“What drives us is our passion for farming.”
Group executive board member Jan-Hendrik Mohr explains in an interview what the Group represents, and how the company headquarters in Harsewinkel works closely with CLAAS locations around the world.
Mr. Mohr, you’ve worked at CLAAS for almost 40 years. How has the company changed in your time at CLAAS?
For one thing, we’ve grown exponentially. We’ve gone from several 100 million euros to around 4.8 billion euros a year. At the same time, our product portfolio has changed considerably, especially since acquiring the tractor business in the early 2000s. We’ve also become much more international than before: since the end of the Soviet Union, for example, we’ve been expanding our operations in Eastern Europe. We’ve also increased our presence in North America. And in recent decades we’ve been developing the Asian market and expanding into many other countries around the world.
Jan-Hendrik Mohr, 58,
grew up on a farm in North Hessen. In 1984 he completed a degree in mechanical engineering in the German dual education program at CLAAS (combining an apprenticeship with vocational studies). He then performed various roles within the company in R&D and production, at home and abroad. He became an executive board member in 2007 and has been responsible for the grain harvesting business division since 2016.
What role does Harsewinkel play in this development?
Harsewinkel is where the CLAAS Group started out and is still our headquarters. At the factory here we produce combine harvester models such as the LEXION and TRION, as well as the JAGUAR forage harvester and the XERION large tractor. The Claas family also has its roots in this town. The executive board and our shareholders are based here, too. That’s why the plant in Harsewinkel has always set the tone. Many of the new processes, methods and products developed here, especially in the combine harvester segment, have gone on to be adopted throughout the Group. But it’s important to remember that the Harsewinkel site doesn’t operate alone; it’s part of a large network of sister factories from China to the USA.
How does Harsewinkel work with its international sister factories?
We’ve always emphasized the importance of structuring our global production sites as equal partners. Admittedly, any changes made in production, purchasing or R&D, for example, often start in Harsewinkel. But we cooperate with the other production plants on an equal footing. We exchange components with one another, supply one another, work together to find the best suppliers and develop on a cross-locational level, to name just a few examples.
What do you like about the Harsewinkel site the most?
In my eyes, Harsewinkel embodies an attitude which characterizes the entire Group. Despite all our success, we’re always looking forward and trying to improve? Let me tell you a little story about Reinhold Claas. Before his death in June 2022, I accompanied him on a tour of the production plant. He was very interested and had lots of questions. Towards the end of the visit, he wanted to know what would happen next, even with regard to digitalization. He was over 90 years old at the time.
Will the CLAAS Group expand its global reach in the coming years?
Without a doubt. In the combine harvester business division, for example, we may well increase our presence in the southern hemisphere in South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. But these possible expansions will not alter the CLAAS corporate philosophy in the least. What drives us is our passion for farming.
