Increased demand for new soil tillage and crop protection equipment helped the Amazone Group to increase its turnover by 12.6% last year to a record €457 million (2016/€406 million). Exports accounted for around 80%, with significant turnover increases recorded in Poland, Rumania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, South Africa and Belarus. The market for Amazone continued to grow in the UK, the turnover also rose in the important markets of Germany and Austria, and sales developed better than originally expected in France.
Amazone directors Christian Dreyer and Justus Dreyer are confident that the turnover will again develop positively this year, and one of the objectives is to develop machines which result in even more precision and contribute to further cost savings. “The climate for investment in agriculture is positive. At the same time, customer interest in modern agricultural machinery and the demand for our innovations is so big that we reckon on a further increase in turnover in the year to come.”
Around 1,850 people were employed by Amazone (includes 130 apprentices) last year, and the company invests more than 7% of turnover in R+D. New products launched at Agritechnica last November include the ZG-TS 01 trailed fertiliser spreader, UF 02 and UX 01 crop sprayers, Cataya and Centaya sowing combinations and Ceus disc harrow cultivator combination.
