XtraBlatt Issue 01-2023
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WÜSTENBERG-LANDTECHNIK<br />
Service with no<br />
ifs and buts<br />
Krone and Wüstenberg – together, they make a strong team. The two partners<br />
share not only half a century of successful collaboration but the same<br />
philosophy when it comes to service – “no ifs and buts.”<br />
When it comes to service,<br />
it’s not just the service itself<br />
but the service experience<br />
that counts.<br />
Holger Wüstenberg, owner<br />
T<br />
he opportunity to attend major events<br />
without restriction is one of the many –<br />
quite literally – liberating “post-Corona”<br />
experiences. So it’s hardly surprising<br />
that agricultural machinery shows are making an<br />
unprecedented comeback – as illustrated by the<br />
success of the company’s in-house show held at<br />
their headquarters in Börm, a town not far from<br />
the Danish border. “We welcomed over 10,000<br />
visitors over the two days, which was tremendous!”<br />
comments owner Holger Wüstenberg with delight.<br />
And Hans-Rudolf Lübcker, who as managing director<br />
is in charge of operations at the headquarters,<br />
adds: “It was impressive to see how happy people<br />
were to finally meet up in this kind of setting after<br />
a four-year break. No wonder the mood was so<br />
upbeat, despite the challenges the agricultural<br />
industry is currently facing. This momentum will<br />
see us through the season!”<br />
Partnership of equals<br />
The positive trend in milk prices since 2022 has<br />
certainly contributed to this upward momentum;<br />
after all, dairy farming is such an important sector<br />
in Schleswig-Holstein or at least its northern<br />
part where heavy soils dominate. Börm itself<br />
lies a rather sandy region on the central ridge of<br />
Schleswig-Holstein. As a result, the customer base<br />
here is “mixed”, comprising livestock and arable<br />
farming. The Wüstenberg Group has a workforce<br />
of 280 and operates from eight sites, three of which<br />
are in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to the east<br />
and one in Brandenburg to the south-east. “Our<br />
main brand products – including Krone – and of<br />
course the accompanying service provision are<br />
available in all our branches. But in Schleswig-Holstein<br />
we tend to focus on forage harvesting and<br />
Krone’s spere of activity, especially north of the Kiel<br />
Canal,” explains Holger Wüstenberg.<br />
He describes the company’s 50-year partnership<br />
with the forage and straw harvesting specialist<br />
from Spelle as exceptional and, in his view, as a<br />
major factor behind their commercial success. By<br />
way of illustration, the Börm site alone services<br />
more than 70 BiG X and BiG M SP machines. They<br />
also have a large market share in the attached<br />
machine range, from mowers to balers. “The<br />
partnership of equals, Krone’s family business<br />
spirit and down-to-earth approach unburdened<br />
by hierarchies are key success factors,” Holger<br />
Wüstenberg is keen to stress. Hans-Rudolf Lübcker<br />
adds: “Digitalisation aside, business deals are still<br />
made by people – and that’s a good thing! The fact<br />
that we can take customers to visit the factory<br />
during pre-sales negotiations for larger machines<br />
and projects is always a plus. And if our master<br />
mechanics need Krone’s help with particularly<br />
complex technical issues, they can pick up the<br />
phone and be put through to the right person<br />
straightaway. This is how teamwork makes for a<br />
successful agricultural machinery business.”<br />
For them, good service<br />
is always a result of the<br />
whole team pulling<br />
together: Holger<br />
Wüstenberg (right,<br />
owner), Hans-Rudolf<br />
Lübcker (left,<br />
managing director of<br />
the Börm branch) and<br />
Udo Fedders (Börm<br />
workshop manager).<br />
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