CLAAS KGaA mbH

Type	GmbH & Co. KGaA
Founded	1913
Headquarters	Harsewinkel, Germany
Key people	Dr. Theo Freye, Speaker of the Executive Board
Industry	Agricultural machinery, Agriculture
Revenue	▲ € million 2.658,9 EUR (2007)
Employees	8.425 (2007)
Website	www.claas.com

CLAAS is an agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in 1913 , now based in Harsewinkel, Germany in the region of North Rhine Westphalia. Their agricultural products are usually sold under the CLAAS name, except in North America where combines are distributed under the LEXION brand by Caterpillar dealers. The product range includes combine harvesters, forage harvesters, balers, mowers, rakes, tedders and other harvesting machines.

In 2004, CLAAS purchased the Renault Agricultural tractor division from the Renault company of France.

Contents 1 CLAAS Museum 2 History 2.1 Modern era 1970s 2.2 The New Millennium 3 Products 3.1 Tractors 3.2 Combines 3.3 Forage Harvesting Machinery 4 References 5 External links

[edit] CLAAS Museum

The CLAAS Museum is located in the CLAAS Technoparc in Harsewinkel, Germany, and features a display of history harvesting machines and agriculture equipment. Visitation is during working days only.

[edit] History

The start of the CLAAS group took place in 1913, when August Claas developed the company in Clarholz, Germany. In 1919, the business was transferred to Harsewinkel, Germany, where the company focused on the production of reapers. Two years later the company obtained their first patent – for a knotter to efficiently bind straw. In 1930, the first Harvester was developed with the European market in mind with the first Pick-up Baler following in 1934. In 1936 CLAAS starts to market the first combine harvester built in Europe, as opposed to imported machines previously available. They then go on to off trailed combine harvester (reaper-binder) to the European market.

In 1946, following the war, CLAAS introduce self-propelled combine harvesters. By the mid 50s they open a new factory in Paderborn, Germany, and their first outside Germany – in Metz, France in 1962. CLAAS took over Josef Bautz, (agricultural machinery factory) in 1969 and expanded the product range to include green harvest machinery.

[edit] Modern era 1970s

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (February 2008)

• 1971 Development of a pick-up sugar cane harvester.
• 1973 Presentation of the first self- propelled forage harvester.
• 1976 Introduction of the first CLAAS round baler ROLLANT.
• 1983 Introduction of JAGUAR self-propelled forage harvesters.
• 1988 CLAAS presents QUADRANT, the first CLAAS large-square baler.
• 1994 Start of development of AGROCOM a computer based, satellite-assisted, agricultural information system.
• 1995 CLAAS introduces the LEXION combine, the most powerful combine in the world (up to 40 tonnes of grain per hour).

[edit] The New Millennium

• 2001 CLAAS Omaha/COL opened in 2001 and starts to produce the LEXION combine series. North American LEXION combines are distributed as CAT LEXION by Caterpillar dealers.
• 2003 CLAAS acquires RENAULT Agriculture and expands its product range with tractors.
• 2005 CLAAS open a new factory in Krasnodar in South Russia. Launch of Lexion 600 Combine
• 2006 CLAAS manufacture the 80,000th ROLLANT baler, and launch of the Axion tractor
• 2007 CLAAS launch Tucano combine, larger Jaguar from 630 hp - 830 hp, Arion Tractor 112 hp- 175 hp and larger Xerion 379 hp

[edit] Products

[edit] Tractors

• Nectis: 54 99 hp
• Celtis: 72 - 100 hp
• Claas AXOS: 100 - 120 hp
• Ares 500: 100 - 120 hp
• Ares 600: 110 - 140 hp
• Ares 800: 158 - 193 hp
• Claas ARION : 112 hp - 175 hp
• Claas Axion : 163 hp - 225 hp
• Altes: 226 - 275 hp
• Xerion Saddle Trac: 305 hp
• Xerion Trac: 305 hp - 380 hp

[edit] Combines

• CLAAS Dominator
• CLAAS Medion
• CLAAS Mega
• CLAAS Tucano
• CLAAS Lexion 560-510
• CLAAS Lexion 580-570
• CLAAS Lexion 600
• Lexion 595R/590R
• Lexion 585R/580R
• Lexion 575R/570R
• Lexion 560R
• Lexion 570
• LEXION 560
• LEXION 600
• CROP TIGER

renault lexion

[edit] Forage Harvesting Machinery

• Forage Harvester: Jaguar
• Mowers: Disco, Corto, Cougar
• Tedding: Trailed and self powered
• Swathing
• Loading
• Balers
• Telehandler Claas Scorpion

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Claas

• Official website
• CLAAS Museum