Cathrina Claas, 32, has confirmed that the tractor side of the Claas Group’s famous harvester ‘footprint’ is now core business. The group’s globe-trotting senior executive was speaking during a flying visit to Australia late last month.

While Claas has gained an international reputation as harvesting specialists, it’s early days with regard to convincing farmers they should take a close look at its still fledgling tractor marque.

Ms Claas emphasised to Australian farmers that Claas tractors are now an integral part of the harvesting chain, noting the possibility of both sectors being ‘grown together’ down the track.

In a move that startled machinery industry analysts at the time, the noted manufacturer of high-tech headers took over the ailing French Renault tractor subsidiary in 2003, to become the world’s newest ‘full-line’ machinery manufacturer, with a turnover now in the order of euro3 billion ($A4.9bn).

“The processes we have gone through in the past five years prove we care about the tractors as much as for our full line of harvesting equipment,” she said.

“We are very happy about how things are developing, technology-wise, also market share-wise,” she said during her visit.

The grand-daughter of the man who established the still privately-owned concern in the 1920s, and daughter of Helmut Claas, who is largely seen as one of the great pioneers of modern combine harvester design, says the merger opportunity was a “good fit” for the company’s long-time well-being.

Speaking in Victoria when Landpower opened Australia’s newest $10m distribution business, Ms Claas described herself as an “active” deputy chairman of the Claas Group’s Shareholders’ committee.

* Extract from 10-page Farm Machinery Feature in all Rural Press farm newspapers, May 22.