Claas has invested in a minority stake in the new E-Farm.com used machinery online marketing platform - a start up from Hamburg.

The platform is designed to provide complete transparency throughout the process chain, from customer consultation through to transport and delivery.

In an official statement Class said of the platform, "Customers and retailers benefit from the simple processing, which transcends national borders in particular.

"This commitment allows Class to offer retailers the opportunity to open up new markets and customer groups in the future and to professionalise and accelerate the sales process with technological support. This establishes a new marketing opportunity for the agricultural machinery sector that is independent of brands."

Thomas Böck, CEO of Claas, added, "We made a conscious decision to invest in a minority stake in order to maintain the spirit and dynamism of a young start-up. We would like to continue to invest in innovative ideas from the field of agricultural engineering and build up a start-up portfolio in the future."