CultivatingTheWorld

A fleet of MF 6028 - premium compact utility tractors that were delivered to over 100 farmers in Nashik Maharashtra
 Watch | PHOTO STORIES

Mega Delivery of over 100 MF 6028 tractors brings cheer to orchard owners

A wave of red Massey Ferguson tractors dotted the green orchards of Nashik at Massey Ferguson’s Mega Tractor Delivery event where over 100 MF 6028 – premium compact multi-utility tractors were delivered to the farmers.

TAFE certified trainers organized field demonstrations to educate farmers about operating this tractor and multiple implements. Farmers were offered an interesting and futuristic technological experience of operating tractors through augmented reality and virtual reality. The event concluded with a ‘First Time’ display of 100 tractors and a lucky draw for the farmers, with one MF 6028 tractor as the grand prize.

The new Super Torque engine provides 540 PTO rpm at lower engine rpm that results in a lesser load on the engine with no engine over-heating, making it the preferred choice for uninterrupted orchard spraying. It ensures round-the-year utility in agriculture, haulage and infrastructure resulting in consistent income generation for tractor owners. Another unique feature is the Massey Min-Loss Powerline, which helps in minimizing transmission losses to deliver higher PTO hp required to generate ‘mist like’ spray for better crop protection.

The compact yet rugged tractor with international smart styling handles efficient operation of implements and attachments like sprayer, rotary tiller, plough, trolley, loader and backhoe. The MF 6028’s superior ergonomics makes it easy to use and offers greater comfort to the operator.

Mr. TR Kesavan – President and COO – TAFE said that, “MF 6028 – India’s first premium compact multi-utility tractor addresses the evolving needs of the horticulture farmers and their demand for a truly versatile and comfortable compact tractor which can improve farm productivity and returns round-the-year”.

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TAFE employees on a journey of constant learning
 News | Initiative

TAFE helps employees speak Hindi, promoting constant learning

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) as an organization has learning imbibed in its DNA, supporting and encouraging its employees to constantly develop and upgrade themselves. With a strong commitment to nurture the lives of its people, TAFE has several initiatives that are a catalyst to its peoples growth.

TAFE regularly engages with its employees through workshops and discussions to understand their needs and requirements. Through L3 workshops and employee engagement sessions conducted across the organization with respective functional heads; requests for Hindi spoken classes emerged, as employees wanted to be able to fluently converse with teams all over India.

The HR team based on this request, partnered with Mrs. Vimala Radhakrishnan to design the language course curriculum. Mrs. Radhakrishnan was also the facilitator for these Hindi classes, which were scheduled over two months, comprising 40 hours of learning and spread across three days a week post office hours from 6 pm to 7 pm.

Mrs. Radhakrishnan is known for her unique approach to teaching Hindi, as she teaches the language using English and the native language – Tamil in this case. Her approach was to focus on pronunciation through sounds – Phonetics (Tamil and English), and consciously avoid grammar first, as it would not be applicable to learning spoken Hindi.

TAFE teams that have already been through the classes include, the IT and Finance teams based out of TAFE Head Office, and a few R&D teams from TAFE Sembiam.

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Cultivating safety measures

Mr. Karunanithi M, the Chief Security Advisor at Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited – TAFE, is a retired police veteran with 39 years of experience. Apart from overseeing the security protocols for the TAFE Group, he plays a key role in raising awareness among employees about important security measures and vigilance  for all walks of life.

He has appeared in several leading regional television debate programs discussing pertinent issues regarding law & order, and society. He also actively engages with the student community delivering a lectures and being part of panel discussions raising awareness about the need for personal vigilance. He has written articles and columns for newspapers and magazines, with one of his latest articles appearing in the Dinamalar magazine from Tamil Nadu.

Actively engaged with the community on various safety issues, Mr. Karunanithi has shown tremendous spirit and zeal to educate people. We are proud of his efforts and hopes he continues to inspire people.

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 Read | CSR

TAFE Doddaballapur Plant Hosts Free Eye Care Camp

TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited has been committed to making meaningful contributions and accelerating the growth of the community it operates in. TAFE’s CSR activities stretch across domains like agriculture, education, healthcare, community development, conservation and tribal welfare, disaster relief, and preservation and propagation of traditional art forms.

Contributing towards the well-being of the community and in an effort to provide its employees and the general public access to quality eye care without any cost, TAFE’s Doddaballapur plant organized a free eye care camp in association with Narayana Netralaya, Bengaluru, on October 11 and 12, 2017. The camp was organized in TAFE’s Doddaballapur facility for its employees and in the Bashettihalli Government School for the general public.

The camp was inaugurated by Mr. Krishnappa, Ex-President Bashettihalli Gram Panchayat and was well appreciated and received by the people. The camp saw participation from 368 people, of whom 180 were recommended to wear spectacles while 12 were referred for cataract surgery and successfully operated at Narayana Netralaya without any fee.

TAFE reaches out to the society in three different ways:

  • Through philanthropic acts
  • By working with local communities through direct intervention and dedicated resources, both in terms of manpower and financial support, or through strategic partnerships with government and non-governmental and professional networks to develop a sustainable model for inclusive growth
  • Through initiatives that are closely aligned to the broader vision of the company which is about being an active partner and enabler of the agricultural development of the country

As a responsible corporate citizen, TAFE is committed to:

  • Enable the farming community to achieve higher productivity and prosperity
  • Contribute to the health and welfare of employees and the community it operates in
  • Conserve the environment through the propagation of sustainable practices
  • Empower the differently-abled by creating meaningful opportunities
  • Preserve and perpetuate the rich Indian heritage of art and culture

As with all TAFE’s CSR initiatives, the TAFE Doddaballapur Plant, like its other facilities, aims to make a consistent and lasting contribution towards the well-being of the community and its people. It has been actively engaged in improving their lives and making meaningful contributions towards their development by cultivating joy and #CultivatingTheWorld.

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 News | Initiative

i3 – TAFE’s unified internal idea management platform

On Tuesday, October 3rd 2017, all desks at the TAFE offices had an interesting object on their desks… a crumpled sheet of bright yellow paper! Most employees wore a puzzled look on their faces and were scratching their heads wondering whether to keep it or trash it. And, of course, almost by default each one of them opened it to find a very interesting message –

“Don’t trash your ideas – Let them land in the right place.”

Excellent organisations recognize that innovation can apply to products, processes, marketing, organizational structures and business models. Over the years, TAFE has strived towards achieving organizational excellence by establishing a culture of continuous improvement and learning. In the last few years, we have been focusing on harnessing creativity and inculcating a culture of innovation across the organisation through a systematic approach to manage innovation driving:

  • Product innovation through Small Innovation Group
  • Cost saving initiatives through Prospero and Vridhi
  • Process excellence through e-CIMP and DiscoverI

Furthering our efforts to harness creativity and innovation, TAFE’s unified platform for idea management – i3 – was launched on September 30, 2017, on the auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dasami, in the presence of TAFE’s Chairman & CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan. The event was attended by several senior management executives and project team members. The event was broadcast through a webinar for outstation participants to attend.

The launch event started with traditional lighting of the lamp followed by a prayer song and the TAFE Anthem. Ms. Shobhana Ravi, Chief Information Technology, Innovation and Learning Officer (CITILO), gave a brief overview of the new platform and its features. Mr. S Jaishankar, Sr. GM (Cost Control) posted the first challenge in the new platform and Mr. Jones Sunder Singh, Sr. AVP (Treasury) posted the first idea in response to the challenge. The launch event was successful and closed with a special keynote by TAFE Chairman & CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, who addressed the gathering on the importance of innovation, cost saving and how this platform can be leveraged.

i3 – An overview
TAFE’s unified idea management platform will provide an opportunity to get inspired, ideate and implement your ideas and get rewarded through a gamified experience. Key highlights of the unified platform are:

  • Ideas and challenges can be posted under the broad categories – Cost Saving, Technology Leadership, Customer Solutions and Process Excellence, each of which will further have sub-categories
  • Idea evaluation is done by a 3 member workflow team
  • Every idea is evaluated based on a set of defined parameters on impact, uniqueness and feasibility
  • Based on evaluation scores, ideas will be classified as Just Do It / Kaizen / Innovative Idea / Breakthrough Idea

The team invites all TAFE employees to login and contribute their ideas, as it could be the next big idea! The real gamechanger.

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Mallika Srinivasan awarded Honorary Doctorate by TNAU

TAFE Chairman & CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan was awarded the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) today at Coimbatore. This was conferred in recognition of her contribution to global agriculture, machinery business and academia. She is the first lady from the Indian Tractor Industry to be conferred this honour at the 38th convocation ceremony of TNAU.

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan was awarded the Honoris Causa by the Chancellor of TNAU and Hon. Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Vidyasagar Rao. The ceremony was graced by the presence of Mr. K. Ramasamy – Vice Chancellor of the University, Mr. R. Doraikkannu – Pro Chancellor of TNAU and the Agriculture Minister of Tamil Nadu, and the chief guest of the ceremony, Dr. C. D. Mayee – President, South Asia Biotechnology Centre along with the Professors and the new graduates of TNAU.

In her acceptance speech, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, said, “I am immensely privileged to have been chosen to receive the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from this prestigious world renowned institute that has been serving the farming community for over a century. I extend my gratitude and thanks to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for bestowing this unique honour on me. This honour will, no doubt, be a great inspiration to me and my team at TAFE, as we continue to serve the farming community both in India and in other developing markets of the world.”

Personifying TAFE’s philosophy of ‘Cultivating the World’, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan has played a key role in the development of agriculture across the nation through initiatives that positively impact the lives of farmers. Taking forward the founder’s vision of empowering the Indian farmer, she has led the development of JFarm, TAFE’s adaptive agricultural research and training centre, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, established in 1964 by her father and TAFE’s first Chairman, Mr. A. Sivasailam. Under her leadership, JFarm has focused on developing an integrated farming model for small and marginal farmers, farm initiatives for soil, water and nutrient management to increase productivity through mechanisation. JFarm also advocates organic farming and its activities in developing a low cost modified hydroponics system have been widely appreciated.

Reacting to the news of her doctorate, Mr. Ravichandran a progressive farmer said, “I’m very pleased with this news. From the farmers point of view we don’t merely consider TAFE as yet another agricultural company. We consider it as the true friend of farmers. TAFE’s JFarm, has motivated many people to take up farming as their career including me. I’m sure under the able stewardship of Ms. Mallika Srinivasan and the dynamic management team and dedicated staff, we the farmers would continue to benefit from the century old group and farming gets transformed to an enviable profession. I truly believe ”TAFE is the pride of Indian Farmers” My very best wishes to the TAFE – CEO. She richly deserves such honor.”

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan has transformed agriculture in the Northern parts of India through the setting up of JFarm Rajasthan at Bhawanimandi, Dt. Jhalawer, which replicates the pioneering efforts of JFarm, TamilNadu, helping farmers of Rajasthan and subsequently those from nearby states.

Leading the way in global agriculture Mallika Srinivasan has also encouraged the extension of JFarm’s activities to other developing economies and TAFE is in the process of setting up such facilities aimed at improving farm productivity and sustainable farming, leveraging relevant mechanisation in association with several countries in Africa. It has established partnerships for skill training and development and piloting small farm sustainability programs in Malawi, Tanzania and Rwanda, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast and is involved in developing multipurpose farmer centers across the African continent.

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, justifies the epithet ‘Tractor Queen of India’ transforming TAFE to become the world’s third largest tractor manufacturer and India’s largest exporter of farm equipment. A thought leader and a strategist, widely recognised for her business acumen, 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.

An excerpt from the citation read, “TAFE’s JFarm, located at Chennai and Rajasthan, established as a CSR initiative, engages in adaptive research and provides farm extension services, covering a variety of crops, as an advisory service to farmers to enhance yields and promotes among farmers, knowledge of cultivation practices and the latest technological advancements. It is this effort of many decades that has won her acclaim.

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University takes great pride in placing on record the exceptional achievements of Padma Shri Mallika Srinivasan and takes privilege in honouring her, in recognition of her contribution to global agriculture, machinery business and academia.”

She is one among the Board of Directors of AGCO Corporation, a global farm equipment major in the United States of America, Tata Steel Limited and Tata Global Beverages Limited. She is the first lady to have assumed the role of President of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A member of the Executive Board of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Ms. Srinivasan has held prestigious board positions at IIT Madras and the Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy.

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GETs embark on their journey at TAFE
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Starting their journey of ‘Cultivating the world’

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) is an international tractor manufacturer with a legacy of over 50 years. It played an instrumental role in ushering farm mechanization in India and is now powering farms in over 100 countries. India’s second largest and the world’s third largest tractor manufacturer (by volumes) – TAFE achieved this by staying true to the values and ethics laid down by its founding fathers and the dedication and hard work of the people at TAFE. Generations of employees have helped build TAFE to its present stature under a very able leadership.

One of TAFE’s core values is ‘People’ – the prosperity of its stakeholders, both internal and external. TAFE is a learning organization which has always striven to enrich and encourage knowledge seekers within its ranks or outside. It has established strong relationships with several well reputed educational institutions to promote the growth of its people and also attract the best talent – some of whom have spent their entire professional careers at TAFE.

At the core of everything TAFE does is its philosophy of ‘Cultivating the world’ and its steadfast commitment to help the farmers worldwide prosper. This can only be achieved when everyone associated with TAFE is instilled in ‘the TAFE way’ and imbibes its values, ethics and the hunger for innovation.

Recently, TAFE on boarded 25 Graduate Engineer Trainees (GET) from some of the best institutions in the country. In many cases TAFE has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some of these institutes. The induction of these GETs includes a comprehensive technical training, SWAGAT (organizational orientation), plant orientation and an out bound programme. They have already completed their 45 days of training at TAFE’s renowned Product Training Centre (PTC) in Chennai. Currently, the GETs are undergoing their second phase of technical training at Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) at Bangalore on Manufacturing Engineering. The GETs have been recruited from renowned institutes like, GCT (Coimbatore), PSG (Coimbatore), IRTT (Erode), SVCE (Chennai), TCE (Madurai), Veltech (Chennai) and more!

TAFE congratulates these GETs on embarking on their journey of ‘Cultivating the world’ with TAFE and wishes them a fruitful career ahead!

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