Krone announced the passing of long-time owner of the KRONE Group, Dr.-Ing. E.h. Bernard Krone, after a short serious illness in Spelle, Emsland, on October 14, 2022 at the age of 82.
His passing is not only mourned by his family and relatives as well as more than 7,000 employees, but also the international agricultural engineering and European commercial vehicle industry, which the passionate family entrepreneur Dr Bernard Krone decisively shaped through his many years of work. Being in close contact with customers – the personal interaction with the people in the industries – has always been particularly close to his heart.
Dr Bernard Krone was regarded as a visionary man of action. His life motto was inspired by the philosopher Dante Alighieri: “One waits for the times to change, the other seizes them and acts”, and he acted – naturally. He continuously developed the company and made ground-breaking decisions to diversify the business: In addition to entering the commercial vehicle sector, he established, among other things, self-propelled technology in agricultural engineering and specialized the Krone company in forage harvesting technology. He thus shaped the corporate group over many decades, developed products and set the course before officially retiring from the operational business in 2010 and handing over the helm to his son Bernard Krone. With the early arrangement of the company succession for the benefit of the Krone Group, he once again demonstrated entrepreneurial foresight. His most important advice to his successor: “Always remain the blacksmith from Emsland like your great-grandfather, your grandfather and your father.”
Even though the death of Dr Bernard Krone leaves a deep cut in the soul of the company, the lived values of the far-sighted yet down-to-earth Emsland native form the basis for the sustainable success of the company to this day. Honesty, reliability, straightforwardness – these are terms by which many companions describe him full of esteem. It was always important for him to be a role model and to actively live this role. The family, the entire company management and all employees will continue his life’s work with commitment for generations to come.
Please visit remembering.krone-group.com for more information.
[Podcast] Conversations with Ag Equipment’s Entrepreneurs: Krone CEO Bernard Krone IV
In 2018 just before the kickoff of the 2018 Krone Annual Meeting, Farm Equipment Editor/Publisher Mike Lessiter sat down with Bernard Krone IV. In this casual interview, he talks about the company’s 112-year history, its exit from a segment representing 33% of the company’s revenues that allowed them to pursue their Big M and BigX pace-setting innovations, and a closer look into this $2.5 billion company with 6,000 employees worldwide. He also covers the firm’s history as a dealer and, the separate company (LVD) that his older sister, Dorothee runs, which is the biggest John Deere dealer groups in Germany.
