Pioneer and visionary in agricultural technology

Like almost no other entrepreneur of his time, Helmut Claas shaped modern agricultural technology in Germany. Yet, despite all his success, he never forgot his roots in agriculture: his passion for innovation, his entrepreneurial courage and his deep connection to the people of his home region remain the foundation of CLAAS to this day. “We have no secret; we simply have good ideas and motivated people,” Helmut Claas used to say.

Growing up between the factory floor and the wheat fields

When Helmut Claas was born on 16 July 1926 in Harsewinkel as the first son of August and Paula Claas, the aftermath of the First World War was still being felt. From the very beginning, the company shaped family life. It was only natural that Helmut, his sister Irmgard and his brother Reinhold grew up amidst the office, factory halls and living room. Whilst their father August and his brothers oversaw production, their mother Paula took care of the commercial side of the business and, thanks to her excellent command of foreign languages, managed the international trade.

From an early age, the children got a taste of factory life amidst workbenches and welding sparks. As the eldest of the three siblings, Helmut was regarded as the leader of the little gang of children. His sister Irmgard (later Baumhüter) recalled: “Helmut was already brave as a boy, someone who always tried everything.” Country life also shaped him: During the hot summer months, they would head out to farms in the region, where the machines were put through their paces. In 1936, when ten-year-old Helmut had just moved from Harsewinkel primary school to Gütersloh grammar school, the Claas brothers tested the first combine harvester – a machine that was to revolutionise agriculture.

Return to Harsewinkel and a pioneering technical spirit

The Second World War turned life upside down. Conscripted into the Luftwaffe at the age of 17, Helmut Claas made his way back to his parents’ home in Harsewinkel at the end of March 1945, exhausted but unharmed, having endured dangerous conditions. After the war ended, he first completed an apprenticeship at his family’s business. He obtained his trade certificate as a machine fitter with a grade of ‘Very Good’ – a foundation in craftsmanship that would keep him grounded throughout his life.

After his apprenticeship, he began studying mechanical engineering in Hanover, supplemented by stays abroad in Paris and Vienna, and a pioneering market research trip through South America with his father. In 1957, Helmut Claas officially joined his parents’ company. From 1962, as managing director alongside his brother Reinhold, he steered the company’s fortunes – a family partnership that carried CLAAS through periods of growth as well as through crises.

When a market downturn hit the industry at the end of the 1960s, Helmut Claas demonstrated entrepreneurial greatness, took personal responsibility and responded to the crisis with technical innovation: in 1970, the DOMINATOR combine harvester proved to be a major success. Many more machines followed; over 100 patents are registered in his name.

Top secrecy at the Harsewinkel plant and world premieres on the doorstep

Helmut Claas recognised trends early on. In response to the growth in maize cultivation, CLAAS unveiled the first self-propelled JAGUAR forage harvester in 1973. But the entrepreneur thought holistically: the idea of machines being used purely on a seasonal basis was a thorn in his side.

“Multi-purpose vehicles were his vision,” explained Nils Fredriksen, CLAAS’s long-standing chief developer. “Helmut Claas tasked me with driving this project forward under the strictest secrecy at the Harsewinkel plant.” The result of this tenacity rolled out of the factory in 1993: the first generation of the XERION system tractor.

The LEXION, which was launched in 1996 and remains the company’s most powerful combine harvester series to this day, is also regarded as a technological quantum leap: at “Loermann’s Farm” in Harsewinkel, industry experts marvelled at an incredible hourly output of 60 tonnes of harvested grain. The new machine benefited from the opening up of the Eastern European markets, where it was able to fully demonstrate its capabilities across the vast fields.

A legacy that endures

Helmut Claas had harboured a desire to produce his own tractor since the 1960s. With great perseverance and clear strategic vision, he pursued this goal for decades. He recognised early on that developing in-house tractor expertise would be crucial for the future growth of the company, which had previously specialised in harvesting. To strengthen the position of its dealers, CLAAS acquired the French tractor manufacturer Renault Agriculture in 2003. 

Right up to the end, Helmut Claas remained what he had been all his life: an engineer, an entrepreneur and a passionate farmer. Right up to the end, he could be found in his office every day, discussing technical solutions with the developers and following new projects with keen interest. Even in his old age, he championed the AXION TERRA TRAC with great conviction – an initially unusual tractor concept featuring a half-track undercarriage, whose potential he recognised early on and whose development he drove forward within the company with great personal commitment. At the same time, he took a forward-looking approach to preparing for the generational handover in the family business, gradually handing over responsibility to his daughter Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, who took over as Chair of the Supervisory Board in 2010 and also became Chair of the Shareholders’ Committee in 2020. 

Dr Klaus Hermann, a long-standing colleague and former director of the German Agricultural Machinery Museum at the University of HohenheimohenH, aptly summarised Helmut Claas’s life’s work following his death in 2021: “Where others had reservations, he made clear decisions. Yes, that was Helmut Claas: modest, self-assured and generous, determined and friendly – an impressive personality right into his old age.”

“Innovations for Generations” – the CLAAS book 

A new book has been dedicated to Helmut Claas to mark his 100th birthday. “Innovations for Generations” tells the story of CLAAS as a family-run business that has helped shape the development of agriculture for more than a century. It recounts innovations and entrepreneurial spirit, people and machines, responsibility and the future – and the values that have defined CLAAS across generations. The book will be published in August by Delius-Klasing-Verlag.

In addition to the book, CLAAS is planning further activities such as social media clips, an internal campaign at its Harsewinkel site featuring an XXL banner, and an exhibition on forage harvesting technology at the University of Hohenheim and the German Agricultural Museum there. The CLAAS Foundation is also marking the anniversary by stepping up its support for young talent in Europe and the USA. (See separate press release from the CLAAS Foundation.)

Download photos here.

CLAAS Group, Group Communications
Inquiries to pr@claas.com