LEMKEN is well known overseas where it has been operating for the past 240 years and has now gained a foothold here
As LEMKEN establishes its cultivation and seeding range in our local market with a dedicated Australian office offering the full range of models, we reflect on the fact that the company has been running for 240 years.
You don’t turn 240 every day so LEMKEN has taken us back in history through their homepage to the start of it all, where it recorded recollections from employees that helped the company reach this milestone.
It was in 1780 when Wilhelmus Lemken established a small blacksmith’s shop in Xanten Germany on the Lower Rhine, laying the foundation for a highly successful company.
Wilhelmus Lemken started forging ploughs, cultivators and harrows for local farmers near Xanten on the Lower Rhine 240 years ago, and these early products have remained part of the product range ever since.
In 1969, Viktor Lemken took over the management of the family business and drove its development through industry-defining innovation. As a result, LEMKEN is now the most experienced specialist for ploughs in all major agricultural markets around the world. Cultivator technology has come a long way from the renowned Smaragd model from 80 years ago to today’s flagship, the Rubin.
At the same time, the company’s innovative plough technology ensured its breakthrough as the market leader and set the benchmark for the entire industry.
With an increasing focus on exports and the opening of eastern markets from the 90s onwards, LEMKEN continued to experience strong growth. Its product range was extended to include seed drills and seed drill combinations, and employee numbers have grown steadily since.
Today, LEMKEN has more than 1,600 employees and 29 sales subsidiaries worldwide
Nicola Lemken is now the 7th-generation manager of the family business, and she continues to focus on professional crop production that is characterised by innovation and high quality.
Nicola said, “We stand for efficient, sustainable agriculture and, together with our sales partners, we enable dependable, safe and efficient work processes for farmers and contractors all over the world in a wide range of applications and for highly diverse approaches to crop production.
“Our customers can always rely 100% on exceptional implement technology and comprehensive service. To deliver on this promise, we work closely with specialist dealers and our highly qualified service team.”
LEMKEN focuses its product range on tillage, sowing and crop care. The company realigned its crop care segment earlier in 2020 and added strength to its camera-controlled hoeing technology and the selective application of crop care products.
Managing Director Anthony van der Ley looks forward to the company’s ongoing positive development: “The LEMKEN brand enjoys an excellent reputation far beyond our home market in Germany.
“Our goal is to lead this family business successfully into the next generation by offering innovations that benefit our customers optimally.”
The responsible use of resources has played a key role at LEMKEN production sites for over 15 years.
The company’s factory in Alpen is carbon-neutral in its consumption of electricity, due to on-site combined heat and power plants and extensive, smartly controlled energy cycles.
The company values long-standing experience and sound staff development very highly, so it has a strong focus on its employees while celebrating its 240th anniversary.
See the highlights from the company’s history and information about current technological developments on the LEMKEN homepage.
The result is a fascinating web special on the company’s 240-year history, and customers are invited to contribute their own experiences and stories.
Contact the local Lemken division for model availability or your nearest dealer on mobile 0410 445 952, or see the website at: www.lemken.com
