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TAFE – ‘Be a #FarmDost’ organizes ‘Day at a Farm’ for the residents of Bengaluru

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE), has been deeply committed to the well-being, prosperity, and success of farmers world over. It has undertaken several initiatives to ensure that the farmers and the profession of farming is respected and given its due credit. With an aim to help the urban and semi-urban population understand the importance of a farmer in their lives, TAFE launched the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative in April 2015 to encourage people to empathize with farmers and step into their shoes, even if for just a few moments.

Within a short span, the #FarmDost community grew to become 1 million strong on Facebook and is steadily growing. For the past two years, the initiative has focused on encouraging the urban and semi-urban population to become farmers in a small way and activities were conducted throughout the country to introduce people to the profession of farming. Seed kits were distributed which the #FarmDosts could take home, plant and grow on a small patch of land which gave them a glimpse of the hard work farmers do in order to nourish and sustain the world.

Taking the initiative forward and to celebrate National Farmers’ Day, #TAFE – Be a #FarmDost organised ‘Day at the Farm’ on 17 December, 2017. Held in the outskirts of Bengaluru, the celebration was a unique opportunity for the residents of Bengaluru to interact with the farming community and get insights into their life by participating in farm activities and live the life of a farmer for a day.

The participants were selected on a first come, first served basis from in and around Bengaluru city and the day-long event which was completely free for the participants, aimed at giving them a taste of farming and the rural life. Farmers from the local community were also part of the event playing the lead role by sharing their insights about farming and inspiring the participants.

More than 100 participants of all ages were present, and were divided into different teams and engaged in activities like, planting of saplings, tractor ride, organic fertilizer making, farm tour, farm tending and ‘Build-a-farm’ challenge. Participants were taken to a farm and shown how to plant a sapling. Participants then got the opportunity to plant pomegranate, teak or sandalwood saplings in the farm. Participants then proceeded to the vegetable farm where some harvested radish plants, some harvested red chillies and some tended to the farm by de-weeding.

After the farm activities, participants were in for a tractor ride. Participants boarded a trailer hitched to the back of two tractors and were taken through the farm to the organic fertilizer making area. At the organic fertilizer making area, all participants were given a run through of how the fertilizer is mixed and made. They were also invited to join in making the organic fertilizer. From the organic fertilizer making area, the participants indulged in a farm walk on their way back to the main event area.

While the participants were engaging in all these activities, the farmers in attendance were engaged in a session with Dr. T N Shivananda on better farming practices to increase yield and productivity. Post lunch, Dr. Shivananda briefed all the participants on the ‘Build-a-Farm’ activity, where the farmers and participants were clubbed into different groups.

The ‘Build-a-farm’ contest required the teams to build their own miniature farm with the guidance of the farmers, keeping in mind the practicalities associated with setting up a real farm. It exposed the participants to farming challenges, the vagaries of nature and the intense planning and hard work involved. The teams were totally engrossed in strategic discussions with the farmers about the choice of crops to plant, combination of millets, grains, vegetable and fruits and inter-cropping suggestions. They planned their water sources, came up with solar panels to generate electricity and worked together to build mini mock farms that were based on realistic farm scenarios. The groups discussed amongst themselves and planned every detail of their farm from scratch; from irrigation to the boundary of the farm. They had to calculate the input cost and arrive at the annual earnings. The winning teams were then awarded, and the farmers were felicitated for joining the TAFE – Be a #FarmDost ‘Day on the farm’ event.

The event saw an eclectic mix of people – students, professionals working in IT, textile, banking, HR, construction and manufacturing. Children as young as 4 years gleefully participated in all the activities with ease. We had 4 spritely senior citizens who put the younger generation to shame by leaping off the tractor while alighting, planting saplings and harvesting vegetables like professional farmers.

All the activities of the day were planned such that the participants got a deeper understanding of the farmers’ life and hence, renewed respect for them and the profession of farming. Post the activities an interaction was held between the participants and farmers, where the guests spoke of their perception of farmers and farming – before they attended the event and after spending the day on the farm. The day ended with a performance by the Vasu Dixit Collective, who performed songs in Kannada with a rural appeal that had both the farmers and urban residents singing along.

One of the participants, Aishwarya – a student, along with her family decided to celebrate her birthday by participating in the #FarmDost event. She cheerfully remarked that it was the best birthday she ever celebrated and she’d remember this for a life time. Pawan, a young IT professional said that the #FarmDost event was beyond his expectations and said it made him realize how much the farmer is to our society and nation.

People who had come to spend a day on the farm from Bengaluru returned as #FarmDosts for life with a new found respect for the farmer and the profession of farming. They truly realised that the farmer is deserving of all our gratitude and admiration.

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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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TAFE Doddaballapur has a bumper vegetable harvest!

For over 50 decades, TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited has been #CultivatingTheWorld, helping farming communities around the world prosper. It has been TAFE’s constant endeavor to provide innovative and relevant farm mechanization solutions to ensure sustainable farming becomes a common practice. A values driven organization, TAFE has always prided itself in being a responsible corporate citizen and being environment friendly and green conscious.

Taking a leaf off their customers’ daily life, the employees at TAFE’s Doddaballapur plant to encourage sustainable farming, inaugurated a kitchen garden on June 4, 2016, on the eve of World Environment Day. The employees participated with great fervour and began by planting saplings of Brinjal and Tomato. The small patch of land has since seen a harvest of about 1,329 kg of Brinjal, 206 kg of Tomato, 128 kg of Raddish, among others.

Kudos to TAFE’s Doddaballapur plant for making excellent use of a small patch of land by cultivating organic vegetables and reaping gold from green. This will serve as an inspiration to others to cultivate in their own small way and empathize with the farmers whose efforts sustain and nourish us.

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Taking the tractor to the masses

TAFE has always prided itself in being a learning organization. It has always been at the forefront of fostering learning; be it the ‘Product Training Centre’ – first of its kind in the tractor industry, instituted by Mr. A Sivasailam in 1963, to train all dealer and company employees who deal with TAFE customers, or the TAFE e-University that has revolutionized learning at the work place for all TAFE employees.

Apart from the learning that is imparted within the organization, TAFE regularly works with organizations like SAE India and CII reaching out to the next generation of students. Recently, in a lecture – ‘Trend of Transmission for Tractors’, conducted by SAE Southern Section – Chennai Division, Mr. T R Karthikeyan, Deputy Chief Engineer – R&D addressed a gathering of college students from engineering colleges in and around Chennai at AIEMA, Chennai.

Mr. T R Karthikeyan during his talk spoke about different transmissions like, Manual/Straight Shift, Synchronized Shift, Semi-Automatic, Continuously Variable and Hydrostatic, found in various tractor brands in India. He explained in detail how each system worked with the aid of videos. It was a deeply insightful interaction that helped the participants understand the in-depth workings of a tractor transmission.

In another SAEISS event, Mr. S Sriraman, Senior Vice President – R&D, TAFE and Chairman of SAEISS spoke to the participants of the Fifth Lecture Meeting jointly-organized by SAEISS Erode Division and Collegiate Club on ‘Tractors for Modern Farming’. Held at Vellalar College of Engineering and Technology, Erode, Mr. Sriraman enlightened the delegates with a broad outlook on the trends in the Indian agriculture sector and its various developments. He spoke of TAFE’s active role in improving farming practices.

We congratulate the R&D team and wish them the very best for their future endeavors.

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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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TAFE Night Service camp in MP
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TAFE organises a ‘Night Service Camp’ in Madhya Pradesh

When a customer purchases a TAFE tractor they become proud owners of some of the best technology in farm solutions, with a reliable and prompt after-sales service supporting them. This was displayed by the TAFE team in Madhya Pradesh with a unique and thoughtful initiative.

Farmers in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh were facing extreme weather conditions with summers getting worse every year, and could not bring their tractors for service during the day. The TAFE team identified the issue and to make their services convenient to the farmers, decided to start a ‘Night Service Camp’ between 8 PM to 1 AM. This made service accessible to the farmers and gave them the opportunity to get their tractors serviced. This was a huge relief to the farmers who were at a lose due to the weather conditions.

This innovative solution by the TAFE team in Madhya Pradesh ensured that our customers are satisfied and can continue ‘Cultivating the World‘.

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S. Ravikant - Principal Member, presented a paper titled "Prospects of IoT on Tractors – Farming solutions"
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TAFE’s R&D is ‘Future Ready with IIoT’

The Fluid Power Society of India (FPSI), established in 1973 is a body that promotes fluid power knowledge and technology. TAFE participated in a recently conducted seminar by FPSI on the topic “Future Ready with IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) – applications in Fluid Power”. Part of TAFE’s R&D Hydraulics team, Mr. S. Ravikant – Principal Member, presented a paper titled “Prospects of IoT on Tractors – Farming solutions” at this seminar. He spoke about the importance of IIoT with regards to tractors and how it is revolutionizing the tractor and its capabilities.

He was accompanied by Mr. R. Elango – Senior Member and Mr. V. Vijayakumar – Member from Hydraulics Team. The seminar was well attended by engineers from component manufacturers and end users interacting with fluid power. The seminar also featured focused sessions on “Fundamentals of IIoT”, “IIoT application for Fluid Power Components” and “IIoT application by Fluid Power End Users”.

Congratulations to the Hydraulics team for its continuous efforts in learning and development in their journey of ‘Cultivating the World’.

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