New Holland has been enjoying a good deal of show success with its latest CR11 combine which picked up a gold medal at Agritechnica as well as other design awards.
The new machine was designed at New Holland’s Centre of Harvesting Excellence in Zedelgem, Belgium, where it will also be produced.
The factory was established in the mid-1940s and was originally known as Werkhuzen Leon Claeys, later changed to Clayson, before New Holland purchased the company in 1964.
Since that date, New Holland has been growing the facility which has become CNH’s de facto European combine centre, while Case IH tends to be the corporation’s American-orientated combine line.
However, the company itself never presents it as such, as it is keen to sell both brands into both markets, where each has its place.
Updated factory for CR11
As is often the case with major developments in models, the changes in the product go hand in hand with changes in the factory.
This was certainly the case with the CR11, as the factory has undergone a complete assembly line renovation.
This government-supported investment in modernisation has seen the introduction of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), which have replaced the traditional assembly line, allowing more flexibility in the manufacturing process, which the company claims, significantly improves efficiency.
In a bid to open up the manufacturing process to the both the public and its customer base, visitors to Zedelgem can now observe the full production process thanks to a new factory tour format, which provides full visibility of production.
Taking the legacy forward
The new CR11 build is the next move on from the current New Holland flagship combine, the
CR10.90, which currently holds the world record for the most wheat harvested in eight hours
which stands at 797.656t, set in 2014.
Looking forward, the 50th anniversary of the introduction of New Holland Twin Rotor technology, which uses two longitudinal rotors to thresh and separate grain from straw and chaff, will occur in 2025.
The company feels that the method has become part of New Holland’s DNA and the new CR11 has this system at its heart to meet the ever increasing demand for greater capacity, minimal grain
loss and maximum protection of grain quality.
