BERNARD KRONE GmbH in Werlte, Germany, is in second place in the German and European trailer market, following the market leader, Schmitz Cargobull AG. At a press conference during the IAA in Hanover, Krone reported trailer sales of 322 million euros ($402 million) so far in 2004, and expects the full year sales total to reach 560 million euros ($700 million).
By December 2004, Krone expected production to reach 100 units per day at the large Krone assembly plant in Werlte, a plant designed for 60 units a day. About 200 new employees were added in 2004, bringing the staff total to 650 at Werlte.
Production of refrigerated vehicles in 2004 almost doubled, bringing the production rate to 12 vehicles per day at the company's reefer plant in Hvam, Denmark.
Dr Jürgen Föhrenbach, managing director at Krone, says Krone has the highest sales per employee of any trailer manufacturer in Germany. Besides the 650 employed in the Werlte plant, more than twice that number are employed by about 30 supplier companies working exclusively for Krone in the Emsland district of northwestern Germany.
Krone's sales increased about 66% in Germany during the past year, and about 56% in the international market. Krone is represented in all the European markets except Croatia, Albania, and the Vatican. About 42% of its sales are in Germany and 24% in Scandinavia. Another 19% of sales are in central Europe, and 15% go to eastern Europe.
Dr. Föhrenbach credits Krone's fast growth during the past four years (139%) to both excellent quality and the speed of introducing new innovations. Part of its success is due to the method of paint application — e-coating plus powder coating, and its 10-year warranty against rust-through.
Total sales for the Krone Group, which also includes agricultural equipment, was expected to reach more than 850 million euros ($1.06 billion) in 2004. Fahrzeugwerk Bernard Krone GmbH, Postfach 1148, D-49753 Werlte, Germany.