French machinery firm Gregoire Besson announced today that it has bought German cultivation and drill maker Rabe Agri. Rabe Agri is based in Bad Essen (Germany) and has 180 employees and a turnover of €30m.

Gregoire Besson, meanwhile, is based in Montfaucon-Montigne (France) and has six production plants in France and Italy. It employs 380 people worldwide and had a turnover of €60m in 2010. Its distribution network is divided into five subsidiaries in Canada, Poland, Russia, China and England.

Gregoire Besson majors in the production of cultivation equipment and recently moved its UK HQ to Bourne in Lincolnshire.