Vol. 13, Issue 1 News, Information & Analysis for the Ag Equipment Marketer May 15, 2006 While Making Strides, Claas Still Seeks NA Brand Identity Claas, the Harsewinkel, Germany- as well. Gains in the U.S. market large- confused the market a bit,”says Russ based manufacturer of farm equip- ly came from sales of its Caterpillar- Green, executive vice president and ment and Europe’s largest manufac- branded Lexion combines.And this is general manager, Claas-Lexion Div.“But turer of harvesting equipment, is gain- where the Claas brand becomes hazy. we need them (Cat dealers) to have ing momentum in its attempts to In the U.S., 95% of Lexion com- stellar products at their disposal to establish a significant presence in the bines are sold through Cat Challenger meet the needs of the customer.The U.S. ag industry.With the construction dealers. But many Cat dealers also han- tractors do that, but the combine has of its $25 million assembly plant in dle Challenger combines and other caused some confusion.” Omaha, Neb. in 2001, and a distribu- farm equipment through Cat’s part- Despite this, Claas continues to tion and service facility in Columbus, nership with AGCO, diluting Claas’ improve its U.S. market position as it Ind., Claas is starting to make waves in efforts to firmly establish the Lexion experienced a 37.6% increase in ’05 North America. brand and creating a level of confu- sales revenues from its Omaha-based In 2005, Claas set a record for its sion for potential customers. company. worldwide sales of farm equipment as When Challenger rolled out its Green also says that the Claas- it neared the $2.5 billion mark for the new 680B model combine and MT900 Jaguar line of forage equipment is first time.At the same time, as report- tractor line earlier this year, it was making significant gains in the U.S. ed in Ag Industry Watch (Jan. 2006), clearly challenging the Lexion VIII markets. Jaguar claims 50% market Claas reported a “substantial improve- combines and the “Caterpillar” situa- share worldwide and 40% in North ment”in North American sales in 2005 tion became even cloudier. “Yes,it has America after 7 years.The company is Continued on page 2 Decision to Drop Implements Leaves Gehl’s Ag Dealers in a Quandary In the wake of its decision to drop In a report in Country Today of ers. Some people are looking to production of farm implements, Gehl Eau Claire, Wis., Jim Massey inter- upgrade their current Gehl stuff to Co.’s ag dealers are finding themselves viewed several Gehl dealers and the new Gehl equipment that we in a quandary trying to fill customer found them to be generally disgrun- have on hand. Unfortunately, a lot of needs and fill gaping holes in their tled with the way the company han- stuff that was on order or on the lot is product lines. dled the decision to exit the farm selling fast.” Gehl is best known for forage har- implement business. Vanderloop is one of many imple- vesters, mixer-feeder mills, disc mow- Scott Vanderloop of Vanderloop ment dealers dealing with Gehl's deci- ers, manure spreaders, windrow merg- Equipment in Marathon,Wis., says “We sion to shut down its agricultural equip- ers and other related equipment. get probably 10 calls a day from farm- ment line. The move likely will affect Continued on page 3 DROPPING AG IMPLEMENTS DROPS GEHL’S FIRST-QUARTER PROFITS Gehl Co., West Bend, Wis., reports that it lost $2.7 million dur- lion expansion of its Yankton, S.D., facility for producing tele- ing the first quarter despite a 12.2% increase in sales to a handlers. The expansion is in response to the continuing new record high as the firm assumed a $8.9 million after-tax strength of telehandler markets and Gehl’s strong perform- charge to exit the agricultural implement business. ance in those markets. Sales in the 2006 first quarter soared to $122.1 million. A year The project includes a $2.2 million, 30,000-square foot ago, it earned $4.9 million from narrower sales of $108.9 million. expansion of the facility as well as $4.3 million in further tech- Nonetheless, the company remains optimistic for 2006 full- nological production enhancements to include increased laser year performance. Gehl projects that it will earn $485-$495 cutting, robotics and an entirely new paint system. When com- million from continuing operations for all of this year. pleted in January of 2007, telehandler production capacity will The company also announced that it is planning a $6.5 mil- be 50% greater than today. The contents of this report represent our interpretation and analysis of information generally available to the public or released by responsible individuals in the subject companies, but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. It does not contain material provided to us in confidence by our clients. Individual companies reported on and analyzed by Lessiter Publications Inc., may be clients of this and other Lessiter Publications Inc. services. This information is not furnished in connection with a sale or offer to sell securities or in connection with the solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Continued from page 1 also making a push with its Cougar only its second year of marketing the U.S. market for forage harvesting brand of mowers, offering the largest Claas-branded line. equipment, the firm’s investment in unit available with a 45-foot width that Green indicates that Claas has no its state-of-the-art facility built 5 years fold down to 10 feet for transport. firm plans to introduce a tractor to ago in Omaha should blunt the skep- the North American market — yet. ticism. Ag Industry Watch editors Tractors on the Horizon? “We think the tractor market here is toured the facility in April. On another front, Claas may also cluttered but we haven’t crossed it off The 160,000 square-foot plant have designs of getting into the tractor yet; it isn’t off the radar as of yet,”he and assembly complex includes a end of the North American ag equip- says. One stumbling block is the 40,000 square foot office, showroom ment business.With its acquisition of a Deere engine, which it would replace and theatre area. Built on a 180-acre controlling interest in Renault upon entering with a tractor stateside. site on the outskirts of the city, there Agriculture 3 years ago, Claas has is enough room to easily double the become the market leader in France for State-of-the-Art Facility size of the current facility. farm machinery.The company’s tractor If there was any doubt about the Following European and Japanese sales in Germany grew 35% last year in Claas commitment to move into the models of establishing a U.S. presence, the facility is for assembly operations CLAAS: A 93-YEAR HISTORY only with little or no manufacturing capability.Combine sub-assemblies are The CLAAS group (Claas KGaA) was founded in 1913 by August Claas, the com- shipped from the Harsewinkel com- pany is still primarily owned today by his son, Dr. Helmut Claas. They are the only plex for final assembly in Nebraska two chief executives in its 93-year history of the firm. with unspecified North American con- Currently Claas employs 8,000 people worldwide, an increase of 2,000 employ- ees during the last 2 years since its Renault tractor acquisition. Claas does business tent. About 90% of the assembly is in 180 nations with 15 operations worldwide, including a new facility in Russia pat- completed in Germany,with finishing terned after the Omaha plant. operations completed in Omaha. The company claims to be the worldwide market leader in the manufacture According to Claas, parts can be and sales of self-propelled forage harvesters, stating that every 1 of 2 forage har- shipped from Germany anywhere in vesters is a Claas product. the world in 24 hours. New Holland Switches Some Combine Production from U.S. to Belgium European farmers buying a New 2004, with even higher demand in Freeman says he welcomes CR Holland CR combine for the 2006 har- Germany and Great Britain.” production start-up at Zedelgem: “It vest will,for the first time,get a machine British grain farmers are the largest takes 8 weeks for a combine to reach built in Belgium rather than the U.S. users of big combines; big rotaries now the U.K. from Grand Island and that Adding the two-model high out- account for more than 40% of the mar- puts a lot of pressure on dealers to put rotary combine line-up to the ket. Major restructuring in the farming complete pre-delivery inspections and product portfolio at CNH Global’s sector has seen growers take on more install combines on-farm as harvest- Zedelgem factory will ease a capacity acres, either by purchasing land or ing season approached,”he explains. squeeze at the Grand Island, Neb. farming neighboring land on contract, “A shorter supply line should ease plant, where the CR combines will and driving down labor and other that pressure,” Freeman adds. “But it continue to be made for North operating costs by swapping out two will also be easier to accommodate American and other markets, while or even three harvesters for one higher late changes to specification, channel shortening the supply line to capacity machine. customer feedback direct to the engi- European customers. According to Paul Freeman, CNH neering group; and to take more “It also makes sense to build this rotary combine specialist, the CR mod- potential customers to see the combine in Europe because of the els represent 40% of New Holland Zedelgem factory.” clear growth in demand for this size combine sales in Britain with the top- Production is scheduled to rise to of machine,”says Xavier Autonell, New performance CR980 model being its 1,300 units this year, says plant man- Holland marketing.