Zurn Harvesting

What Zurn Harvesting does

ZÜRN Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG is the harvesting technology and field trial equipment manufacturing division of the family-owned ZÜRN Group, founded in 1885 in Westernhausen, Germany and currently managed in its fourth generation. The company designs and manufactures agricultural cutting devices — including rapeseed headers, cutter bar systems, the award-winning ZÜRN PREMIUM FLOW band cutter (DLG Silver Medal), and the PROFI CUT direct cutting device — for combine harvesters and forage harvesters across all OEMs. Its second product pillar is specialized plot combine harvesters for agricultural field trials, produced at the Hohebuch site under a 50-year partnership with Domäne Hohebuch and sold globally to plant breeders, research institutions, variety offices, and crop protection/fertilizer manufacturers. A third pillar, Garford Farm Machinery Ltd. (Peterborough, UK), majority-owned since 2019, develops camera-guided precision hoeing equipment (ROBOCROP INROW, InterRow) for mechanical weed control, including the TOP CUT COLLECT processing technique introduced at Agritechnica 2019. Production takes place at the Merchingen facility (cutting devices and a regional-leading powder coating center) and at Garford's UK site.

The business model combines proprietary hardware manufacturing with channel distribution. Revenue streams include sales of manufactured cutting devices and plot combine harvesters (hardware sales, globally distributed through agricultural machinery dealers), sales of Garford precision hoeing equipment (manufactured in the UK, distributed worldwide), and equipment manufactured for the sister dealership entity ZÜRN Landtechnik GmbH. Pricing is quote-based across all product lines, with no publicly disclosed list prices. The ZÜRN Group as a whole operates a 16-branch John Deere dealership covering eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria, employing 450+ people globally (250 within Landtechnik alone); a 24-hour emergency service during harvest season, Zurn Akademie operator training, online parts shops via Kramp and Granit, and John Deere Financial SmartLine (0% interim financing) support the customer ecosystem. End-customers span SMB farmers in southern Germany (via the dealer network), agricultural machinery dealers worldwide, and enterprise plant breeders and research institutions procuring plot combine harvesters.

Name

Zurn Harvesting

Legal name

ZÜRN Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://zuern-landtechnik.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1885

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ZÜRN Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG is the manufacturing arm of the 1885-founded ZÜRN Group, producing cutting devices for combines/forage harvesters, plot combine harvesters for plant breeding field trials, and camera-guided precision hoeing equipment via majority-owned Garford (UK). It sells globally through agricultural dealers and serves farmers, researchers, and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing

NAICS

Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311), Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine (115113)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Tillage, Seeding & Planting Equipment (IMAHACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hay & Forage Machinery (Mowers, Rakes, Tedders, Balers, Wrappers) (AFAAAAAE), Harvesting & Combining Services (Grain, Oilseed, Row Crop) (AFACAAAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural machinery manufacturing
• Combine harvester headers
• Plot combine harvesters
• Precision hoeing equipment
• Mechanical weed control

Headquarters

HQ city

Büchen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Machinery Sales: Sale of new and used agricultural machinery including combines, tractors, forage harvesters, and implements from brands such as John Deere, Kuhn, Väderstad, Strautmann, Dalbo, Kramer, Agrifarm, and Shelterall. Also includes Zurn's own branded products such as lawn tractors and municipal equipment.
2. Cutting Device Manufacturing and Sales: Zurn Harvesting develops and produces rapeseed header/cutting devices for combines and forage harvesters, distributed globally via agricultural machinery dealers. Also manufactures plot combine harvesters for plant breeders and research institutions.
3. Garford Precision Hoeing Equipment: Camera-guided precision hoeing equipment manufactured at Garford's UK facility and distributed worldwide. Includes inter-row and in-row weeders for arable and vegetable farming.
4. Repair, Maintenance and Service: Workshop and mobile service operations providing repair and maintenance of agricultural machinery across all brands. Includes a 24-hour emergency service during harvest season.
5. Precision Agriculture Technology: John Deere precision agriculture technology solutions including guidance systems, connected support, and precision ag upgrades for existing machine fleets.
6. Field Trial Equipment: Specialized plot combine harvesters for agricultural field trials sold globally to plant breeders, research institutions, variety offices, and crop protection/fertilizer manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zurn Harvesting (ZÜRN Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG) manufactures agricultural cutting attachments, including rapeseed headers and band cutter bars for combine harvesters and forage harvesters, and specialized plot combine harvesters for agricultural field trials. Through its majority-owned subsidiary Garford Farm Machinery Ltd. (UK), it also produces camera-guided precision hoeing equipment for mechanical weed control. Products are sold globally via agricultural machinery dealers and distributed within Germany through the 16-branch ZÜRN Landtechnik dealer network.

Product overview

ZÜRN Harvesting GmbH & Co. KG is a manufacturer of agricultural harvesting equipment and field trial technology. The product portfolio consists of three main pillars: (1) Schneidwerke - cutting units and headers for combine harvesters and field choppers, including rape cutting attachments and the ZÜRN PREMIUM FLOW band cutting unit; (2) Feldversuchstechnik - specialized parcel combine harvesters for agricultural field trials produced at Hohebuch, sold globally to plant breeders and research institutions; (3) The acquired brand Garford - camera-guided precision hoeing technology for mechanical weed control. ZÜRN Harvesting operates production facilities in Merchingen (cutting units and surface coating) and Hohebuch (plot combine harvesters), with Garford manufacturing in Peterborough, UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ZÜRN PREMIUM FLOW: Band cutting device for combine harvesters that won DLG Silver Medal at Agritechnica 2007
• TOP CUT COLLECT
• ZÜRN 150
• PROFI CUT

Products and services

• Schneidwerke / Cutting Headers (including ZÜRN PREMIUM FLOW Band Cutter) Rapeseed headers (Rapsvorsätze), band cutter systems, and stripper headers designed to maximize combine harvester and forage harvester efficiency. The ZÜRN PREMIUM FLOW band cutting unit is the award-winning variant recognized with a DLG Silver Medal. Compatible with combine harvesters and field choppers across manufacturers.
• Parzellen-Mähdrescher / Plot Combine Harvesters Specialized plot-scale combine harvesters for agricultural field trials, producing high-purity clean grain samples for plant breeders, research institutions, variety offices, and crop protection and fertilizer manufacturers worldwide. Manufactured at the Domäne Hohebuch/Waldenburg location under a 50-year partnership.
• Garford Precision Hoeing Equipment Camera-guided precision hoeing equipment for mechanical weed control, developed and produced at the Peterborough, UK facility. Includes InterRow systems for between-row weeding and ROBOCROP INROW systems that locate individual plants via video image analysis to mechanically remove weeds from within the crop row. Modular units scale from small bed-culture precision units to 28-meter mounted units for large-scale operations, serving arable and vegetable farming customers.
• TOP CUT COLLECT Mechanical Weed Control System A novel processing technique for mechanical weed control enabling inter-row cultivation without chemical herbicide use. Presented at Agritechnica 2019 alongside Bouillu00e9 Concept and recognized with a SIMA Innovation Award Special Prize for agroecological change. Extends Zurn Harvesting's product program into the growth market of chemical-free weed control for arable and vegetable farming.
• Repair, Maintenance and Service Operations Workshop and mobile service operations providing repair and maintenance of agricultural machinery across all brands, including a 24-hour emergency service during harvest season. Combined with operator training through the Zurn Akademie program to maximize machine uptime and operator competence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 100+ tons per hour throughput with less than 1% losses for John Deere X9 combine
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• John DeerecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1965ZÜRN is a John Deere dealer contract partner (since approximately 1965 when Karl Zürn signed the dealer contract with John Deere-Lanz AG, Mannheim). ZÜRN sells the full John Deere product range including tractors, combines, forage harvesters, and precision agriculture technology. John Deere is described as the primary brand partner, with joint events such as new product launches (e.g., 6R series premiere) and driver training programs.
• KrampminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZÜRN partners with Kramp for online parts ordering, offering millions of agricultural parts through a specialized online shop with special customer-specific discounts and delivery conditions for Zurn customers.
• GranitminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZÜRN partners with Granit for online parts ordering, offering millions of agricultural parts through a specialized online shop with special customer-specific discounts and delivery conditions for Zurn customers.
• Garford Farm Machinery Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZürn Harvesting holds a majority stake in Garford Farm Machinery Ltd. (Peterborough, UK), a pioneer of camera-guided hoeing technology. Garford develops, produces, and distributes precision hoeing equipment globally. The partnership extends Zurn Harvesting's product program into the growth market of mechanical weed control.
• Domäne Hohebuch/WaldenburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner50-year partnership with Domäne Hohebuch for plot combine harvester production and field trial technology. The estate serves as both a production site for Zurn Harvesting's plot combines and a reliable partner for the agricultural field trial sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CLAAS: German-headquartered global leader in harvesting machinery (combines, forage harvesters) and the most direct competitor to ZÜRN Harvesting's cutting-device and header business. Both companies serve combine and forage harvester operators across Europe and compete at the dealer and OEM-attach level.
• Lemken: German family-owned manufacturer of tillage, seeding, and crop care equipment. Comparable in ownership structure, mid-sized European manufacturer profile, and adjacency to ZÜRN Harvesting in field equipment and precision attachments.
• Horsch: German family-owned manufacturer of tillage, seeding, and crop care machinery with growing presence in precision agriculture. Similar mid-sized, family-controlled German manufacturer competing for the same farmer customers through overlapping dealer networks.
• Amazone: German agricultural machinery manufacturer specialising in fertiliser spreaders, sprayers, tillage, and seeding equipment. Comparable mid-sized, family-influenced German manufacturer with a similar product breadth and European dealer footprint.
• Pöttinger: Austrian manufacturer of mowers, rakes, loader wagons, and tillage equipment with a strong focus on forage harvesting. Directly comparable to ZÜRN Harvesting's forage-harvester cutting devices and shares a similar mid-sized, family-influenced European manufacturer profile.
• Kuhn Group: French agricultural machinery manufacturer with a broad portfolio including hay/forage equipment, tillage, seeding, and crop protection. Kuhn is already a brand distributed by ZÜRN Landtechnik and competes head-to-head with ZÜRN Harvesting in hay/forage attachments and field equipment.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere: Global agricultural machinery OEM and ZÜRN's most important brand partner. Comparable both as a competitor (its own headers and cutting devices) and as the underlying franchise that ZÜRN Landtechnik distributes; a single-customer concentration rather than a same-segment competitor.
• AGCO Corporation: Global agricultural machinery group encompassing Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Valtra, and Precision Planting. Competes broadly with ZÜRN in tractors, harvesting, and tillage, and represents an alternative OEM whose dealers compete with ZÜRN Landtechnik for farm customers in the same region.
• CNH Industrial (Case IH): Global agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer with Case IH and New Holland brands. Competes with ZÜRN across tractors, combines, and harvesting attachments and serves overlapping farmer customers in Europe.

Emerging players

• Steketee (part of LEMKEN): Dutch specialist in camera-guided mechanical weed control and precision hoeing technology, now part of Lemken. The closest direct competitor to Garford's Robocrop InRow and inter-row weeders and a credible emerging rival in chemical-free weed control.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zurn Harvesting