Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser is the new head of Claas, which last year employed more than 11,400 people worldwide and recorded a turnover of €3.8 billion.

Cathrina is the third generation of Claas family to be appointed to chair the company’s shareholders’ committee, which sets the strategic direction of the business and works closely with the group executive board. She assumes the role from her father Helmut Claas, who after 25 years at the helm, is now honorary chairman.

Under Helmut’s leadership, Claas intensified its international presence, and the official press communication highlights the new production and sales locations opened in India, the USA, Russia, China and South America.

Helmut’s lengthy spell as head of the family business also coincided with the development of the flagship Lexion combine harvester (launched in 1995) and further success with the Jaguar self-propelled forage harvester.

An important strategic milestone was the acquisition of the French tractor manufacturer Renault Agriculture, in 2003, and to my mind, tractors were one of the most interesting developments during Helmut’s 25 years in charge.

He headed the company when it started marketing Cat Challenger tracked tractors as Claas machines in Europe in 1997, which Claas lost five years later when AGCO bought the tracked tractor business in 2002.

Claas developed its Xerion concept long before any of this took place in 1993, and after losing the tracked tractor business, quickly switched from preaching the benefits of tracks to tyres.

An important strategic milestone for the Xerion, and Claas for that matter, was the acquisition of the Renault tractor business in 2003, which paved the way to include the 335hp Xerion 3300 at the top end of a complete range of Claas tractors in 2004.

The company has offered its Terra Trac (TT) on combines for many years, and judging by recent developments sees a big future for rubber tracks on its other machines, such as the recently-launched Jaguar Terra Trac self-propelled forage harvesters (653hp 960TT and 925hp 990TT).

It has taken a while, but Claas is now back in the tracked tractor business with the equaly new 355hp Axion 930 TT and 445hp Axion 990 TT tractors, and is no doubt hoping that the four-tracked Xerion Trac TS (490hp 4500 and 530hp 5000) launched at last November’s Agritechnica will help it compete with what is now known as the Fendt MT.