Fella-Werke
Corporate brand
UnclaimedFella-Werke is a German agricultural-machinery manufacturer known especially for professional forage-harvesting equipment.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Fella-Werke is a German agricultural-equipment manufacturer based in Feucht, Bavaria, near Nuremberg. Founded in 1918 as Bayerische Eggenfabrik AG, the company initially produced harrows for the agricultural market. Over the course of its history, it expanded through product development and acquisitions into a broader machinery business covering loading equipment, ploughs, harvesting machinery, combines, silos and, increasingly, forage-harvesting implements. The company’s early development was shaped by the industrial environment surrounding Isaria-Zählerwerke and Bayerische Harzprodukte-Fabrik. Josef Hackl and Albert Löffler identified an opportunity to establish a metalworking business after the First World War, anticipating increased demand for agricultural equipment. Löffler became managing director at the beginning of 1918, and the company was formally established in Feucht on 9 February of that year. Its original factory site was acquired from the furniture company Karl Beer. Fella broadened its portfolio in the 1920s, acquiring a loader-wagon business in 1923 and adding plough production in 1924. A major step came in 1931 with the takeover of Epple & Buxmann in Augsburg. That transaction gave Fella a stronger position in harvesting machinery and initiated production of mowers, tedders and rakes. These categories later became the central focus of the business. The company also pursued larger and more technically ambitious equipment. In 1954 it introduced the Jupiter, a self-propelled combine harvester designed to process multiple grain types. Silos were added in 1966. During the 1980s and 1990s, Fella increasingly concentrated its engineering and commercial efforts on forage harvesting, while retaining a broader historical product portfolio. Factory reorganization in the late 1990s divided production into product-oriented areas for drum mowers, disc mowers, tedders and rakes. The redesigned manufacturing concept was associated with improvements in flexibility, quality and productivity and received an International Best Factory Award in 1998. Ownership changed several times in the modern period. A management buyout took place in 1988, after which Peter Timmermann became managing director. In 1999, Timmermann sold the business to the Dutch investment group Netagco, which invested in the Feucht site, including factory modernization, a new assembly hall and a newer office building. In 2004, Fella was acquired by ARGO, with the ARGO subsidiary Laverda serving as its parent company. AGCO acquired a 50 percent interest in Laverda in 2007 and announced its intention to purchase the remaining shares in 2010. The transaction was completed in March 2011, bringing Fella-Werke into the AGCO group. Under AGCO ownership, the Feucht operation has been associated primarily with forage equipment. Its range includes drum mowers, disc mowers, mower-conditioners, tedders and rakes, together with options such as tine or roller conditioners and conveyor systems for swath formation. The machines are marketed under the Fella name and are visually associated with a red-and-yellow color scheme and the slogan “Harvesting Energy.” The product range includes equipment for both alpine and professional-scale farming, with large working widths intended for high-capacity operations. The brand’s principal market position is therefore specialist agricultural machinery for cutting, conditioning, turning and gathering forage rather than general consumer equipment.
History
Fella-Werke originated in the industrial and agricultural context of southern Germany at the end of the First World War. In 1917, Josef Hackl and Albert Löffler developed the idea of establishing a company to manufacture harrows. They expected postwar demand for metalworking and farm equipment to create an opening for a specialized producer. Their plans were supported by contacts connected with Isaria-Zählerwerke and Bayerische Harzprodukte-Fabrik, organizations involved in the industrial and property arrangements that enabled the project. Löffler left Isaria-Zählerwerke at the end of 1917 and became managing director of Bayerische Eggenfabrik AG in Feucht on 1 January 1918. The formal foundation followed on 9 February 1918, alongside the acquisition of a site previously associated with the furniture company Karl Beer. The young company began with harrows, reflected in its original name, but soon started building a broader agricultural-machinery business. In 1923, Fella acquired a company involved in loader wagons. Plough production followed in 1924. The most consequential early expansion came in 1931, when Fella took over Epple & Buxmann in Augsburg. This brought expertise and production capability in harvesting technology and established the company in mowers, tedders and rakes. Those categories would ultimately become the core of the Fella identity. Fella continued to develop larger and more complex machinery. In 1954 it launched the Jupiter self-propelled combine harvester, a machine designed to handle more than one grain type. In 1966, the company added silos. During the 1980s and 1990s, management increasingly emphasized forage harvesting. The business retained a diverse historical range, but its engineering direction became more closely associated with mowing, tedding and raking systems. The company’s ownership and management structure changed repeatedly in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. A management buyout in 1988 placed Peter Timmermann in the managing-director role. In 1999, Timmermann sold the company to Netagco, a Dutch investment group. Netagco invested in the Feucht operation, modernizing older buildings and adding a new assembly hall and office facilities. Factory organization was also revised in the 1990s. In 1997, Fella introduced a structure based on self-governing production areas, with separate responsibility for drum mowers, disc mowers, tedders and rakes. This product-oriented arrangement was intended to improve productivity, flexibility and quality, and the factory received an International Best Factory Award in 1998. ARGO acquired Fella in 2004 and made Laverda its parent within the group. AGCO purchased half of Laverda in 2007 and announced plans to acquire the remaining interest in 2010. Completion in March 2011 brought Laverda and Fella into AGCO’s ownership. The Feucht operation subsequently remained associated with the Fella brand and with forage-harvesting machinery. The modern Fella range is centered on drum mowers, disc mowers, mower-conditioners, tedders and rakes. Equipment is offered in configurations ranging from compact machines for alpine tractors to very wide professional systems. Examples cited in reference material include the TH 1800 Hydro tedder, with a working width of 17.50 metres, and the TS 40000 rake. Fella has also promoted large mounted disc mowers and technical features such as conveyor-based swath formation and the “jet effect” in raking. Its visual identity uses red machines with bright yellow safety tarps and a red square logo containing a white circle and the Fella name. The brand slogan is “Harvesting Energy.”
- 2011
Fella enters AGCO ownership
[1]AGCO completed its acquisition of Laverda and thereby acquired Fella-Werke.
- 2004
ARGO acquisition
[1]ARGO acquired Fella and placed it under Laverda.
- 1999
Netagco acquisition
[1]Netagco acquired Fella and invested in facilities and production infrastructure.
- 1998
International Best Factory Award
[1]The factory received recognition for its manufacturing organization and operational improvements.
- 1997
Product-oriented factory organization introduced
[1]The Feucht plant was reorganized around separate production areas for major forage-equipment categories.
- 1988
Management buyout
[1]Fella underwent a management buyout led operationally by Peter Timmermann.
- 1966
Silos added
[1]The company entered silo production.
- 1954
Jupiter combine introduced
[1]Fella launched the Jupiter self-propelled combine harvester.
- 1931
Epple & Buxmann acquired
[1]The Augsburg acquisition expanded Fella’s harvesting-technology capabilities and product range.
- 1924
Plough production begins
[1]The product portfolio was extended to include ploughs.
Products and positioning
Professional agricultural machinery focused on high-capacity forage harvesting, with an emphasis on broad working widths, durable field operation and specialized mower, tedder and rake technology.
Forage-harvesting machinery
Drum mowers
Fella drum mowers are compact cutting machines designed for forage harvesting. The cited range includes single-mower working widths from approximately 1.65 to 3.06 metres, allowing the category to serve smaller and specialized farm operations as well as users seeking a straightforward mowing system.
Forage-harvesting machinery
Disc mowers and mower-conditioners
Fella disc mowers cover working widths from approximately 1.66 to 9.30 metres in the cited range. Configurations can include tine or roller conditioners, while selected systems use conveyor belts to create a swath directly after cutting. The category represents one of the brand’s principal professional forage-equipment lines.
Forage-harvesting machinery
Tedders
Fella tedders are used to spread and turn cut forage so that it dries more effectively. The range spans compact alpine attachments and very wide professional machines. The TH 1800 Hydro is cited as a large model with a working width of 17.50 metres, while the TH 400 DS Hydro serves smaller tractor applications.
Forage-harvesting machinery
Rakes
Fella rakes gather dried or partially dried forage into swaths for subsequent collection. The cited portfolio ranges from the 3.40-metre TS 301 DS for alpine use to the 12.50-metre TS 4000. The company has associated the range with patented and engineered features including its “jet effect” concept.
Combine harvester · 1954
Jupiter
Introduced in 1954, the Jupiter was a self-propelled combine harvester and one of Fella’s notable historical product developments. It was designed to operate across multiple grain types and demonstrated the company’s mid-century expansion from simpler implements into powered harvesting machinery.
Agricultural storage equipment · 1966
Silos
Silos were added to Fella’s portfolio in 1966, extending the company’s activities beyond field implements into agricultural storage equipment. They are a historical product category rather than the main focus of the modern Fella range described in the reference material.
Brand decisions
2011
AGCO completes acquisition of FellaM&ABackground
AGCO had acquired a 50 percent interest in Laverda in 2007 and later pursued full ownership.
Action taken
AGCO completed the purchase of the remaining Laverda shares in March 2011, thereby acquiring Fella-Werke.
Aftermath
Fella became part of the AGCO group while continuing to be identified with forage-harvesting equipment manufactured and developed in Germany.
2004
ARGO acquires Fella through LaverdaM&ABackground
Fella changed ownership after the Netagco period.
Action taken
ARGO acquired Fella and designated its subsidiary Laverda as the parent company.
Aftermath
The ownership structure later led to AGCO’s acquisition of Laverda and Fella.
1997
Reorganize the Feucht factory by product categoryStrategyBackground
Fella sought to improve productivity, flexibility and quality as its business became increasingly focused on forage equipment.
Action taken
The factory was organized into self-governing production areas for drum mowers, disc mowers, tedders and rakes.
Aftermath
The manufacturing changes were associated with operational improvements and were followed by an International Best Factory Award in 1998.
Sources2 sources
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