“Urschel will soon be a minority stakeholder in KRONEN GmbH through a capital investment. Urschel is proud to announce our collaboration with KRONEN. As a 100% employee-owned company, Urschel’s vision aligns with KRONEN’s. Both companies originated as family-run businesses. For Urschel, this is a strategic opportunity to expand and complement our current offerings. KRONEN’s products include conveying, packaging, and small to medium scale cutting machinery. This business venture will strengthen our market share and greatly benefit Urschel customers, specifically in the U.S., Mexico, and parts of Asia. We hope this new venture with KRONEN will yield significant growth for both companies,” stated Alan Major, chief sales officer.
Urschel Laboratories, Inc. is a global expert in food cutting technology, headquartered in the U.S., centrally located in Chesterton, Indiana one hour outside of Chicago. Urschel has a global network of direct offices and distributors surrounding the globe with centralized hubs in Europe and Asia. KRONEN GmbH is an international manufacturer of food processing technology for salad, vegetable, and fruit processing located in Germany. The goal of both partners is to strengthen their market positions, combine their expertise, increase sales, and achieve sustainable growth. Both companies and brands will remain fully independent, and Urschel manufacturing and production in Chesterton, Indiana, U.S.A. as well as KRONEN sites in Kehl and Achern, Germany will continue to operate as before.
The sales collaboration will begin in the United States and Mexico in July. In Asia, Urschel will take over sales starting in 2026. Urschel and KRONEN are united by a range of strategic goals to combine their strengths and develop together.
“The partnership is a milestone in KRONEN’s company history. Announcing such a collaboration is not an everyday occurrence. It strengthens our position and visibility in the market. With the increase in orders and revenue, and with Urschel’s investment in our two production sites in Kehl and Achern, we can accelerate our development. This allows us not only to remain a future-proof employer, but also to expand our production capacities and further enhance the development of new solutions,” says Stephan Zillgith, managing partner of KRONEN GmbH.
From an operational standpoint, the sales partnership collaboration is clearly defined in countries and regions. Soon, Urschel will have sole distributor rights in the U.S.A, Mexico, and Asia (excluding Vietnam). Leveraging the Urschel global network of sales and support in these regions will be a win-win proposition for both companies.
Urschel exclusively manufactures Urschel cutting systems for high processing capacities as well as all crucial parts and knives for Urschel cutting machinery. KRONEN machines and lines complement Urschel’s product range. This enables Urschel to offer its customers in the U.S.A., Mexico, and Asia complete solutions – from disinfection, preparation, peeling, cutting, mixing, washing, drying, conveying, and weighing to packaging. Additionally, KRONEN small to medium cutting machines, which meet different customer requirements, further expand Urschel’s portfolio and will also be distributed.
