The first sod for the new (planned) Krone Validation Centre (pictured above) was turned just a week ago (at the Lingen industrial park near the company’s headquarters in Germany).
Commenting on the development, Bernard Krone (pictured below) – managing partner of the Krone Group – said: “We want to pull all of the group’s validation activities together in one central unit.
“The Krone Future Lab will provide validation of the technical appropriateness of all our product developments. It will homologate vehicles and machines to the requirements of individual countries.
The lab will also provide accurate service life certifications for vehicles, machines and axles and develop autonomous driving concepts.
“There are many interfaces within the various operations of the whole business. The new facility will pool and synergise all this expertise,” he added.
The location (Lingen industrial park) is close to the campus of the nearby Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences – a “close partner” of Krone.
The new Krone Future Lab will cover an area of 13ha. The proposed facility will include a machine hall, workshops, a testing hall (with test rigs) and various offices. The first stage of the Future Lab project involves an investment of approximately €20 million.
Financial performance
In related news, the Krone Group finished the 2017/2018 financial year (August 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018) with a record turnover of €2.1 billion.
This marked a significant increase over the previous result (€1.9 billion).
Germany – the manufacturer’s home market – accounted for €582.9 million (an increase of €67.4 million or 13.1%). About 67% of domestic sales was accounted for by the commercial vehicles division. 33% was accounted for by the agricultural machinery business.
Sales in markets outside Germany amounted to €1.5 billion (nearly €171 million or 12.4% up on the previous year). 71% of these export sales were generated by the commercial vehicles business and 29% by the agricultural machinery division.