Steer clear of articulated alternatives.

The 20,000-square-foot training academy will offer CLAAS dealers a premium training experience in a highly professional learning environment that features innovative technology. Dealers can be confident that when their staff attends CLAAS Academy, their teams will be better prepared to serve their customers who operate CLAAS machinery.

“CLAAS of America is proud to offer some of the finest training programs when it comes to preparing technicians for resolving customer issues in the field,” says Adam Haworth, Director of Services, CLAAS of America. “And because we recognize the importance of continuing this high level of service and support, we realize we must train our dealer technicians in the best way possible.”

The company also plans to incorporate outreach programs, such as apprenticeships, into CLAAS Academy in an effort to cultivate knowledge and engage the local community and technical schools through certification programs. For example, earlier this year, CLAAS of America announced its partnership in Nebraska’s first German-American Apprenticeship Program. With the new facility, CLAAS is better equipped to continue to foster these programs.

“With the training programs and certifications that we provide, there is now a true pathway for those performing service on CLAAS machinery to get up to speed on how the technology works and continue giving our customers the support they deserve,” said Haworth.

CLAAS Academy of North America will play an integral role in developing the industry standard training pathway for dealers and technicians to follow. The new facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020. In the meantime, technicians can continue to schedule training sessions through the CLAAS dealer portal.

Photo Caption: (From left to right.) Hans Lampert, CFO – CLAAS Group; Deb Franklin, Vice President – Human Resources, North America; Tim Conrad, President and General Manager – Finance, North America; Leif Magnusson; President - Americas; Adam Haworth, Director – Service, North America; Eric Raby, President and General Manager – Sales, North America

A family-owned business since 1913, Whayne Supply is one of the largest and oldest Caterpillar dealerships in the world. The dealership proudly serves customers at 17 different locations across Kentucky and southern Indiana. A primary part of this strategy is to provide superior sales and services to farmers of the Columbia, Kentucky, area.

“Whayne Supply’s expansion into south-central Kentucky allows us to continue to grow our support of the existing customer base while expanding our reach to new farms,” said Eric Raby, President and General Manager – Sales, CLAAS of America. “Whayne Supply has been a loyal dealership to CLAAS over the years, and we’re very excited to be growing the relationship. It is a bit coincidental, but both CLAAS and Whayne Supply were founded in the same year, so we each have a rich history of serving customer needs.”

CLAAS and Whayne Supply have been in partnership since 1998. While Whayne Supply has evolved throughout the decades, its family-owned ties remain unbreakable. The company has maintained the strong core values that keep it so successful and looking to the future.

“The community of Columbia, Kentucky, was the driving force behind our expansion into this area,” said Jason Buckman, Whayne Supply’s Agri-Business General Manager. “With Columbia being the hub of the Kentucky dairy region, it only made sense for us to offer the full line of CLAAS products, including their balers, hay tools and self-propelled forage harvesters.”Additionally, Whayne Supply will be the first dealer in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to offer the new AXION tractor range, geared toward hay and forage growers as a compliment to their farming operation.

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For more information about Whyne Supply, visit their website at whaynewalker.com.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

The EDA awards are based on results from the annual EDA Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey, which received input from 2,500 individual dealer contacts. Within the survey, manufacturers were classified in one of four different categories: Full-Line, Short-Line, Tractor and Outdoor Power Equipment.

Equipment dealers cast their votes on important business categories including product quality, product availability, technical support, parts availability, quality, return policy, communication, warranty and marketing/advertising support. The manufacturers collected a total of 9,087 ratings from all 50 U.S. states and 10 Canadian provinces.

“It’s an extreme honor to be recognized by our dealers with the 2019 Dealer’s Choice Award,” said Leif Magnusson, President of CLAAS Global Sales. “It has always been our goal to provide a more reliable and efficient harvest for farmers using our full line of premium equipment, and we absolutely could not do that without the constant support and expertise of our dealers. I am also proud and thankful of the employees at CLAAS of America who worked fervently to support our dealers and customers. They are the ones who make this award possible.”

The full line of CLAAS equipment features LEXION combines, self-propelled JAGUAR forage harvesters and XERION tractors, as well as a wide range of balers and hay tools, all created to increase operational efficiency and provide higher throughput.

As one of the largest equipment manufacturers in the world, CLAAS is committed to growing its dealer presence and support in addition to offering first-class support and technology for the growers of the United States and Canada.

For more information about CLAAS, visit the company’s website at www.claas.com.

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The ceremony was a featured event at the Growing Nebraska Skilled Workforce Conference at CLAAS of America and featured a delegation of government, education and business leaders who discussed new solutions for solving the skilled workforce shortage.

CLAAS and Graepel Manufacturing, two German companies with North America operations based in Omaha, became the first two high-tech manufacturers in the state to sign on and commit funds for the three-year ICATT Apprenticeship, a dual study program promoted through the German American Chambers of Commerce. The ICATT Apprenticeship Program helps manufacturers develop a pipeline of skilled talent and train the workforce they need to grow through its globally recognized program.The Growing Nebraska event featured Gov. Ricketts; John Albin, Nebraska Department of Labor Commissioner; Mark Tomkins, president and CEO of the German American Chambers of Commerce of the Midwest; John Fonda, CEO of John Day Company; Phil Raimondo, CEO of Behlen Manufacturing; and Mark Zumdohme, president of Graepel North America.

In addition to the ceremony, the leaders reviewed best practices for addressing the skilled workforce shortage, including apprenticeship programs, in a special panel discussion. The panel, led by Deb Franklin, Vice President of Human Resources North America for CLAAS, was made up of several company CEOs and representatives from the Nebraska Department of Labor, ICATT and Metropolitan Community College.“The Growing Nebraska Skilled Workforce event brought together leading innovators to help more Nebraskans find a pathway to many of the great opportunities that are available in our state,” Gov. Ricketts said. “Companies like CLAAS and Graepel North America have high-quality jobs and tremendous career paths for our state’s workforce. The German Dual Study Apprenticeship Program is an innovative way to address the skilled workforce shortage by helping both people who are looking for great jobs and employers working to recruit and develop talent.”

“As a long-line manufacturer of technically advanced agriculture equipment, CLAAS relies on a dedicated and highly skilled workforce to build the high-efficiency machines that the markets demand,” said Franklin. “As a long-term business resident of Nebraska, we’re thrilled to commit to this important apprenticeship program that helps create new opportunities for our region’s workforce.”The dual study program is a work-based education model that combines classwork with on-the-job practical experience. ICATT partners with companies and community colleges to develop tailored curriculum based on industry standards and individual company needs. The program was established by the German American Chambers of Commerce of the Midwest.

In addition to the ICATT apprenticeship program, CLAAS is also using the DOL Registered Apprentice Program to provide other critical training for some of its current employees. The ICATT and DOL apprenticeship program training will be handled through Metropolitan Community College in Omaha.“We’re tremendously excited about the opportunities that these two training initiatives will bring with on-the-job training for local skilled workers who are interested in the opportunities that CLAAS North America has to offer,” Franklin said.

Photo from left to right: Matthias Ristow, president and speaker of CLAAS Omaha Inc.; John Albin, Nebraska Department of Labor Commissioner; Mark Tomkins, president and CEO of the German American Chambers of Commerce of the Midwest; Governor Pete Ricketts; Deb Cremeens-Risinger, Nebraska State Director, U.S. Department of Labor; Dr. Andreas Götze, Deputy Consul General of Germany; Mark Zumdohme, president of Graepel North America.

About CLAAS North America

CLAAS North America offers a long line 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 claas.com.

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