With a total of 22 million euros, the company based in Kehl am Rhein and Achern, Germany, was yet again able to record the highest turnover in its corporate history. This represents an increase of around 5 % compared to the previous year. Alongside a multitude of international projects and the stable domestic market, one of the main driving forces behind this growth was KRONEN’s cooperation with the world’s leading manufacturer of cutting technology, the U.S.-based company Urschel, which was announced in May 2025. In 2025, like every year, KRONEN also honored its long-standing employees and continued to focus on providing vocational training in-house in a system that has now been in place for more than 25 years.

According to Stephan Zillgith, Managing Director of KRONEN GmbH, “Our international approach, technological competence, and close cooperation with our partners and customers provide us with stability and prospects, even in a challenging global environment. Our cooperation with Urschel offers us additional market potential in North America and Asia and strengthens our position as a solution provider for comprehensive processing lines.”

International impetus thanks to a partnership with Urschel

One of the company’s key milestones in 2025 was its strategic partnership with Urschel. This cooperation aims to combine the company’s respective expertise in the fields of cutting technology and complete processing lines and to provide customers worldwide with an even more comprehensive spectrum of products and solutions.

Just one year after the cooperation was announced, positive effects soon became visible, with increased volumes of incoming orders from the U.S. and Mexico, as well as initial impetus from Asia, underlining the partnership’s international growth potential. The companies’ joint trade show appearances and market cultivation in strategically important regions are also helping to further expand their market presence.

With its sales and service network in more than 80 countries and its deliveries to over 120 nations worldwide, KRONEN has secured a strong foundation for sustainable international growth.

Investments in production, digitalization, and innovation

In 2025, KRONEN also continued the consistent further development of its locations in Kehl-Goldscheuer and Achern, Germany. The ongoing optimization of production processes, investments in modern production technology, and the further development of digital structures strengthen the company’s efficiency, quality, and supply availability.

Last year, KRONEN therefore focused on expanding its production areas of sheet metal construction, welding, and special assembly. This included moving part of its warehouse to an external location to make more space for the assembly of large lines and systems. As a result, the company is now able to perform tests and approvals of large lines more easily and more efficiently.

Alongside these developments, KRONEN is also continuously driving the development of new machines and processing solutions. In 2025, this included the launch of its new CAP 350 cabbage cutting machine and the HEWA 4000, an innovative washing solution. 

Furthermore, the company consistently invests in research cooperations, for example with the  Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP). In 2025, the institute commissioned a state-of-the-art climate chamber equipped with KRONEN’s HEWA 2600 B washing machine. This system stimulates realistic production conditions and enables targeted research to optimize washing procedures in food processing. 

Successful projects worldwide – from Europa to overseas

A multitude of national and international customer projects again highlighted the wide range of applications covered by KRONEN technology in 2025.

In Great Britain, for example, a new processing line for iceberg lettuce was installed at Kanes Foods. The solution facilitates continuous gentle processing with high process stability and contributes to an increase in efficiency in industrial salad production.

In the field of fruit processing, KRONEN’s successfully completed projects in 2025 included efficient apple processing solutions, for example for the Kartause Ittingen, and a system for the industrial processing of pineapple at Tropicaux in Guinea. Each solution is tailored to meet the specific product demands and combines gentle processing with economic efficiency.

Last year, KRONEN additionally supplied high-performance line concepts for large-volume fresh-cut production activities, for example to Agrifresh in Lebanon, which processes up to 25,000 kilograms of freshly cut vegetables with high-quality results on a daily basis.

Innovative automation solutions, such as the award-winning Robot Avocado Line at last year’s Gulfood Manufacturing show, underline the company’s technological expertise. Another highlight of the previous business year was the KRONEN Customer Day 2025, an in-house platform featuring an abundance of industry knowledge and professional expertise, live machine demonstrations, and networking opportunities that was attended by around 180 trade visitors from all over the globe.

Honoring long-standing employees and offering training opportunities

As a family-managed company, KRONEN strongly values team spirit and social responsibility. Its long-standing employees play a central role in its corporate success. In 2025, KRONEN celebrated the following employee anniversaries:

• 10 years at the company: Michael Hug, Raphael Langenecker, Benjamin Münch, Kai Rohrer, Giuliano Tomic, and Eric Walter

• 15 years at the company: Dieter Jatz and Matthias Sahr

• 20 years at the company: Christian Sälinger and Claudia Zibold 

• 25 years at the company: Olaf Baas, Sennur Hepting, Marco Horn, Johannes Günther, and Frank Wickersheim

• 30 years at the company: Bernd Baas

• 35 years at the company: Gunter Herbert

”The long-standing commitment of many colleagues shows just how strongly our corporate culture is shaped by continuity and mutual appreciation,” declared Stephan Zillgith.

KRONEN has also been training young talents in both technical and commercial professions for more than two decades. For the start of the training period in 2027, the company will yet again offer a variety of training positions and in doing so, make a targeted investment in the next generation of qualified specialists.


About KRONEN GmbH

KRONEN is a family-managed globally operating producer and supplier of stand-alone machines, special-purpose machines, and high-tech processing facilities for the fresh-cut industry. The product portfolio of KRONEN and its partners covers fruit, vegetable, and salad leaf processing: from preparing, cutting, washing, drying, dewatering, peeling, and sterilizing right through to packaging. KRONEN additionally offers machines for the processing of meat and fish, special vegan products, baked goods, and pet food.
The company, which is based in Kehl am Rhein, Germany, and has a second production site in the nearby city of Achern, currently employs more than 130 members of staff, has representatives in over 80 countries worldwide, and supplies its products to more than 120 nations all over the globe.
With more than 45 years of experience in food technology, KRONEN prides itself on its quality awareness and constantly strives to achieve the best possible solutions in its day-to-day work. The machine manufacturer focuses on taking a sustainable, holistic approach toward the hygienic, reliable, and resource-friendly production of fresh foods. KRONEN considers itself to be a think tank that provides innovative solutions to benefit its customers and meet all their needs. It guarantees top-quality advice and planning expertise in close cooperation with the industry and research establishments.

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Do you require more or other material? We are happy to help! Feel free to contact us here: presse@kronen.eu, T +49 (0)7854 9646-160 / -161