German agricultural machinery manufacturer Amazonen-Werke generated a turnover of 468 million euros (£346 million) in 2014, which was the second best result in the company’s history after the 515 million euros (£380 million) acheived in 2013.
Amazone directors Christian Dreyer and Dr Justus Dreyer (pictured) reported that despite the low level of agricultural commodity prices, fluctuations in various currencies and the crisis in Ukraine, they saw the company continuing on a stable course of success.
While Amazone’s turnover was approximately nine per cent lower than 2013, sales growth was still seen in Great Britain, Ireland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Finland, Spain and Kazakhstan. In fact, 80 per cent of the company’s output was exported.
Turnover was maintained in Germany, Austria, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Belgium and in The Netherlands. But sales fell in France – Amazone’s second biggest market after its home territory – albeit after two boom years.
To further expand Amazone’s innovation capability the company opened a new technology centre at Hasbergen-Gaste during the year. With this new building, 120 modern equipped office workplaces for the employees in research & development, product management and IT specialists were created thus enabling an increase in the level of personnel across these departments.
The customer training centre at the company’s Hude site was further expanded and the training staff significantly increased. At the same time the internet E-Learning tool, which operators can use to train themselves on the operation and maintenance of complex agricultural and municipal machinery, was expanded with some additional modules.
There was also further modernisation and expansion at all production sites. So, in the Leipzig factory, a new hall with a floor space of 2,800 square metres for the production of the Cayron reversible plough has been built. Also in this hall, new technology for Amazone’s heat treatment production process was installed.
At Hude, the production lines for seed drills plus the rotary harrow and rotary cultivator final assembly and the despatch department have moved from the factory in the town to a new production site at Altmoorhausen. By optimising the assembly and logistics processes, seed drill production has been made even more efficient. With a new paint facility also due to being at the site soon, Altmoorhausen represents the largest investment in the company’s history.
For the year to come the Amazone directors are expecting to see a continuing weakening of the markets in the medium-term, however, again with a recovery. They continue to evaluate the prospects for agriculture and agricultural machinery as being good as agricultural products will still be needed even in these more difficult times.
For more information visit: www.amazone.de.
