Company type | SE & Co. KG |
---|---|
Industry | Heavy equipment |
Founded | 1906 |
Founder | Bernhard Krone Anna Krone |
Headquarters | Spelle |
Number of locations | 109 Countries |
Key people | David Frink (CEO Group) Stefan Binnewies (COO) Ole Klose (CFO) [1] Advisory Board: Bernard Krone (Chair) Alfons Veer (Deputy Chairman) Philip Freiherr von dem Bussche Wilhelm-Friedrich Holtgrave Bernd Meerpohl Tono Nasch [2] |
Products | agricultural machinery, semi-trailers, trailers, box vehicles, swap systems and others |
Revenue | €2.5bn (2022) [3] |
€84.6M (2022) [3] | |
€64.6M (2022) [4] | |
Total assets | €1.7bn (2022) [3] |
Total equity | €701.6M (2022) [3] |
Number of employees | 5,768 (2022) [3] |
Website | krone-group |
Bernard Krone Holding SE & Co. KG is an agricultural technology and commercial vehicle manufacturer based in Spelle in the Emsland district, Lower Saxony. [5] The company acts as the parent company and corporate headquarters of the Krone Group. The Krone Group is wholly owned by the Krone family. [3] [1]
In 1906, Bernhard Krone and his wife Anna Krone established a farm-based blacksmith shop for horseshoeing and repair work. Subsequently, Krone secured the distribution rights for Heinrich Lanz AG within the Emsland district and began to develop and market its own agricultural machinery. With the development of a patented animal-operated pasture trough, the company assumed its role as both distributor and manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Post-World War II, Krone started to produce tractor wagons. In 1963, a separate factory was built in Werlte for the production of trailers. [6]
In the late 1950s, Bernard Krone I, the son of the company's founder, invented the Optimat manure spreader, which was intended to make agricultural field work easier. [7]
In 1963, the Bernard Krone company moved part of its agricultural machinery production to a 5-hectare industrial site in Werlte. The background to the company move was an order for the construction of 20 three-axle trailers. [8] In the same year, the company commenced building its production halls and manufacturing agricultural machinery. [9]
At the end of the 1960s, demand for Krone agricultural machinery decreased due to a diminishing number of farmers in Germany. In response to this shift, Bernard Krone II decided, together with his cousins Heinz and Walter Krone, to build truck trailers and semi-trailers for the commercial vehicle industry. [6] [10]
After his father's death in 1970, Bernard Krone III took over, [11] and the company started producing trailers and semi-trailers for transporting goods on the road. [12] As sales and profits stagnated in the beginning of the 1980s, Krone hired external consulting firms to get to the bottom of the reason for the economic downturn. The consultants recommended separating the vehicle factory and machine factory divisions, whereupon the corporate divisions Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG (Krone Commercial Vehicle SE) in Werlte and Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG (Krone Agriculture SE) in Spelle were founded. Krone also received a recommendation to purchase as many components and services as possible from external suppliers. [10] [4] As a result, Krone handed over the production of chassis for truck trailers and semi-trailers to suppliers. Since 1980, Metallbau Schmees GmbH in Lower Saxony has been Krone's supplier for assemblies, main beams and chassis as well as several individual parts. Metallbau Schmees delivers 80 percent of the pieces produced to the Krone factory in Werlte. In addition to German companies, Krone works with suppliers from Slovakia. [13]
Brüggen Oberflächen- und Systemlieferant GmbH began working for Krone in 1984. By 2003, 95 percent of the company's orders came from Krone. In addition to coating chassis, Brüggen builds rear portals and front walls for Krone. [14]
In the 1999 financial year, Krone Holding generated a revenue of DM 231 million. [15]
In 2007, Bernard Krone, the fourth generation of the family, joined the company's management. [16]
In 2007, Krone began building a new assembly plant including a paint shop in Istanbul for €30 million, to produce agricultural machinery and trailers. In the 2006/07 financial year, Krone generated a revenue of €1.2 billion. [10]
Until July 31, 2011, the Krone Group was organizationally divided into three areas: commercial vehicles (Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone), agricultural technology (Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone), and Bernard Krone agricultural technology sales and services (LVD). On August 1, 2011, the company's agricultural technology sales and services (LVD) was spun off from Bernard Krone Holding. The Krone family continues to own LVD. [4]
From 2011 to 2014, the machine factory in Spelle was renovated for €40 million. [17] In addition to a new technology center and a testing hall, a new logistics and training facility and a new assembly hall for forage harvesters were built. [18] [19] In 2012, a production site for the commercial vehicle division was opened in Tire, Turkey, [20] where Krone produces chassis for containers and trailers for the Turkish market as well as for export to North Africa and the Middle East. [20] [21] In the 2012 financial year, Krone generated a revenue of €1.4 billion. [22]
In 2013, Krone took over the Dinklage based axle manufacturer Gigant. [19] At the end of 2015, Krone put a new foam system for panel production into operation. [23] Between 2015 and 2020, the vehicle factory in Werlte was renovated for €50 million. In particular, the painting system and the assembly were modified. [17] [18] In 2016, the two Emsland-based vehicle manufacturers Krone and Brüggen Group merged under the umbrella of the Krone Commercial Vehicle SE. [24] In addition, the previous subsidiaries Gigant Achsen, Krone Used, the trailer factory in Turkey and the foreign sales companies were integrated into the new Krone Commercial Vehicle SE. [25] In the same year, Krone founded the subsidiary Krone SAS in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, France on a 1.6 hectare area. [26] In 2017, Krone built a spare parts center in Herzlake for €8 million. €39 million were spent on the construction of a new painting system in the Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone in Werlte. [27] Also in 2017, the Krone Group founded the startup Rytle with the Bremen consulting company Orbitak, which produces electric-powered cargo bikes that can be used to transport goods in cities. [27] [28]
In 2019, Krone opened the administration building Krone Business Center GmbH & Co. KG for the areas of IT and AP. [29] In the same year, the Krone Group took over 100 percent of the shares of the Dutch Knapen Group, Deurne, and its subsidiaries. [30]
From 2019 to 2021, Krone built a €20 million test center called "Future Lab" on an area of 13 hectares in Lingen. In addition to a machine hall with workshops and a test hall with test stands and offices, the center includes a test track on which the behavior of truck trailers and agricultural machinery on the road is tested. [31] [32] In 2022, Krone launched the electrified eTrailer, which is meant to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 to 40 percent. [33] In the same year, Bernard Krone III passed away. [34]
Bernard Krone Holding SE & Co. KG is the parent company of the Krone Group. The family business is solely owned by the Krone family. [3] [1]
In the 2020/21 financial year, the company had 5,768 employees and generated a revenue of €2.5 billion. [3]
The holding company consists of two judicially independent companies, Krone Commercial Vehicle SE and Krone Agriculture SE. [35] The Krone Commercial Vehicle Group operates production facilities at a total of four locations. [36] The Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG in Werlte, the Brüggen Oberflächen- und Systemlieferant GmbH in Herzlake and the Brüggen Fahrzeugwerk & Service GmbH in Lübtheen represent the German production sites of the commercial vehicles division. [37] [38] Krone Ticari Araçlar San. ve Tic. A.Ş. in Tire in Turkey is the company's fourth production facility. [39]
The Brüggen company manufactures swap systems and so-called dry freight boxes at the Herzlake location, [40] while refrigerated semi-trailers are produced in Lübtheen. [41] The Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone in Werlte produces curtainsider trailers, [42] flatbed semi-trailers and container chassis, [43] swap body and building material trailers, [44] [45] long trucks [46] and dry freight box chassis. [47] Axles for commercial vehicles are manufactured at the Dinklage site. [2] Flatbed semi-trailers and container chassis are produced in Tire in Turkey, [48] while moving floor trailers for the European market are manufactured at the Deurne site in the Netherlands. [49]
The Krone Agriculture SE focuses on forage harvesting technology. [50] Through Speller Maschinenfabrik, Krone sells machines to farmers and contractors through their dealer network. [51] [52] Machines on offer include disc mowers, rotary tedders, round bale and large pack presses [50] as well as loading and transport wagons. [53] The flagships of the program are two self-propelled machines, the Big M mower-conditioner and the BiG X forage harvester. [54] In 2018, Krone expanded the Big X series with the Big X 1180 forage harvester, which has 1,156 hp. [55]
Krone Agriculture machines are sold worldwide through subsidiaries in North America, Europe and China. In addition to sales and services, the Tianjin location in China also carries out assembly work. In North America, the products sold to contractors and farmers are the mower conditioners and forage harvesters, Krone Big M and Big X. At the Spelle location in Germany, Krone is investing in robot-assisted processing technology and in the digitalization of agricultural machinery. [56] [57] [58]
Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and pop music to classical music and a children's catalogue. In addition to the development and marketing of music, the group also deals with the production, logistics and distribution of CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and books at the production site of the subsidiary optimal media GmbH in Röbel/Müritz as well as with services in the online and book business.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a global technology company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. It is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg. Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry and is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Its products include driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialist plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in the rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 162 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 168,700 (2023) employees.
Sixt SE is an international mobility service provider with about 2,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Sixt SE acts as a parent and holding company of the Sixt Group, which is internationally active in the business areas of vehicle rental, car sharing, ride-hailing, and subscription.
DB Regio AG is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany. DB Regio AG, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn Group and there part of the DB Regio business segment, which also includes DB Regionnetz Verkehrs GmbH and other independent subsidiaries.
Berliner Fussball Club Dynamo e. V., commonly abbreviated to BFC Dynamo or BFC, alternatively sometimes called Dynamo Berlin, is a German football club based in the locality of Alt-Hohenschönhausen of the borough of Lichtenberg of Berlin.
Eicher tractor was a manufacturer of tractors, agricultural machinery and engines. The company was founded in 1936 by the brothers Josef and Albert Eicher in the Upper Bavaria town of Forstern. The brand name "Eicher" was last used in Europe in 2009 by the Dutch agricultural machinery dealer Hissink & Zonen and is still in use today in India by Eicher Motors, which manufactures tractors & commercial vehicles by this name.
Peer Stefan Wenzel is a German agricultural economist and politician for the Alliance 90/The Greens who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since the 2021 elections, representing the Cuxhaven – Stade II district.
Stefan Birkner is a German lawyer and politician for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). From 2011 to 2023, he chaired the FDP in Lower Saxony.
Layher Holding GmbH & Co. KG is a globally leading German manufacturer of scaffolding, protective and event systems and ladders. The company operates two production facilities in Germany. The headquarters in Güglingen-Eibensbach produces steel scaffolding components, while the second plant in neighbouring Güglingen makes aluminium and wooden components.
EMP Merchandising, also known as Large Popmerchandising, is a German-based music mail order and merchandising store. The abbreviation EMP stands for Exclusive Merchandise Products. The company distributes a quarterly catalog to customers. In a 2003 report, the Osnabrück Chamber of Commerce considered the company to be the largest mail order business for hard rock and heavy metal music in Germany. In September 2018, Warner Music Group acquired EMP from Sycamore Partners.
Waggonfabrik Talbot was a rolling stock manufacturer founded in Aachen, Germany, in 1838. The company was an early pioneer of self discharging freight wagons, and in the latter part of the twentieth century a major supplier to the Dutch State Railways.
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics SE & Co. KG is a German transport and logistics company headquartered in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, with a global presence on all continents. It has been family-owned since its foundation in 1871. Hellmann is active in airfreight, seafreight, roadfreight, railfreight, and contract logistics.
The Duisburg–Quakenbrück railway is a former inter-regional German railway, built by the Rhenish Railway Company (RhE) from Duisburg in the western Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia to Quakenbrück in Lower Saxony on the border of the former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg. Some sections of it are now disused.
Lausitzer Rundschau is a daily regional newspaper published in Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany. It has been in circulation since 1946.
ROSEN Group is a family business, headquartered in Stans, which specializes in the research, development, production, and operation of inspection devices for pipelines and other complex technical systems. The company offers its products and services to the global oil and gas industry as well as other business sectors. In addition, the corporate group develops ‘intelligent plastics’ or functional polymers for various applications.
Astrid Katharina Josefine Grotelüschen is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since the 18th general election, having won the direct mandate in the constituency of Delmenhorst – Wesermarsch – Oldenburg-Land in both the 2013 and 2017 general elections. She was already a directly elected member of the German Bundestag from 2009 to 2010, and from April 2010 until her resignation in December of the same year, State Minister for Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and Regional Development of Lower Saxony.
Wilhelm Karmann Jr. was a German entrepreneur. He took over the management of Wilhelm Karmann GmbH based in Osnabrück in 1952 and led the company to become a recognized partner of the automotive industry as a contract manufacturer of complete vehicles and as a supplier of pressed parts, production systems and roof modules for convertibles. He was also involved in numerous vehicle developments.
Maybrit Illner is a German political talk show on ZDF. The show, which was called Berlin Mitte until March 2007, has been broadcast on Thursdays since 14 October 1999 and hosted by Maybrit Illner. The show is produced by Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion.
The Berky GmbH is a German company that manufactures machines, specialized vehicles and boats for water maintenance. The company is based in Haren (Ems) in the Emsland region.
Krone Agriculture is the parent company of the Agricultural Machinery Technology subgroup of Bernard Krone Holding, based in Spelle in the district of Emsland. In the 2022/23 financial year, the company generated a revenue of over €1 billion.