Germany – Agricultural machinery and on-road trailer builder, Krone Group (Bernard Krone Holding GmbH & Co KG) of Spelle, Germany, had a tumultuous year, as did the industry writ-large, with 2024 revenues of EUR 2.4 billion, compared to EUR 3.2 billion the previous year! The company cites political uncertainty, the ongoing war in Ukraine and decreased demand from European farmers and transport companies for its products. The company began implementing cost-cutting measures in 2024, which will continue into 2025. Of the EUR 2.4 billion, EUR 1.58 billion came from the Commercial Vehicle Division, a decrease of 26.1%, compared to 2023 figures of EUR 2.14 billion. 30.6% percent of its sales came from domestic trailer services and sales, an increase of 3.4%.

Strategic Investments

Earlier this year, Krone Commercial Vehicles (of Spelle, Lower Saxony, Germany) became a “strategic partner”, in its Austrian competitor Wilhelm Schwarzmüller GmbH (“Schwarzmüller”), a trailer manufacturer based in Freinberg. Krone aims to make use of Schwarzmüller’s sales and manufacturing footprint to extend its market presence in Europe and expand its distribution capacity. Schwarzmüller says that, following regulatory approval, it will retain its brand independence and will continue to be run under the current management. The Paletar family which owns the Austrian manufacturer will remain on the company boards and in operational roles. 

In 2024 the company absorbed Edewecht-based fleet digitalisation service provider, ECR Solutions Servicegesellschaft mbH. ECR continues to act independently, providing its clients with digital services that optimise fleet efficiency and business processes. Both companies have been working together since 2016, and in 2022 signed a strategic partnership to develop and expand Krone’s fleet management service packages for fleet operators.

Operational highlights

Krone Group appointed Jürgen Hölscher to its Supervisory Board in 2024. On the commercial vehicle side, Volker Perk was named the new Managing Director for production, taking over from  Alfons B. Veer on February 1, 2025. His appointment was part of Krone’s continued effort to “future-proof its European production plants” by increasing its investment in automation and innovation.

In the aftermarket segment, Krone expanded into the truck spare parts business in continental Europe. Customers (workshops and fleet operators) can now purchase over 300 branded truck parts, covering over 80 percent of common wear parts on trucks, through the Krone website. The parts are sourced directly from the European manufacturers. The company also partnered with Italian importer, Realtrailer SRL to establish a new spare parts business in Italy (Krone Trailer Service Italia S.R.L.), servicing the aftermarket needs of Krone customers in the country. The 2,000 m² warehouse in Northern Italy in Mantova began operations in Q4 2024 with the aim of shortening the delivery time of Krone spare parts in Italy.

Finally, Krone unveiled its new steel smooth-wall swap bodies – the Krone Dry Box. These products have increased ease of use and more protection against damage than previous generations, using a versatile modular system. There have been changes to the substructure: the tunnel has been increased from 90 to 100 mm. Krone has also upgraded the interior of the steel smooth-wall swap body: The new scuff plate has new embossing on both sides.

Message from the Chairman

Bernard Krone, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Krone Group, said:

In an enormously challenging market environment, we have nevertheless consistently implemented our necessary investments in future projects, such as the completion of the state-of-the-art spare parts warehouse in Spelle, the strategic partnership with the Schwarzmüller Group and various realignments in the areas of digitalisation and robotics. We have also decided to manufacture suitable agricultural machinery for the US market at the Krone North America site (in Olive Branch, Mississippi) in the future. The main focus here is on mowers and tedders. These steps are aimed at further increasing our customer proximity and thus customer loyalty in the long term, and we are jointly convinced that the sum of these measures will have a positive effect.