Award of distinction for KRONE head of research and development
Dr.-Ing. Josef Horstmann accepts Max Eyth medal

Spelle/Ibbenbüren, June 2022. The former and longstanding head of design and managing director of the KRONE agricultural machinery division, Herr Josef Horstmann, was awarded the Max Eyth medal in silver for his outstanding achievements in the industry. Hubertus Paetow, President of the German Agricultural Society (DLG), presented him with the special award at a joint conference of DLG and the Association of German Engineers (VDI). In his laureate, Herr Paetow pointed out that Josef Horstmann, a graduate engineer, received the medal for his special and pioneering accomplishments as a developer and extraordinary commitment on behalf of the agricultural machinery industry. For instance, he was instrumental in in establishing the exchange of machine data across manufacturers and products to the benefit of farmers and contractors all over the world and enabling them to meet the challenges of Farming 4.0.

Josef Horstmann, aged 64, joined the agricultural machinery division in Spelle in 1983 after taking his degree in engineering. In 1998 he was appointed head of  R&D only to join the division’s management board in  2002, a position he held until he was bid an official farewell when he retired in 2021. Since then, the pensioner who lives in Ibbenbüren in northern Germany has not ceased to support KRONE in implementing various projects.

His outstanding innovations include the first four-rotor centre-delivery rake of a 12m working width, the world's first round baler wrapper combination and the two KRONE self-propelled machines - the high-performance BiG M mower conditioner and the BiG X forage harvester.

About the Max Eyth medal
The Max Eyth medal was instituted in 1950 by the German Max Eyth Society for Agricultural Engineering. It recognises outstanding individual achievements that present major contributions to the history of agricultural machinery. The Max Eyth medal was adopted by the VDI when the Max Eyth Society for Agricultural Engineering merged with the VDI in 1995.