“We want to continue growing in the US.”
Matthias Ristow, Managing Director Business Administration, explains in an interview what’s so special about the factory in Omaha, and how the German and American cultures differ from one another.
Mr. Ristow, you started working for CLAAS Omaha nine years ago. How has the site evolved over the years?
Since joining CLAAS, we have more than doubled our production. In 2016, we built 285 machines a year. Now we’re up to more than 600 yearly. We had to optimize our processes to become more productive. We also grew our local supply chain to the point where we now purchase far more parts from suppliers in the US. We’ve also found outstanding suppliers in other countries such as Mexico and India. And our market share in the US has been steadily growing ever since.
Matthias Ristow, 57,
is originally from Germany. After graduating from a school in Germany, he went to the US where he also obtained a high school diploma before studying at an American state university. In 2014, he was appointed Vice President Finance & Operations at CLAAS in Omaha. In 2018, he became Managing Director Business Administration.
Which machines are made at the Omaha factory?
We manufacture the 8000, 7000 and 6000 LEXION combine harvesters series. Our machines are essentially the same as those built at the parent factory in Harsewinkel, Germany. It’s just that our models sometimes have larger grain tanks and attachments because the fields in the US are generally so much bigger than those in Europe. There’s also much more demand here for the CLAAS TERRA TRAC than in Germany: over 60% of the combine harvesters built by us in the US are equipped with this system, as compared with 47% in Europe.
Are there any other telling signs that the factory is in the US?
Yes, cultural differences between Germans and Americans can be seen in our different approaches to work. While we Germans tend to want to analyze every project down to the last detail before starting, Americans prefer to get started right away. But these approaches complement each other very well in practice. We’ve also noticed that our American colleagues appreciate working for a German family business, and our working environment in particular. For example, a year and a half ago we purchased ice-cream makers and made Wednesday our Ice Cream Day. The idea was so well received that we had to make it a mainstay, or else risk a revolt, laughs Ristow.
How well does the collaboration between Omaha and the other CLAAS sites work?
Very well. We work very closely with the factories in Harsewinkel, Paderborn and Törökszentmiklós (Hungary). Cooperation runs very smoothly. I’ve been a member of a global CEO organization for a number of years now. The other CEOs are always quite jealous when I tell them how we collaborate with the parent factory in Harsewinkel and how well we coped with the pandemic and supply chain bottlenecks.
How do you see the factory evolving in the coming years?
We hope to see continued strong growth and look to increase our market share in the US. What’s more, we’re always thinking about what other products in the CLAAS Group could be produced in Omaha and which parts we could source locally. Of course, it must make good financial sense. Or be strategically important. The fact is, we want to continue growing in Omaha. We’ve got plenty of space and a good, hungry team!
