Omaha, Nebraska
July 31, 2008
To keep up with the demands of
producers worldwide, CLAAS recently announced the expansion of
its
Krasnodar, Russia facility, with the expectation to double
production capacity over the next three years. In 2005, over $31
million was invested by CLAAS for the new combine harvester
plant to be built in southern Russia.
CLAAS was the first large-scale manufacturer of agricultural
machinery to have its own combine facility in Russia.
Currently, the CLAAS production plant in Krasnodar is designed
to handle production of 1,000 combine harvesters a year and most
recently began to produce tractors.
Modeled after the CLAAS North American LEXION combine production
facility in Omaha, NE, Krasnodar is equipped to adjust the build
schedule and minimize delivery time to customers as growth
continues. Knowledge from the Omaha facility as well as western
technology has given Krasnodar the ability to expand quickly to
fulfill the needs of a growing Russian market.
“The flexibility of our build method is mainly due to the
semi-knock down (SKD) manufacturing process,” states Maury Salz,
President of CLAAS Omaha, Inc. “This technique falls in-line
with the corporate environment and production plan of Omaha.”
The Omaha facility initially began production under a
Roll-on/Roll-off method and transitioned to the SKD process in
2006 to meet the increasing demand for LEXION combines in North
America.
Salz further explains, “Core combine components are shipped to
us from Germany and we then add approximately 40-50 percent of
the content from our North America supply chain. Each combine is
customized to meet the needs of the end user,” he further
explains, “and this process shortens the time from the initial
order date to the delivery date by at least 50 percent.”
By incorporating the SKD process, both Omaha and Krasnodar are
able to produce a higher volume of combines in a shorter period
of time. The process saves producers time and money when faster
delivery equals gains in productivity, increased power and
reduced fuel consumption – what LEXION combines are known best
for.
CLAAS of America, Inc. offers a wide variety of
technologically innovative hay tool, baler and self-propelled
forage harvester and combine harvester products to provide
growers optimum performance in the field. These products are
designed by a dedicated engineering staff located at three
different worldwide factories 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.claasofamerica.com.
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