CLAAS exits the foundry business

CLAAS, a leading agricultural machinery manufacturer, is selling its interest in the company CLAAS GUSS GmbH.

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„The buyers, connected with Ergocast Guss GmbH, will take over all shares in the foundry business. The parties have agreed confidentiality in respect to the contractual details.

“We firmly believe that not only will CLAAS GUSS find a new home, it will also acquire good prospects for the future within a larger foundry group. It will remain an important supplier for us, even under its new ownership”, says Lothar Kriszun, Spokesman of the CLAAS Executive Board.

CLAAS GUSS is one of the leading foundries in Germany. Founded 1948, the company has a long tradition as a jobbing foundry. Employing a workforce of approximately 400, CLAAS GUSS has production sites in Gütersloh, Bad Saulgau in Swabia and Nortorf in Schleswig-Holstein. The company has already made huge efforts to develop new business and to reduce costs in a competitive environment characterised by overcapacity, spiralling internationalisation and industry-wide consolidation.

“The companies produce complementary ranges. Both sides will benefit from real synergies in terms of market development, business development and shared resources. The combined industry experience of the new owners and the synergy emerging in the new group will ensure that efforts undertaken so far will continue, and that they will make the company fit for the future”, explains Karlheinz Kalze, Managing Director of CLAAS GUSS GmbH, where he will remain part of the team.

The sister company Ergocast Cast GmbH, located in Jünkerath in the Rhineland-Palatinate, was founded in 1687 and was part of the Mannesmann group until 2000. The company supplies major castings for power plant turbines, mechanical engineering, drive technology and hydraulics. Ergocast, like CLAAS GUSS, produces machine-shaped and hand-moulded castings up to 70 tons.