Over the past two years, the CLAAS site in Bad Saulgau, Southern Germany has embarked on a thorough restructuring and expansion journey named ForageGO!

By 2025, the project will have seen over €50m invested into upgrading plant infrastructure and production facilities.

A key component of this expansion is the construction of a new logistics centre, covering 9,500 square meters.

The Bad Saulgau plant, recognised as the CLAAS Group’s centre for forage harvesting, currently employs approximately 800 members of staff.

Within the scope of the ForageGO! project, the site’s infrastructure has been modernised, and flow-enhanced assembly layouts have been implemented.

One of the initial phases of this project included modernising the production of Volto tedders and Jaguar crop flow by relocating them to a newly constructed assembly hall on-site.

Uli Nickol, site manager and managing director of CLAAS Saulgau GmbH said: “Bad Saulgau is proud of the high customer satisfaction ratings its products achieve.

“Thanks to the biggest single investment in the site to date, we have an opportunity to modernise and expand the production facilities here. This phase marks a major milestone on our road map and lays the foundations for future growth.”

The product portfolio at Bad Saulgau continues to evolve, with products becoming larger, more complex, and more intelligent.

To meet these growing demands, production processes are being constantly adapted.

With the goal is to enhance efficiency, increase production cycles, and introduce greater flexibility to accommodate the harvest seasons of customers worldwide. Key elements include flow-optimised assembly layouts with a high level of standardisation and improved logistics processes such as order picking and sequencing.

The project is scheduled for completion by late summer 2025, with the installation of a new material flow system.

The new logistics area will follow the KFW 40 energy efficiency standard, featuring a 950 kWp photovoltaic array covering the roof.

Spedition Grieshaber, the freight company responsible for handling the finished products post-production, is also expanding its operations.

Finished goods are temporarily stored, picked, and then shipped to customers worldwide, either by truck to CLAAS sales partners or by container for sea transport.

Due to the increased volume, Grieshaber’s current site has become insufficient. Consequently, leveraging their long-standing partnership with CLAAS, Grieshaber is constructing a new facility with a 70,000 square meter floor area, also in Bad Saulgau.