Over the past century, KRONE has grown from a small village blacksmith shop to one of the world’s leading manufacturers of yellow and green goods. KRONE’s agricultural machinery and commercial trailers are assembled in Europe with around two-thirds of output exported around the globe. Many of the components in KRONE’s farm equipment and trailers are made with ArcelorMittal’s Amstrong® and Amstrong® Ultra advanced and ultra high strength steels. Today the company is also exploring the use of Magnelis® in its commercial vehicles – continuing a tradition of innovation that has characterised KRONE’s evolution.
“ArcelorMittal’s Amstrong® and Amstrong® Ultra are advanced high strength steels which combine excellent formability with toughness and fatigue resistance,” notes Jan de Moor, yellow and green goods segment leader and Amstrong® product manager at ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products. “A key advantage of ArcelorMittal’s unique offer is the wide dimensional feasibility. Amstrong® and Amstrong® Ultra grades are available in thicknesses up to 20 mm and widths up to 2150 mm.”
Open and transparent cooperation
“ArcelorMittal is our leading steel provider and an important partner for KRONE,” notes Georg Sasse, head of strategic purchasing for KRONE. “We also cooperate on research and development in a very open and transparent way.”
Constant product improvement is a tradition for KRONE as Georg Sasse explains: “For a family business, we have seen an enormous degree of innovation over the decades. While our employees play a crucial role in innovation, it is also driven by our continuous focus on producing high-quality products which meet the needs of our customers. Agricultural equipment and commercial trailers are vitally important to support population growth around the world.”
The open approach to R&D has led to tests of ArcelorMittal’s Magnelis®, which will be used to replace galvanised steel in the bumpers of KRONE’s commercial vehicles. A solution which will provide long-term protection against corrosion. “KRONE definitely has an innovation mindset,” says Sebastian Witthaus, market segment manager at ArcelorMittal’s agency in Germany. “They are very willing to try new materials in order to create better products.”
The Amstrong® and Amstrong® Ultra coils are manufactured by ArcelorMittal’s mills in Bremen (Germany) and Krakow (Poland). “The steels are cut to length at ArcelorMittal’s service centres,” notes Jan de Moor. “The sheets are then shipped to KRONE’s subcontractors who carry out cutting, bending, and other complex operations.”
Long-term partnership
When it comes to choosing a steel partner, KRONE aims to establish long-term and sustainable partnerships. “We have good cooperation with ArcelorMittal because both companies support and challenge each other,” says Georg Sasse.
That cooperation extends beyond steel supply to topics such as energy management and climate change notes Georg Sasse: “Energy use is a major consideration when we are working with steel. That is why we are constantly talking with ArcelorMittal to optimise how we use steel during the development and assembly of our products.”
The high strength of ArcelorMittal’s Amstrong® and Amstrong® Ultra grades enables KRONE to create lightweight trailers and agricultural vehicles. “This reduces fuel use, emissions, and steel use – bringing down the carbon footprint of KRONE’s machines, and the total cost of ownership for KRONE customers,” says Stephan Condermann, ArcelorMittal’s account manager for KRONE.
Young workforce, dynamic approach
For such an historic company, KRONE has a very young workforce notes Georg Sasse: “We employ 5,400 people and around 66 percent of our workforce is under 44 years of age. We notice the shortage of skilled workers in our industry, but we have been implementing various measures in the region for years, and so far they have been very successful. We spend a large percentage of our budget on training, and we also work closely with local schools, universities, and job agencies to ensure potential employees are picking up useful skills which will help them obtain a job with KRONE.”
All KRONE employees have one thing in common says Georg Sasse: “They want to make our customers happy! Listening is becoming more and more important to ensure that happens. We need to understand the needs of our customers and react quickly to short-term changes in their businesses.”
About KRONE
Quality and innovation have been at the focus of the KRONE corporate philosophy since the business was founded in 1906. Today the company employs around 5,400 people, producing commercial trailers and agricultural equipment at four plants in Germany and one in Turkey. KRONE also operates sales and service centres around the globe.
More info: www.krone.de
