About the brand
CLAAS was founded in 1913 in Harsewinkel, Germany by the Claas brothers as a small straw-binder factory. A key innovation — the world's first self-propelled grain combine, the MDB in 1936 — made CLAAS synonymous with combine harvesting in Europe. Today it is a family-owned company with annual revenue above €5 billion and a presence in 140 countries, still privately owned by the Claas family. The flagship Lexion line (6000, 7000, 8000 series) competes directly with John Deere S700/X9 in the premium segment. Beyond combines, CLAAS produces the Axion and Arion tractor lines (95–480 hp), Jaguar forage harvesters (Europe's best-seller), Scorpion telehandlers, and Quadrant big balers. The technology edge is CEMOS — an intelligent threshing optimization system that tunes the combine in real time for maximum grain cleanliness without losses. In 2003, CLAAS partnered with Renault Agriculture, which brought the Ares/Celtis tractor lineup into the portfolio.
Key facts
| Founded | 1913 |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Headquarters | Harsewinkel |
| In Ukraine since | 1998 |
| UA market share (combines) | ~30% |
| Strength | Lexion combines + Jaguar foragers |
Presence in Ukraine
CLAAS has been present in Ukraine since 1998 through the CLAAS Ukraine subsidiary in Kyiv and a network of 7 official dealer centers in Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa. The official distributor is LNZ Group (the same group that handles John Deere), creating logistics synergies for farmers running both brands. CLAAS is especially strong in the large grain combine segment — the Lexion 8700 and 8800 (the most powerful series-production combines in the world, up to 100 t/h capacity) are popular with Steppe and Forest-Steppe agribusinesses farming above 5,000 ha. CLAAS holds about 30% of the Ukrainian combine market, competing with John Deere and Case IH. In tractors the share is smaller — 5–8% — with demand concentrated on the Axion 800 (240–310 hp) series. On ADAM in April 2026, CLAAS spare parts are quoted by 3–4 distributors with an average response time of 7.8 hours. The top-demand items are Lexion threshing blades, drive belts, and cooling system hydraulic hoses.
Top products
- CLAAS Lexion 8000/7000 combine harvesters
- CLAAS Axion tractors (250-480 hp)
- CLAAS Jaguar forage harvesters
- CLAAS Quadrant big balers