Founded
Created in 1828 by Joseph Kuhn as a modest village forge, KUHN was an early specialist in the production of scales and weighing apparatus. A major change took place in 1864 when, taking full advantage of the opening of the new Paris-Strasbourg railway line and the exceptional period of prosperity in France at that time, Joseph Kuhn moved to Saverne to start a factory for producing agricultural machinery.
In the early 20th century, several dozens of machines were produced every week at the Saverne workshops which also had their own forge.
Becoming German in 1871, then French again in 1918, KUHN was a regional company working essentially for Alsatian agriculture.
After a decade of growth, the Second World War brought development to a sudden halt. In 1945, financially weakened and having lost many of its customers, the company went in search of a partner to be able to continue its activities.
Joseph KUHN
The First 100 Years
1828
Joseph KUHN, a small blacksmith from a neighbouring village of Saverne, begins to manufacture weighing equipment.
1864
Assisted by his brothers, Joseph KUHN diversifies into the production of agricultural machinery. Buildings are constructed on the site where the factory still stands today, alongside the Strasbourg-Paris railway line.
1921
Special workshops are built to accommodate an assembly line for threshing machines. Their quality established Kuhn’s excellent reputation.
1928
KUHN celebrates its 100th anniversary and produces on average 1,000 threshing machines per year. The production of mowers, tedders and tedder-rake combinations steadily increases.
The First 100 Years
In 1946, weakened by the war, KUHN formed an association with the Swiss company BUCHER-GUYER.
Kuhn gradually started growing once more. In 1949 a decisive step was taken: by converting to mechanical traction in that year, KUHN became one of France’s leading agricultural machinery manufacturers.
It was the start of a terrific period of development! With growing mechanisation and modernisation of the countryside, KUHN multiplied its new machines.
Innovation, quality: these were the company’s keywords, leading it to a position as a reference trademark in agricultural machinery. Now the leader in its French markets, KUHN could set out to conquer the world. From the 1970s, its machines were exported all over Europe as well as to Australia and the United States.
The 1980s were marked by the development of the company’s internal capacities. At a time when businesses were constantly growing, KUHN developed an organization to match its ambitions. These ambitions were rewarded, at the end of the 1980s, with the first external growth operation…
1945
The factory re-starts production after interruption during the Second-World War.
1946
KUHN joins an important Swiss company (BUCHER-GUYER), also specialized in the manufacture of agricultural machinery.
1965
A huge fire destroys the machining tools and assembly workshops. The workforce takes on the reconstruction in a wave of solidarity.
1970
Delivery of the 1 000 000th machine to a farmer in the Orne region of France.
1972
Construction of a new Spare Parts Warehouse.
1978
KUHN S.A. celebrates its 150th anniversary..
1980
Inauguration of a new storage and despatch area, covering an area of 13,000 m2 (140 000 sq ft).
1982
Creation of a new Research and Development centre.
1983
All factory data becomes available on-screen, through a centralised computer network in Saverne. KUHN’s international branches are also connected.
1985
Establishment of a network of KUHN Authorized Dealer sales representatives.
1986
Launch of a MINITEL service (information database operated by France Telecom), for French KUHN Authorized Dealer sales representatives.
1987
HUARD, one of Europe’s leading plough manufacturers, becomes part of the KUHN group. The Research & Development departmentis equipped with CAD (Computer-aided design).
1988
Installation of fibre opticcables for the computer network throughout the whole site.
1990
MATELEST DIFFUSION, specialized in park and garden equipment becomes part of the KUHN group (today called PUISSANCE VERTE). KUHN is Gold medal winner at SIMA exhibition for the Rotary Plough.
1991
The factory expands and a brand new fully-automated raw material storage warehouse with storage capacity of approx. 6,000 tons is built.
Marked by the retirement of Walter Reber and the arrival of a new team to assume control of the business, the 1990s witnessed the affirmation of KUHN’s ambitions.
To be a world leader in its markets: this was the objective now set by the Saverne company. An objective which meant moving into new areas, with a very active acquisition policy and, above all, the deployment of a real brand strategy on a global scale.
Refined throughout the 1990s, this strategy developed in the early years of the 21st century: stronger links with the sales network, taking over the American company KNIGHT then launching an ambitious project called “Cap 10” all give evidence of the new directions being taken by a company with customer satisfaction at the core of its activity.
1992
KUHN is Gold medal winner at SIMA for the ALTERNA 500, a 5 m mower conditioner.
1993
AUDUREAU S.A., specialized in the manufacture of mixer feeder wagons, straw distributors and silage cutters, becomes part of the KUHN group. Silver medal winner at SIMA for the VENTA pneumatic seeder.
1994
Increase in stock capacity, through the purchase of 4 ha (10 acres) of land and a 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft) building near Saverne.
1996
KUHN-NODET S.A. becomes part of the KUHN group. Seed drills and sprayers expand KUHN’s product range.
Inauguration of the new electrical paint coating unit (building surface area 6,200 m2/ 67,000 sq ft).
KUHN FARM MACHINERY, the U.K. subsidiary of KUHN S.A., celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The foundry is certified ISO 9002.
The first “Product” and “Spare Parts” CD Roms are made available to our authorized dealer sales force.
1997
KUHN Italia, the Italian subsidiary, celebrates its 10th anniversary.
1998
Creation of a new warehouse in Columbia Tennesee (USA) Opening ceremony of the new German subsidiary in Schopsdorf near Berlin.
Creation of a Polish subsidiary.
1999
Extension of our U.K. branch facilities in Telford. KUHN group websites go on-line. Inauguration of the new KUHN-HUARD factory in Châteaubriant.
2000
KUHN parts with its subsidiary PUISSANCE VERTE, specialist in park and garden equipment. KUHN purchases 12 ha (29,7 acres) of land near Saverne, destined to become our new logistics platform.
2001
Creation of a new spare parts distribution centre; KUHN PARTS in Monswiller.
The KUHN group presents its first ever self-propelled machine at the SIMA exhibition; the mixer feeder wagon (SP 14).
Extension of the assembly hall and installation of a hedge and grass cutter testing site at KUHN-AUDUREAU.
First ever French victory in the World Ploughing Championships, won by a farmer from the Alsace region, with a KUHN MULTIMASTER 120 plough.
KUHN, a global business:
In 2002, a very important step was taken! This is doubtless what everyone in the Kuhn group thought when the board of directors announced the takeover of the American company KNIGHT.
Installed in Brodhead, a small town in Wisconsin, since 1945 and still run by the family which gave it the name of KNIGHT, it was the American leader in mixer-distributors and manure spreaders.
Acquiring this company was a major step for the Kuhn group which, for the first time in its long history, began producing machines outside France…