CLAAS looks to the future

German ag-machinery manufacturer CLAAS is investing a seven-figure sum in a new electronics development centre in the town of Dissen, southern Lower Saxony.

The company recently laid the foundation stone for the roughly 5ha facility, for which construction will commence soon. Completion is due in 2017.

"Information and communications technologies will play key roles in the future of CLAAS," says CLAAS Executive Board member, Thomas Böck, who is responsible for CLAAS' technology and systems.

"We selected the location carefully, and are delighted that we can now proceed to the actual building phase."

Upon completion, the facility will house CLAAS' E-Systems precision farming unit. In 2014, CLAAS pooled its electronics expertise in this new subsidiary, which currently employs over 150 people developing control units, electronic architecture, terminals, camera systems, automatic satellite-guided steering systems and many other solutions for the global agricultural sector.

In 1998, CLAAS purchased a leading agricultural software company and has integrated it successfully within the group. Since then, a range of technologies designed to increase efficiency has been born at CLAAS' Gütersloh site under the brand name EASY.

CLAAS has won numerous awards in the past for its technological developments, including an Agritechnica gold medal in 2009 for its AUTO FILL system, which automatically fills up transport wagons at harvest using cameras and sensors.