German agricultural machinery manufacturer CLAAS is celebrating the half a millionth combine harvester built since 1936. To mark the occasion, the company has produced several anniversary LEXION, TRION, EVION and DOMINATOR machines on three continents.

„In the coming weeks and months, they will be on display at exhibitions, field days and demonstrations“, – announced CLAAS.

CLAAS has been a leading designer and manufacturer of combine harvesters for many decades. Since 1936, CLAAS has been streamlining grain harvesting in Europe with the development of the cross-flow harvester, abbreviated as M.D.B.

CLAAS achieved a major breakthrough in 1946 with the SUPER series of combine harvesters. More than 60,000 SUPER combines were sold worldwide, even in Canada and Uruguay.

The DOMINATOR series, launched in 1972, ushered in a new era that has lasted more than 50 years. With the DOMINATOR 6 and DOMINATOR 8 series, CLAAS consolidated its status as the European market leader with innovations such as 3D cleaning, AUTO CONTOUR cutter guidance and the MEGA thresher. The DOMINATOR CS with cylinder separation, introduced in 1981 (COMMANDOR CS from 1986), was one of the most powerful breakthroughs in the world at the time, and from 1987 onwards DOMINATORs were introduced with rubber tracks for the first time.

The DOMINATOR and LEXION account for the largest share of the 500,000 CLAAS combine harvesters produced to date - around 100,000 and 75,000 units respectively.

Since 2013, CLAAS has also been manufacturing combine harvesters and combine harvester components in China following the acquisition of "Jinyee". The new DOMINATOR 370 hybrid combine harvester will be launched here in 2019, followed three years later by the DOMINATOR 260 with six straw rollers. The new EVION, which like the DOMINATOR 370 and 260 was developed in Harsewinkel, will also roll off the production line in Gaomi from 2023.