The family business from Damme in Lower Saxony is one of the world's leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery. The company has achieved a global leadership position in the field of potato technology and, with more than 2.000 employees in over 120 countries, generates sales of around EUR 450 million. The company has also been successfully operating in India for several years. It is supported by Dr. Wamser + Batra management consultancy for India.
German agricultural machinery for the Indian market
As the world market leader for agricultural machinery in the field of potato technology, our aim is to be present everywhere in the world where modern potato cultivation is being developed or exists,” says Franz-Bernd Kruthaup, Managing Director of Sales at GRIMME for the Potato Technology Division. Due to current developments in India, which are largely characterized by the emergence of “contract farming” in potato cultivation, India has increasingly become the focus of interest at GRIMME in recent years. India has been one of the world's largest potato-growing countries for decades, but in the past potatoes were mostly intended for self-sufficiency. That has changed significantly in recent years: “More and more global manufacturers of, for example, frozen French fries are using India’s potato growing capacities in the form of contract farming,” explains Patrick Grote, India project manager at GRIMME, “so it is our common goal the producers of processed goods to support Indian farmers step-by-step in modernizing their structures, some of which are still very dilapidated. Only a potato produced using modern technology is suitable for use as frozen food for the domestic and European or American markets. In addition, we also gear our portfolio towards small Indian farmers who do not grow for the global market, because our technology helps to minimize the sometimes shockingly high yield losses caused by damaged or rotting potatoes. An important contribution to the fight against hunger.”
GRIMME has been operating its own subsidiary in India for two years now and has already sold its first planting and harvesting machines to India. The company also operates its own training locations in Gujarat and Punjab in order to introduce local farmers to the topic of “modern potato cultivation” and is involved in the “Green Innovation Center in the Agricultural and Food Sector” (GIAE) of the Federal Ministry for Cooperation and Development (BMZ). as part of the special initiative “A World Without Hunger”, which aims to improve the income of small farmers, promote employment and provide the population with food.
Company formation, location search, personnel search & taking over all administrative work
During the planning work and the implementation of market access, GRIMME was supported by Dr. Wamser + Batra GmbH supports. The WB tasks included working in the strategic planning team, setting up the company, several personnel searches at different hierarchical levels (from service technicians to Indian managing directors), finding suitable office space/locations and taking on all administrative work over the long term. “Our collaboration with WB is going excellently. We are very satisfied with the services provided and will continue to incorporate WB’s expertise in our further steps in India,” says Jens Walter, Managing Director of GRIMME Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG.
