PW-ACTUA Grimme 150 years: the fifth generation is waiting vesters and machinery for haying. Philip and Christoph hope to follow up their successful ancestor Franz Carl Heinrich Grimme who, five generations ago, founded a blacksmith’s shop in the German town of Damme in 1861. This blacksmith’s shop has become one of the largest companies in the world of potato mechanisation over the past 150 years. Today, Grimme reaches a turnover of around 240 million euros, 85 percent of which comes from abroad. ● Christoph (r) and Philip are the fifth generation Grimmes who will lead the company. Mid May, the German machinery manufacturer Grimme celebrated its 150th anniversary. Besides many festivities and extended factory visits, the focus was on the current director Franz Grimme (65), his wife Christine and the upcoming fifth generation, Christoph and Philip. In a packed Technitron, Grimme’s mega showroomcum-study centre in Damme, there was no end to the festivities. Surrounded by his wife and two sons, Grimme was decorated for his social commitment to the environment in and around Damme by Governor David McAllistar of Nedersacksen. The machinery manufacturer’s staff know him and his wife as committed and interested in each one of them, good at remembering names. Meanwhile, the director is 65 years old, which is an age when many people retire. Although he has no intention of doing just that, he focused attention during the festivities on his successors Christoph (23) and Philip (21). The new Grimme generation is currently preparing themselves to lead the multinational with new élan. Son Philip says the following about it: “It is the idea to completely take over from father Franz in about 5 to 7 years’ time.” He is currently still busy developing his sales and marketing talents and for that purpose he is following an exchange study program in London. His brother Christoph is still studying agricultural mechanisation at the Fachhochschule. At this moment, he is doing a 6 months traineeship at fellow multinational Claas, manufacturer of machinery that include tractors, combine haryour future varieties m d it t e e d l e E o a s t, f f a r 2 Stet Holland ❘ P P ❘ 8 ❘ P ❘ Emmeloord ❘ i Potato World 2011 • number 3 9 i n g S t t e t h e i H o r v i s it ll a n t o d ’ s t h C e o m M i mers 011 d u r Pagina 8
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