEMs, OEM service organisations and end-users throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

David strikes a similar pose in 2020 after finally having his COVID hair tidied up.

A typical day involves answering mechanical, technical and operational queries. 

David started with DEUTZ UK in 1980 as an apprentice and spent 26 years honing his skills. He went from fixing engines with spanners to using computers and electronics.

Since moving to Melbourne in 2006, David has continued his hobby of tinkering on the weekends and building creations like a 3D robot that draws with a pen. 

“I like using things that other people have created and find ways to improve them,” he says.

Most of David’s house is wired in some way, from a CCTV system he created to his latest effort – a radiation detector. 

“I haven’t seen anything too worrying yet,” he says. Thank goodness for that!

Partly due to COVID-19, David’s 40th anniversary celebration was distinctly low key – he didn’t actually do anything.

When we caught up with him, he was happy to continue flying under the radar. “I’m still going with COVID hair at the moment,” he joked.

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