New LEXION production facility a CLAAS act

CLAAS recently cut the ribbon on a new production plant for its LEXION combine harvesters at its global headquarters in Harsewinkel, Germany.

Costing around $A68.6 million to complete, CLAAS says it’s the “world’s most modern combine harvester production facility”, enabling the brand to build up to 30 different LEXION models and specifications on the same line at the same time.

The new assembly hall can produce up to 28 new combines per shift, CLAAS says.

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“It incorporates the very latest production, logistics, assembly and IT technologies to ensure seamless sub-assembly, delivery and assembly and tracking throughout the entire process,” says CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager – LEXION, Steve Reeves.

“Sub-assembly lines deliver major components, such as the threshing unit, residual separation, grain tank or unloading auger, and necessary parts to each assembly station exactly as they are required.

“To give you some idea of the complexity of this process, each combine harvester incorporates more than 15,000 individual parts!”

Each machine moves silently down the assembly line on electrically powered automated guided vehicles, with each completed combine passing through six mechanical, hydraulic and electrical test benches before being commissioned.

With a footprint of 15,000 square metres, the new facility replaces two assembly lines that dated back to the 1950s. Despite the magnitude of the job, CLAAS says the complete knockdown-rebuild project took just 22 weeks.

The new hall is on point in terms of sustainability too. CLAAS says it saves 470 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, thanks to various energy management, insulation, LED lighting and ventilation measures.

“These factors create a pleasant and almost-natural working environment that promotes maximum concentration, a vital component of quality,” Steve says.

“Everyone at Harsewinkel – and indeed, at all CLAAS manufacturing sites – is focussed on a common goal: uncompromising production quality and getting it right, first time.”