Garbers provided landmark impulses

"I am very much looking forward to taking up this important office with the full backing of the members. Together with them, I would like to overcome prudently and transparently the challenges we are facing", Dreyer said after the election. Only in this way it will be possible "to continue the integrating course of my predecessor, to which I address at this point, my first and very special thanks". The industry owes a lot to Hermann Garbers, who is also well-known far beyond the boundaries of the industry" as an outstanding engineer and manager", especially since he always provided "landmark impulses for the agribusiness" also at the operational level.

Industry will expand research agenda

"In terms of content, we have to handle a demanding workload and challenges in this period in office", Dreyer said in his inaugural speech. Merely the megatrend "Farming 4.0" will tie up "enormous resources" in the medium to long-term, which is why "we will significantly expand our common industry research agenda".

Management Board with top-class cast

Also the substitutes of Dreyer are newly elected.

Dr. Heribert Reiter, Vice President Engineering Tractors Global of AGCO Corporation, and Anthony van der Ley, Managing Director of Lemken GmbH & Co. KG, together with the Chairman form the Presidium of the VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association.

The newly elected Management Board of the VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association also includes:

• August Altherr, John Deere GmbH & Co. KG
• Stefan Bogner, CNH Industrial Deutschland GmbH
• Thomas Bortz, Kverneland Group Deutschland GmbH
• Josef Fliegl jun., Fliegl Agrartechnik GmbH
• Franz Grimme, Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG
• Michael Horsch, Horsch Maschinen GmbH
• Helmut Korthöber, John Deere GmbH & Co. KG
• Thierry Krier, Kuhn S. A.
• Bernard Krone, Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG
• Jan-Hendrik Mohr, Claas KGaA mbH
• Rainer Morgenstern, Same Deutz-Fahr Deutschland GmbH
• Peter-Josef Paffen, AGCO GmbH
• Heinz Pöttinger, Pöttinger Landtechnik GmbH
• Ulrich Rassenhövel, GEA Farm Technologies GmbH
• Crister Stark, Väderstad AB.

With almost 170 national and international member companies which are representing more than 90 percent of the German industry sales, all important industrial enterprises are organized in the VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association. The VDMA member companies achieved an agricultural engineering turnover of 7.4 billion in 2015; for 2016 a minus of 5 percent is forecast. As international innovation and technology leader, the agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers in Germany employ about 30,000 people.