T he 80th anniversary was marked by two events in Brittany , France . During the day SULKY ’ s 250 employees convened at the company ’ s La Ferme de l ’ Epine ( Epine Farm ) site , which normally serves as its training centre . In the evening SULKY ’ s Chateaubourg factory underwent a one-off makeover and the Burel family was joined by employees and their partners , plus retired staff at for a special party . Julien Burel , Chairman of SULKY , thanked his teams with the following words : “ It truly warms my heart to be present at this occasion . This evening makes me think back to my grandparents Fabien and Albertine Burel – the founders of our company who made it all possible .
“ While 1936 is a long time ago , it feels like yesterday when you think that our company values have not changed at all : straightforwardness , the ability to
|
listen , commitment , trust , and quality . These values have been the very DNA of SULKY for 80 years . They laid the foundations for our brand and reflect our identity . Because we feel so confident , we are busy investing in the future – in terms of innovation and the jobs of tomorrow – so we can continue to develop .” |
SULKY moved to a new 20,000m ² factory in July 2011 and the French family business continues to invest in industrial plant . Over the past year SULKY has invested more than 700,000 Euros in a new multi-user welding robot and a new press brake for bending and forming sheet metal up to 4m long . |
The investments in plant equipment are already paying dividends . SULKY BUREL continues to grow and recently achieved sales in excess of 44 million euros , an increase of 3 % over the last business year , despite tough trading conditions in the agricultural sector . |
D uring its 21-year success story , the high capacity LEXION combine harvester has become the flagship of international agricultural technology . More than 50,000 parts , 4,000 m of electrical cable and 215 m of hydraulic lines are installed inside each LEXION . The 50,000th LEXION with its jubilee design can be seen at many fairs and exhibitions across Europe during the coming months . |
After almost one decade of development , CLAAS introduced the first LEXION combine harvester in 1995 . The 400 series offered farmers new high levels of performance . The APS threshing system , with its threshing drum which was expanded to 600 mm , was for the first time combined with the ROTO PLUS residual grain separation system . This combination resulted in the proven APS HYBRID system . Drivers could now work in a comfortable cab , equipped with the integrated |
on-board CEBIS computer . In addition , the GPS PILOT and LASER PILOT steering systems made steering the combine easier .
With the LEXION , CLAAS established a new premium segment for agriculture . Six years after its introduction to the market , the 10,000th large combine harvester – a 415 h . p . LEXION 480 with rubber tracks and a potential harvesting capacity of 40 t of grain per hour – rolled off the assembly line . Proof of the great success of the high capacity LEXION on all fields across the world .
In 2003 the LEXION 500 series represented the successful further development of the top-class combine harvester . Larger harvesting capacities and refined technical systems , such as adjustable rotor flaps for adapting the separation area and a quick stop for front-mounted attachments , made the operator ’ s work far easier . Only two years later CLAAS launched the 600 series which , with a harvesting capacity of up to 70 t of grain per hour , provided farmers with a further increase in efficiency .
In 2010 production of the largest LEXION 700 combine harvesters commenced . These
|
can travel at a maximum speed of 40 km / h on the road , work with cutterbars up to 12.30 m wide in a soil- and resource-friendly manner , and have high-performance software , which meticulously documents the harvesting process and provides accurate information to the driver .
With the LEXION 780 , CLAAS set a new milestone in the history of combine harvesters in 2013 . Besides a grain tank with a capacity of 13,500 litres , it is equipped with the integrated CEMOS AUTOMATIC driver assistance system . The software controls specific default values set by the farmer , and after a short period of time it finds the optimum settings for the threshing systems . By taking into consideration the changing harvesting conditions during the course of a day , these optimum settings are checked on a per-second basis and adapted continuously . The LEXION 700 , which now features a 4D cleaning system and an automatic crop flow control system , received the ' Machine of the Year 2016 ' award at the world ’ s largest agricultural technology fair Agritechnica .
|