AMAZONE Group continues to grow
The family-run company has placed its total revenue for 2020 at 537 million Euros (2019: €467 million).
By doing so, AMAZONE has achieved the highest revenue in its 138-year history. Despite the limitations of the coronavirus pandemic, the company managed to considerably increase its sales.
“This is an excellent result and a great success for the entire AMAZONE Group and our partners,” stated Christian Dreyer and Dr. Justus Dreyer. “During the last financial year, the entire team has done its absolute best to maintain normal operations throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to the strong commitment and discipline of all our employees, and together with our sales partners, we were able to prevent any delays in production and fulfil all our orders.”
The company’s broad international positioning played a role in achieving this positive result. With an export proportion of over 80%, and a wide product portfolio for customers of all sizes, AMAZONE benefited from an advantageous position on all the major export markets. Agricultural machinery sales were particularly successful in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Russia and Austria. The company also achieved excellent sales in France and Poland as well as in Great Britain where Amazone Ltd recorded its best-ever turnover figure which was made possible by a huge increase in sprayer and drill sales.
The number of employees remained stable throughout the year and is currently at 1,900 employees worldwide.
Despite the challenging conditions of the coronavirus pandemic during the last year, AMAZONE succeeded in completing various important investment projects as planned. For example, the new spare parts centre – the “Global Parts Center” – opened at the Tecklenburg-Leeden site. The Centre’s increased storage capacity and brand new, state-of-the-art logistics concept, resulting in significantly shorter lead times, will ensure excellent service worldwide. In order to expand its international sales activities, AMAZONE opened a new subsidiary in Ukraine. The new location in Kiev will offer local customers improved contact when purchasing machinery and increased service levels.
In total, the company’s investments in fixed assets in 2020 were in the tens of millions. More than 6% of its turnover was invested in research and development. This year, a major expansion of the Bramsche site is planned. The large machinery production plant off the BAB A1 motorway will be expanded with 8,000 sq. m. of new floor area.
Since June 2020, AMAZONE has been conducting a long-term arable farming trial on the experimental farm in Wambergen, with the aid of Schmotzer hoes. Titled “Controlled Row Farming” (CRF), a brand new arable farming system is being trialled on the farm, in which every crop establishment measure takes place in relation to a fixed row.
AMAZONE’s goal is to intensify the further development of modern precision technology for increased protection of the climate, natural world and environment, while ensuring maximum yields and reducing costs. An important aspect of this is the digitalisation and networking of all operational processes. “AMAZONE 4.0 is the keyword for our contribution in the field of software, electronics and sensor systems for increased precision, user comfort and transparency,” say the owners. “Our strength is our electronics expertise in the form of an experienced team of developers, who now even software programme in-house.”
Overall, the company foresees many future changes in “intelligent crop production”, with great potential for the company and its sales partners. These range from modernised planting and sowing processes, variety selection and more varied crop rotations, all the way through to the growing of catch crops and undersown crops.
