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The Sunday Standard honors Ms. Mallika Srinivasan at Devi Awards

The third edition of The Sunday Standard Devi Awards was recently held in New Delhi. 12 women achievers from India were felicitated for displaying dynamism and innovation in their line of work. TAFE Chairman & CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, crowned by many as the ‘Tractor Queen’ was one among the 12 women who was recognized. She received the award from Smt. Smriti Z Irani – Union Textile Minister of India.

The ‘Devis’ are selected by a jury on the basis of their contribution to their chosen line of work, as well as society in general. They aren’t your usual suspects. They are the unsung heroes who silently and relentlessly work towards making our world a better place.

The Sunday Standard in a write-up titled “For putting farmers first” pays tribute to Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, her work at TAFE and beyond:

Attired in her trademark salwar-kameez-dupatta and a string of pearls, Mallika Srinivasan sits with ease behind the wheel of a giant tractor, justifying the epithet ‘Tractor Queen of India’.

And why not? Farming in India has long been a male dominated activity. But Srinivasan—a Wharton graduate—has defied all odds to make her company the world’s third-largest tractor manufacturer.

As Chairman and CEO of the Chennai-based tractor major, she has developed relevant technology to suit evolving needs of the farmers, optimised costs, and tapped global markets to establish TAFE as a quality mass manufacturer of tractors and a lean, resilient organisation that can weather the cyclicality of the business.

Under her aegis, the company has become a INR 93 billion company that sees annual sales of over 150,000 tractors and has a presence in over 100 countries. Srinivasan is also a well-known philanthropist with an abiding interest in education and healthcare.

She supports Sankara Nethralaya and the Cancer Hospital in Chennai, as well as a number of educational and healthcare facilities in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. She is also involved in the promotion of of Indian culture, classical music and traditional art forms through the Indira Sivasailam Foundation. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Padma Shri for her contribution to trade and industry in 2014.

TAFE's Suresh Rao from R&D conferred the INAE Young Engineers Award 2016
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TAFE’s Suresh Rao conferred the INAE Young Engineers Award

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited’s (TAFE) Suresh Rao from the Research and Development (R&D) department was conferred the 2016 INAE Young Engineer National Award by the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE). Suresh’s dedicated contribution to the field of Engineering earned him this award. At the award function held at the Space Application Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, he was awarded a Certificate and prize money of INR One Lakh. The gathering included prominent personalities from the field of Engineering.

A part of TAFE – R&D since 2004, Suresh Rao is a B. E. graduate from Sairam Engineering College and holds an M. Tech from IIT Madras. His B.E. project was awarded the ISTE Engineering Design National Award, and his M. Tech project fetched him the IIT Madras best project award. He has also excelled academically scoring the highest CGPA in both years at IIT Madras, winning the Academic Excellence Award.

Congratulations to Suresh Rao for such an admirable achievement. We wish him the very best for the future and hope he scales higher summits and reaches greater heights.

Asif Basha K from TAFE R&D presents a paper at the 2016 Leuven Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering
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TAFE shines at ISMA 2016, Leuven Conference – Belgium

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited’s (TAFE) Shaik Mohammad Asif Basha K from the Centre of Excellence – Research and Development (R&D) department, presented a paper titled “Vibro-Acoustic simulation of powertrain components using a finite element technique and correlation with test data” at the 2016 Leuven Conference on Noise and Vibration Engineering held in Leuven, Belgium. The paper was co-authored by V Ravindran, Principal Member – R&D (NVH)* and Nageshwar Rao P, Chief Technology Officer – R&D.

The conference provides a forum for engineers, researchers and other professionals active in the field of modelling, analysing, testing and improving the noise and vibration characteristics of mechanical systems and civil structures. The conference combines expertise in the noise and vibration fields by stressing common measurement, modelling, analysis, and control technologies.

The objective of this study was to, reduce the radiated noise of diesel engine by 2 dB (A) in the frequency range up to 3 kHz. The engine speed is in range from 800 rev/min to 2200 rev/min and to investigate design modifications that would reduce radiated noise and vibration of the engine, whilst being cost-effective to implement. Simulation and test approach demonstrated reduced radiated engine noise. The NVH *(Noise, vibration, and harshness) performance of the baseline engine was evaluated using CAE simulation tools. Radiated noise from the crankcase, tappet cover, and timing cover were predicted and the critical modes having severe effect on radiated noise levels of the engine have been identified. The modifications feasible from a manufacturing point of view were considered and analyzed. The hybrid approach used has helped in reducing noise level by 2 dB (A) with 3% increase in weight of the engine.

Congratulations to the team and wish them the best for all their future endeavours!

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TAFE at Global Rajasthan AgriTech Meet (GRAM ’16) held in Jaipur

Here’s a glimpse of the TAFE’s stall at Global Rajasthan AgriTech Meet held in Jaipur, India recently.

TAFE has been a partner in the agricultural growth of Rajasthan for more than five decades through its products. Taking it a step further, TAFE‘s unique adaptive agri-research centre – JFarm was launched in Rajasthan as ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ by TAFE Chairman & CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan.

Visits from the Agriculture Minister of Rajasthan – Sri. Prabhu Lal Saini and other dignitaries, the overall enthusiasm and delight of the customers and our superior product offerings including Massey Ferguson tractors, Eicher tractors, TAFE tractors and Farm machinery from AgriStar were the highlights of the event.

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TAFE inaugurates ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ in collaboration with Rajasthan Government

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and CEO of India’s second largest tractor manufacturer, TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, announced the setting up of a Centre of Excellence – ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ with the co-operation and support of the Rajasthan Government at the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) 2016.

JFarm in Rajasthan is an advanced model of TAFE’s successful adaptive agri-research centre in Chennai which focuses on sustainable agriculture, adapting existing technologies in farming for local farming conditions and sharing this knowledge with farmers. Spread over 50 acres of land, JFarm Rajasthan will host an adaptive research farm, farm skills development centre, agricultural extension service and a hi-tech technology demonstration and customer experience centre at Bhawanimandi, Jhalawar.

Speaking at the inauguration, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO, TAFE said, “This center will showcase the latest and best in agronomy and farm practices, latest trends in production, protection and processing of crops, and also the world’s best in terms of showcasing farm mechanization trends and their applicability to India. The center initiates a transformational effort in Rajasthan’s agriculture with participation from the farmers of Rajasthan towards a new tomorrow. TAFE has a special bond with the farmers of Rajasthan as their loyalty has enriched TAFE’s business growth over the last five decades. For us at TAFE, JFarm Rajasthan is a way of giving back to the farmers of Rajasthan who have placed their valuable trust in TAFE and its products. It has been TAFE’s corporate philosophy not to limit ourselves to mere sale of our products but to go beyond and add value to our customers by empowering them to become a vibrant, self-sustaining, and prosperous agri-community”.

She added, “The two initiatives of the Custom Hiring Centres and the Centre of Excellence in the form of JFarm Rajasthan will result in a five year period of an estimated total outlay of Rs. 970 crores in the agri sector of Rajasthan. Through the MoU with the Rajasthan Government, we hope to partner with 900 farmer entrepreneurs, create 4000 jobs, and touch lives of 500,000 farmers positively. ”

JFarm was first established in Chennai, Tamil Nadu in 1964 with an objective of improving the wellbeing of farmers by empowering them with advanced farm technologies to increase farm productivity and meet India’s growing food needs. Over the years, JFarm has worked through several challenging situations from limited water availability, to inputs costs to shortage of labour, and has developed a viable and sustainable model that contributes to improved farm productivity and livelihood opportunities.