What Krone Agriculture does

Krone Agriculture (legal entity: Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG) is a fourth-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of agricultural machinery specializing in forage harvesting technology. Founded in 1906 in Spelle, Emsland, the company operates as a full-liner offering more than 240 models spanning disc mowers (EasyCut, ActiveMow), rotary tedders (Vendro, KWT), rotary rakes (Swadro), round balers (Bellima, Fortima, Comprima, VariPack, CombiPack), large square balers (BiG Pack 4th/5th generation and HDP II), the Premos 5000 mobile pellet press, transport wagons (AX, MX, RX, ZX, TX, GX), the self-propelled BiG M 450 mower-conditioner, and the BiG X forage harvester line (490–1,156 HP). Production is concentrated in Spelle, Germany, with proprietary processes including the KTL cathodic dip painting system introduced in 1993. The portfolio is anchored by category-defining products such as the BiG M (world's first self-propelled large-area mower, 1996), the CombiPack (world's first press-wrapper combination, 1997), the Premos 5000 (world's first mobile pellet press, 2015), and the BiG X 1180 (1,156 HP, world's most powerful forage harvester, 2018).

The company generates revenue through hardware sales of agricultural machinery via a global dealer network spanning 60+ countries and six wholly-owned regional subsidiaries in France (Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines), the United States (Olive Branch, MS), the United Kingdom (Leeds), Russia (Moscow/Zelenograd), Italy (Sommacampagna), and China (Tianjin). Its primary customer segments are agricultural contractors (Lohnunternehmer) operating as professional service providers and dairy/livestock farmers producing their own forage, with a niche highland/mountain farmer segment served by the dedicated KRONE Highland product line. Go-to-market combines channel-partner distribution with direct field sales through regional subsidiaries, supported by the mykrone.green customer portal, multi-language websites, an in-house KRONE Training Center training approximately 5,000 customers/dealers/service employees annually, and active presence at Agritechnica and other major trade shows. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers can access financing through KRONE UK Finance with options including loan, leasing/rent, hire purchase, supplier credit, and buyer credit. Complementary revenue-adjacent assets include the KRONE Digital and SmartConnect Solar telemetry ecosystem and the KRONE AgriLogistics line (AgriTruck, AgriLiner Pro) launched in 2025.

Krone Agriculture's strategic posture combines century-long German engineering heritage with active R&D and selective partnerships. The 2022 "Combined Powers" joint development with Lemken on an autonomous procedure technology unit (VTE) signals an entry into autonomous agriculture. R&D is supported by a ~500-employee Technology Center in Spelle (opened 2014) and the Validation Center Future Lab in Lingen (opened 2021). The company holds multiple DLG Gold Medals (2007, 2011, 2015), Guinness World Records for BiG M mowing performance (1999/2001), and a 2026 Red Dot Award for Product Design for the BiG Pack HDP II 1290 (VC). It is not a venture-backed or public company; it remains privately held by the founding Krone family with no external funding rounds and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Krone Agriculture

Legal name

Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://krone-agriculture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Krone Agriculture is a fourth-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of forage harvesting machinery (mowers, tedders, rakes, balers, self-propelled mower-conditioners and forage harvesters) sold to agricultural contractors and dairy/livestock farmers in 60+ countries via regional subsidiaries and a global dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Machinery — Forage Harvesting Equipment

NAICS

Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Agricultural Implement Manufacturing (33311)

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Harvesting & Forage Equipment (IMAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agricultural Processing Equipment (On-farm) (IMAHACAL), Agricultural Tractor & Field Machinery Vehicle Manufacturing (IMACAFAB)

Keywords

• Forage harvesting machinery
• Agricultural equipment manufacturing
• Disc mowers and rakes
• Round and square balers
• Self-propelled forage harvesters

Headquarters

HQ city

Spelle

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Machinery Sales: KRONE generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of agricultural machinery including disc mowers, rotary tedders, rakes, round and square balers, pellet presses, transport equipment, self-propelled mower-conditioners and forage harvesters. The company sells directly through its dealer network and subsidiaries worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

KRONE Agriculture manufactures and sells a full line of forage harvesting machinery — including disc mowers, rotary tedders, rotary rakes, round and square balers, loading and transport wagons, bale wrappers, the Premos 5000 mobile pellet press, and self-propelled machines (BiG M 450 mower-conditioner and BiG X 480-1180 forage harvesters) — distributed to agricultural contractors and livestock farmers through a global dealer network and regional subsidiaries covering 60+ countries. The portfolio also includes KRONE Digital telematics services and the mykrone.green customer portal.

Product overview

KRONE Agriculture is a full-liner in forage harvesting technology, offering over 240 models of agricultural machinery manufactured in Spelle, Germany since 1906. The product portfolio spans disc mowers (EasyCut series), rotary tedders (Vendro, KWT), rotary rakes (Swadro series), round balers (Bellima, Fortima, Comprima, VariPack, CombiPack), large square balers (BiG Pack series), pellet presses (Premos 5000 - world's first mobile pellet press), transport wagons (AX, MX, RX, ZX, TX, GX), agricultural logistics solutions, self-propelled mower-conditioners (BiG M 450), and forage harvesters (BiG X series from 490 to 1156 HP). Two self-propelled machines complete the program - the high-performance BiG M mower-conditioner and the BiG X forage harvester. The portfolio also includes digital services through KRONE Digital, SmartConnect Solar telemetry, and the mykrone.green customer portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EasyCut: Disc mowers product line including front disc mowers, rear disc mowers, trailed disc mowers, and butterfly combinations
• Vendro
• Swadro
• BiG M
• BiG X
• BiG Pack
• Comprima
• VariPack
• Bellima
• Fortima
• ComPack
• CombiPack
• EasyWrap
• Premos
• ActiveMow
• KWT
• BaleCollect
• Swativo
• KRONE Highland
• KRONE Digital
• KRONE AgriLogistics
• KRONE excellent Parts
• mykrone.green

Products and services

• EasyCut F (Front Disc Mower) Front-mounted disc mower designed for forage harvesting operations on agricultural contractors' and farms' grassland.
• ActiveMow (Rear Disc Mower) Rear-mounted disc mower with side mounting for forage harvesting operations.
• EasyCut TS/TC (Trailed Disc Mower) Trailed disc mower for larger-scale forage harvesting operations.
• EasyCut B (Butterfly Combination Disc Mower) Butterfly combination disc mower system for maximum working width and efficiency in forage harvesting.
• Vendro (Rotary Tedder) Next-generation rotary tedder for efficient forage turning and drying.
• KWT (Rotary Tedder) Rotary tedder for spreading and turning forage crops.
• Swadro S | TS (Rotary Rake, Side Discharge) Rotary rake with side discharge for forming windrows during forage harvesting.
• Swadro TC (Rotary Rake, Center Discharge) Rotary rake with center discharge for forming central windrows.
• Bellima (Fixed Chamber Round Baler) Fixed chamber round baler known for robust construction and high reliability.
• Fortima (Round Baler) Round baler available with fixed or variable bale chamber configurations.
• Comprima (Round Baler) Round baler with fixed, semi-variable or variable bale chamber; also available as press-wrapping combination. DLG Gold Medal winner 2007.
• VariPack (Variable Bale Chamber Round Baler) Fully variable bale chamber round baler positioned for throughput and density.
• CombiPack HDP (Press-Wrapper Combination) Fully variable press-wrapping combination for continuous baling and wrapping operations. World's first press-wrapping combination.
• EasyWrap 150 (Mounted Bale Wrapper) Mounted bale wrapper for wrapping round bales.
• EasyWrap 165 T (Trailed Bale Wrapper) Trailed bale wrapper for wrapping round bales.
• BiG Pack (Large Square Baler) Large square baler in 4th and 5th generation for high-density baling operations.
• BiG Pack HDP II 1290 (VC) (High-Density Large Square Baler) High-density performance large square baler with variable compression, featuring the patented VariCut cutting system, integrated overload clutch drive, and V-Knotter knotting system. Red Dot Design Award winner 2026.
• Premos 5000 (Mobile Pellet Press) World's first mobile pellet press that produces pellets directly from fresh crop on the field. DLG Gold Medal winner 2015.
• AX (Loading and Forage Transport Wagon) Loading and forage transport wagon with 25 to 31 m³ capacity.
• ZX (High-Performance Short-Cut Loader Wagon) High-performance short-cut loader wagon with 43 to 56 m³ capacity for intensive chopping operations.
• GX (Universal Transport Wagon) Universal transport wagon with 44 or 52 m³ capacity for versatile transport operations.
• BiG M 450 (Self-Propelled Mower-Conditioner) Self-propelled high-performance mower-conditioner with 9.9m working width (up to 11.2m in CR version), 449 HP engine, and up to 17 ha/h area output. World's first self-propelled mower-conditioner.
• BiG X 480/530/580/630 (Self-Propelled Forage Harvester) Self-propelled forage harvester delivering 490 to 653 HP for professional harvesting operations.
• BiG X 680/780/860/980/1080/1180 (High-Power Forage Harvester) High-power self-propelled forage harvester series ranging from 687 to 1,156 HP. The BiG X 1180 features a Liebherr V12 engine with 24.24L displacement producing 850 kW (1,156 HP), the world's most powerful forage harvester.
• KRONE AgriTruck (Agricultural Logistics) All-rounder agricultural logistics solution for road and field transport.
• SmartConnect Solar (Telemetry Unit) Manufacturer-independent telemetry unit with solar power for flexible machine connectivity and data monitoring as part of KRONE Digital.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 17 hectares per hour area rate with BiG M 450
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

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

One partnership is on record.

• LemkenstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Under the Combined Powers brand, KRONE and Lemken developed a concept study of an autonomous 'Procedure Technology Unit' (VTE) consisting of a drive unit combined with various attachments. This joint development has been successfully tested in tillage, plowing, sowing, mowing, tedding and raking operations. Both manufacturers define this as a future supplement to proven work processes.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pöttinger: Austrian family-owned manufacturer of grassland equipment (mowers, tedders, rakes) and loading wagons. Directly overlaps with Krone's EasyCut, Vendro, Swadro, and transport wagon lines, serving the same European dairy/livestock customer base.
• CLAAS: German family-owned manufacturer of agricultural machinery with a particularly strong overlap with Krone in forage harvesting (mowers, tedders, rakes, balers, forage harvesters including the JAGUAR self-propelled line). Both are family-led German specialists competing head-to-head across the European forage equipment category.
• Vermeer Corporation: US-based manufacturer of round balers, bale processors, and hay equipment competing with Krone's round baler portfolio in North American markets, while KrONE NA serves the same customer base.
• Kuhn Group: French-based agricultural machinery manufacturer specializing in hay and forage equipment (mowers, tedders, rakes, balers, wrappers). Highly comparable product portfolio overlap with Krone, though smaller scale and more limited self-propelled offering.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere: Global full-line agricultural equipment incumbent with overlapping self-propelled mower-conditioners, large square balers, and round balers. Significantly larger scale, broader product portfolio, and global dealer network, competing with Krone across most forage harvesting categories while also selling tractors and combines.
• AGCO: Global full-line farm equipment maker (Fendt, Massey Ferguson, Hesston) offering hay tools, balers, and forage equipment that compete directly with Krone's mower, rake, and baler lines. Operates at a much larger scale with broader geographic reach.
• CNH Industrial (New Holland / Case IH): Full-line agricultural OEM with New Holland and Case IH brands offering hay/forage equipment including round and square balers, mower-conditioners, and self-propelled forage harvesters that compete with Krone across multiple product lines.

Emerging players

• Lely: Dutch family-owned agricultural technology company focused on dairy farming automation, including mowing/tedding/raking equipment that historically competed with Krone forage harvesting products, though Lely has strategically refocused on robotics (Astronaut, Vector).

Others

• Lemken:

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAH1yTEBLMXkts8zhfSodLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/krone.agriculture
• Instagraminstagram.com/krone.agriculture
• TikToktiktok.com/@krone.agriculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maschinenfabrik-bernard-krone-gmbh-co-kg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Krone Agriculture