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"We would like to thank Bernd Ludewig for his successful development work as Regional Managing Director in Eastern Europe and his four years of committed service on the Group Executive Board," explains Thomas Böck, Chairman of CLAAS’ Group Executive Board. "We are also very pleased that with Christian Radons, we have been able to internally recruit an experienced and imaginative manager for this important task."

Radons has been part of the CLAAS Group for around 20 years now and initially held various commercial management positions, including that of Commercial Director when CLAAS Global Sales was launched. He was appointed Managing Director of the technology subsidiary CLAAS Agrosystems in 2012, which later became CLAAS E-Systems. This company was founded in 2014 during his time as managing director and moved into the newly built Electronics Development Centre in Dissen in 2017. Radons has headed up the sales region of Western Europe and Oceania as Regional Managing Director since October 2017 and has also led the sales region of Africa and the Middle East since 2019.

This means that CLAAS’ Group Executive Board will comprise the following members: Thomas Böck (Chairman, Forage Harvesting Business Unit and Technology and Systems Division), Hans Lampert (Finance and Controlling Division), Jan-Hendrik Mohr (Grain Harvest Business Unit), Dr. Jens Foerst (Tractor Business Unit) and Christian Radons (Sales and Service Business Unit).

About CLAAS

CLAAS (www.claas-gruppe.com) is a family business founded in 1913 and one of the world's leading manufacturers of agricultural technology. The company, with its headquarters in Harsewinkel in Germany, is the European market leader in combine harvesters. CLAAS is the world leader in another large product group, self-propelled forage harvesters. CLAAS is also a top performer in agricultural technology worldwide, with its tractors, agricultural balers and green harvesting machinery. Our product range also includes cutting-edge agricultural information technology. CLAAS employs more than 11,400 people worldwide and reported turnover of EUR 3.8 billion in the fiscal year 2019.

Press photo archive at claas-gruppe.com

Visit our press photo archive online. Visit our online press photo archive at: www.claas-group.com > Picture archive to view our range of photos available for journalistic use, free of charge.

Helmut Claas held the position of Chairman of the Shareholders' Committee for 25 years. During this time, CLAAS intensified its international presence in countries beyond Europe. New production and sales locations were opened in India, the USA, Russia, China, South America and elsewhere. An important strategic milestone was reached in 2003 with the acquisition of the French tractor manufacturer Renault Agriculture.

This period also coincided with the development of the flagship LEXION combine harvester, which was introduced to the market in 1995. This is still considered the most advanced and capable combine harvester worldwide and was relaunched in 2019 as a completely revamped machine. The JAGUAR, a self-propelled forage harvester, became yet another success story, and CLAAS rose to the position of market leader in this segment.

The transition to the third generation is now complete with the election of Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser as Chairwoman of the Shareholders' Committee. The Committee sets the strategic direction of the family business and works closely with the Group Executive Board. It consists of the external members Christian Boehringer, Dr Frank Dreves, Arne Lakeit, Gerd Peskes, Carl-Albrecht Bartmer and the family members Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, Dr Patrick Claas, Volker Claas and Helmut Claas.

Press photo archive at claas-gruppe.comVisit our press photo archive online. Many pictures are available free of charge for use in your news coverage at www.claas-gruppe.com > Picture Archive

About CLAAS

CLAAS (www.claas-gruppe.com) is a family business founded in 1913 and one of the world's leading manufacturers of agricultural technology. The company, with its headquarters in Harsewinkel in Germany, is the European market leader in combine harvesters. CLAAS is the world leader in another large product group, self-propelled forage harvesters. CLAAS is also a top performer in agricultural technology worldwide, with its tractors, agricultural balers and green harvesting machinery. Our product range also includes cutting-edge agricultural information technology. CLAAS employs more than 11,400 people worldwide and reported turnover of EUR 3.8 billion in the fiscal year 2019.

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"We couldn’t be more thrilled to expand our presence in southern Alberta,” said Jason Wilson, President & CEO, Alberta AG Centre. “It has always been our top priority to provide our CLAAS customers with exceptional customer service, reliable parts inventory and factory-trained service technicians, along with new in-stock units.”

Alberta AG Centre offers the entire North American lineup of CLAAS agricultural equipment along with other product lines to meet the demands of Alberta farmers. Each store features a full stock of parts, a knowledgeable sales team, and a complement of skilled technicians. Alberta AG Centre places a strong emphasis on customer service and strives to build long-term relationships with their local growers.

“Alberta AG represents what it means to be a long-line CLAAS dealer, and we are excited for their expanded presence in the region,” said Eric Raby, President and General Manager – Sales, CLAAS of America. “Southern Alberta remains an important market for CLAAS, and with this additional territory, we are able to continue our growth and expand our brand’s reach due to their hard work and relationships they’ve built with growers in the area.”

Alberta AG Centre is a trusted flagship dealer for CLAAS, selling the long line of equipment for more than 3 1/2 years. The partnership focuses on growing and supporting the existing business in the Western Canadian market. For more information on Alberta AG Centre and their CLAAS equipment offerings, visit ab-ag.ca.

About CLAAS of America Inc.:

CLAAS of America Inc. offers a wide variety of technologically innovative tractor, combine, forage harvester, baler and hay tool products to provide growers optimum performance in the field. These premium equipment lines are designed by a dedicated engineering staff located at numerous factories worldwide and focused on the production and design of harvesting equipment. The design, performance and reliability of this equipment have made CLAAS an international market leader. For more information, visit www.claas.com.

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Of greater interest to some was whether all that added productivity would come at the expense of grain quality. “We’ve always been known for our throughput and fuel efficiency,” explains Jeff Gray, Product Manager – Field Support at CLAAS of America. “In order to test our grain handling capability, we hired an independent firm to analyze grain samples in a head-to-head-to-head comparison of Class 8 machines between the CLAAS LEXION 8600, John Deere S780 and Case IH 8250 in two different varieties of soybeans.”

The three machines were dialed in to factory recommended settings and allowed to run at their full engine load in the side-by-side comparison. Samples were collected, packaged and sent to the Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. to be analyzed for splits, coating damage, and germination.

According to Gray, “Splits are an easy way to gauge a combine’s sample quality and fine-tune settings, just as coating damage is a way to gauge germination. Less coating damage leads to higher germination, which is critical -- especially in seed-producing operations.”

While the differences in splits appeared competitive between the three different machines, the LEXION 8600 actually produced less coating damage and higher germination rates than the competing machines, according to the tests conducted on a central Illinois farm. “We were able to deliver premium quality grain samples, while still keeping our grain losses under one percent,” added Gray.

With greater capacity and proven grain quality, testing done by the Illinois Crop Improvement Association left little doubt that the new LEXION combine can deliver competitive grain quality, while still providing industry-leading throughput.

About CLAAS of America Inc.:

CLAAS of America Inc. offers a wide variety of technologically innovative tractor, combine, forage harvester, baler and hay tool products to provide growers optimum performance in the field. These premium equipment lines are designed by a dedicated engineering staff located at numerous factories worldwide and focused on the production and design of harvesting equipment. The design, performance and reliability of this equipment have made CLAAS an international market leader. For more information, visit www.claas.com.