Double jubilee birthday celebration at AMAZONE

Father and son really were born on 7th May, one in 1934, the other in 1964, and together they have now reached the joint age of 150: Klaus Dreyer, former Managing Director of Amazonen-Werke is part of the third generation of the family, and his son Christian Dreyer, current Chairman of the Board and owner is in the fourth generation. 

Together with his cousin, Dr. Heinz Dreyer, Klaus Dreyer had been responsible for the fortunes of the company as Managing Director of Amazonen-Werke since 1958. In 1999, he transferred the management of the business to his son Christian Dreyer, who now runs the company together with his great cousin, Dr. Justus Dreyer. 

In particular, the motto of Amazone founder, Heinrich Dreyer "We must go out into the world" has shaped the work of both Klaus and Christian Dreyer. As Managing Director, Klaus Dreyer significantly expanded both the home and international Amazone sales networks. During his tenure, Amazone gained access to a large number of new markets, particularly in Europe. At the same time, Klaus Dreyer was closely involved in the expansion and continuous modernisation of the production facilities.

Together with his wife Marie Luise Dreyer, Klaus Dreyer continues to be in good health. He is still a member of the Amazone Management and is actively involved in a large number of special projects in the company. Amongst other things, he is responsible for the company magazine Amazone report. Over the past decades, he has also compiled a large archive of comprehensive documents on agricultural machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturers. He has also published numerous books about historic agricultural machinery and runs the website www.landtechnik-historisch.de, which includes a great deal of information about notable agricultural machinery companies of the past. In addition to a large collection of historic agricultural machinery, Klaus Dreyer opened a museum in the former residence and farm buildings at the Amazone trials centre in Wambergen in 2022. 

"He is a great role model for me in many respects and has taught me many valuable things", says Christian Dreyer, describing the relationship with his father. After obtaining his Abitur (high-school diploma), Christian Dreyer first of all completed a degree in industrial engineering and subsequently worked for other tool-making and mechanical engineering companies. 
He joined Amazone in 1994 and initially worked in the management of the Amazone business in France. He took over as head of sales of the Amazone Group in 1996 before becoming Managing Director with primary responsibility for sales and finance in 1999. Christian Dreyer has also been closely involved in the expansion of the international sales network from the beginning. A large number of additional regional sales companies were founded and new importers gained under his leadership. Today there are 11 international sales locations, and Amazone works with importers in more than 70 other countries. Thanks to the high level of internationalisation, the export ratio now amounts to 80 % with total sales of more than 800 million euro (2023) and more than 2500 employees. 

In addition to managing Amazone, Christian Dreyer holds many honorary positions. Amongst others, he was chairman of the VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association and today is a member of the board and the executive committee. In his free time, he enjoys family life with his wife Bettina Dreyer and their two grown-up children. The family is also closely associated with the Amazone company and actively involved in various areas.