Claas is midway through a three-year €multi-million investment project at the Le Mans tractor plant, which when finished sometime 2020 will transform it into one of the most modern plants in Europe.
The company enjoyed its best ever year in 2018 with revenues rising to a record €3.9 billion. It was not just sales of combines and self-propelled foragers that contributed to the increase but also tractors. With more than 50 different models, the Claas tractor is a success, was a take home message from a SIMA show press conference.
The course is set for growth in the tractor business with the modernisation of the main assembly line in Le Mans. When finished, the investment at the French plant is not just to guarantee quality but will also allow roughly 30% more new tractors to leave the line a year.
Main points include increased efficiency in logistics and processes, including a new Automatic Guided Vehicle assembly concept.
The company was also keen to talk about the 40,000th Jaguar SPFH and reckons that over 16 million HP has been supplied during the past 45 years.
The rubber-tracked 960 Terra Trac on display in Paris is available now, but journalists were more interested to know when the rubber-tracked version of the Axion Terra Trac, will go on sale.
Previewed as a concept at the 2017 Agritechnica, we are told that it is an ongoing project. We have to do our homework, but it will come, was one of two messages. The other was to expect to see something at the end of this year.
