The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is pleased to announce the election of Dietz Lankhorst, president and CEO of Krone NA Inc. and Keith Johnson, P.E., president of Kondex Corporation to its Ag Sector Board. “We welcome Dietz and Keith to our Ag Sector Board and thank them for their volunteer leadership as we work to support our industry and provide solutions to our members,” said Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president of agriculture services and forestry. “Their expertise will be a tremendous asset to the board and provide greater value to our members.”
Dietz Lankhorst – president and CEO – Krone NA Inc.
Dietz Lankhorst currently serves as president and CEO of Krone North America (Krone NA), headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Krone NA has been providing customers with premium-quality hay and forage equipment since 1973. The parent company, Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH & Co. KG (MBK), is a century-old, family owned-and-operated business located in Spelle, Germany.
Lankhorst has over 15 years of experience in the outdoor power equipment industry, both in the U.S. and Europe, and has worked in engineering, product management and operations overseeing central purchasing, and the relocation and start up of manufacturing facilities. He began his business career as a financial analyst with Ford AG in Cologne, Germany in 2002.
His full bio can be found here.
Keith Johnson, P.E. – president – Kondex Corporation
Keith Johnson is president of Kondex Corporation and has held leadership roles since joining the company in 2008. Prior roles include executive vice president, vice president of sales and engineering, vice president of business development and product engineering, and product engineering manager.
Johnson has more than 35 years of industry experience and has spent the last 12 years focused primarily on agricultural and construction applications. He holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). He has also achieved several accreditations and certifications, including a Wisconsin professional engineering license, lean leadership certification, project management certification and Six Sigma Green Belt. With a drive for product innovation, Johnson has been instrumental in achieving 18 U.S. patents and multiple international patents, with several patents pending.
His full bio can be found here. 
AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the U.S. supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.
—From an Association of Equipment Manufacturers news release
