Reinhold Claas

Reinhold Claas passes away

Reinhold Claas, the third son of CLAAS founder August Claas and a long-standing member of the Shareholders Committee and Supervisory Board of the CLAAS Group, passed away on 7 June 2022 at the age of 91. Together with his brother Helmut Claas, he played a sizeable role in building up the company after the Second World War.

“All those who knew Reinhold Claas appreciated him for his friendly and modest manner. People and the well-being of the family business always came first for him. Through his actions in important phases of the company’s history, he made a significant contribution to our success today,” explains Thomas Böck, CEO of CLAAS.

Reinhold Claas was a graduate industrial engineer and officially joined the company with his brother Helmut in July 1957. His main focus was on the development of balers and forage harvesters. Among other things, he was responsible for setting up baler production at the newly built factory in Metz, France. He was also the driving force behind the takeover of the renowned specialist for forage harvesting machines, Josef Bautz GmbH in Bad Saulgau, in 1969. Reinhold Claas was also active as an entrepreneur outside the family business, running two other companies until the 1990s. Most recently, Reinhold Claas held a seat on the Supervisory Board and two advisory boards. In the CLAAS Group, his son Rüdiger Claas is now the third generation to succeed his father.

Prototype TERRA TRAC with pneumatic tyres on the CLAAS MEGA.