CLAAS Invests €70 Million to Expand Paderborn Plant on 70th Anniversary
On October 12, 2026, agricultural machinery manufacturer CLAAS announced a 70 million euro investment to expand its Paderborn production site, coinciding with the location’s 70th anniversary, as reported by EQS-News.
The Tech TL;DR:
- CLAAS is investing more than 70 million euros into its Paderborn facility to scale production of advanced drivetrains and crawler tracks.
- The project introduces new automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence integration to optimize manufacturing efficiency and logistics.
- The expansion creates over 100 new technical jobs while securing existing high-skilled engineering roles in the region.
CLAAS invests 70 million euros in Paderborn plant
The 70 million euro capital expenditure targets the infrastructure at the Halberstädter Straße site in Paderborn, per EQS-News coverage. The funding is driven by rising demand for soil-protecting TERRA TRAC crawler tracks, CMATIC tractor transmissions, and specialized hydraulic components. To accommodate the physical footprint required for larger assembly lines and optimized logistics, CLAAS acquired adjacent land parcels previously held by Heidelberg Materials.
According to statements from CLAAS leadership published in the corporate releases, the plant upgrade relies heavily on advanced automation and artificial intelligence to manage complex component manufacturing.
Historical Evolution from 1955 to the 70th Anniversary
The Paderborn operations began in 1955 as a dedicated supplier facility for combine harvesters, officially commencing production in 1956. Over the decades, the site evolved into a specialized competence center for high-tech drive technology and hydraulics.
These components form a central pillar of the company’s machinery portfolio, which includes forage harvesters, combine harvesters, and tractors distributed across international markets.
Leadership highlights strategic importance of Paderborn workforce
CLAAS Group CEO Jan-Hendrik Mohr stated that the investment shows the strategic importance of the Paderborn plant within the global manufacturing network, highlighting the workforce's technological expertise and structural competitiveness in Germany. Jan Uhtenwoldt, Managing Director of CLAAS Industrietechnik, emphasized that the regional talent pool and collaborative agreements with local social partners were critical factors in greenlighting the industrial future concept.
Alongside the Paderborn developments, the broader manufacturing network is seeing parallel upgrades. CLAAS is currently constructing a new multifunctional production hall at its site in Le Mans, France, and establishing a new final assembly and shipping center in Törökszentmiklós, Hungary, according to official corporate disclosures.