“Today on the 28th of November (2020), TAFE completes 60 glorious years of corporate existence and contribution to Indian Agriculture.” – Message from Mallika Srinivasan, on TAFE’s Diamond Jubilee.
“Knowing there’s one thing I still haven’t told you: I now believe, by the way, that miracles can happen.”
― Nicholas Sparks
Amidst the lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the murmurs of sadness and hopelessness were echoing out of the most affected community in India, the farmers. Constituting more than half of the country’s population as a workforce, the farmers had to restrict themselves from going about with their agriculture operations due to the widespread impact of this deadly virus. The transportation system came to a grinding halt. With no way to harvest or sell their products, it was indeed a rude shock for the farmers who were preparing for a bounteous harvest after a long period of time.
Meanwhile, TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited) came up with a scheme called “Free Tractor Rental Services” through their JFarm Services platform in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. It aimed to rescue the farming community from the economic implications of COVID-19, and mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus threat on farming operations of small and marginal farmers during the critical Rabi harvest and Kharif preparation season. Relieved farmers started praising the move all around these states, practically boasting their successful cultivation. Within 75 days, 1,60,000 acres of land had been cultivated!
Families were saved, lost smiles were found, self-doubt was smudged and a new and confident community of farmers came out and accepted the long-lost quote by Nicholas sparks. They might have not read it, but they believed for sure, that with companies like TAFE around, miracles can happen, and will keep happening!
The TAFE Group – manufacturer of Eicher and Massey Ferguson tractors, donates ₹ 2 Crores to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support the MP Government’s fight against COVID-19.
Since the lockdown, various manufacturing facilities of the TAFE Group have been involved in distribution of food, medical supplies and personal protection equipment to law enforcement officers, sanitation workers, local poor and migrant workers around its area of operations. The effect of the Coronavirus outbreak during the Rabi season is likely to have an adverse impact on the livelihood of small and marginal farmers, and it is with a view to assist them in overcoming this distress that TAFE has also initiated a unique free tractor rental scheme in select states.
The TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited (TMTL) Team at Bhopal has been supporting the local police and administration by providing hygienically packaged cooked meals everyday, to help them battle the COVID-19 situation. Realising the criticality of the situation, the team started this initiative right on the second day of the lockdown and has been churning out food parcels two times a day since then, which are prepared at the Eicher Tractors plant in Mandideep. Daily, about 500 food packets are delivered in foils and other non-plastic material, grouped together in closed carton boxes. Extreme care is taken while preparing the food and while delivery. Hygiene and safety is given the first priority and proper Social Distancing is practiced at each stage along with the use of appropriate personal protective equipment.
This initiative has been widely appreciated by the local authorities and has also inspired six other companies to adopt the same. A big shout-out to the TMTL – Eicher Tractors Team for their commendable gesture and for proving that we can truly stay together, even while staying apart!
TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, has won 3 awards in the “Frost & Sullivan Global Manufacturing Leadership Award” in the categories of Supply Chain Management, and Enterprise Integration and Technology, for the year 2018. The TAFE team received the awards at the Frost & Sullivan Manufacturing Leadership Awards at Huntington Beach in California, USA, on June 13, 2018.
Frost & Sullivan’s Manufacturing Leadership Awards, now in their 14th year, honor companies and individual leaders that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. Winning projects and individual manufacturing leaders have demonstrated achievement in clearly defined categories, and are chosen by a panel of expert judges for results that have delivered clear and compelling value, return on investment, and other tangible outcomes.
The awards are as follows:
To quote Frost & Sullivan, “TAFE is now among an esteemed group of leaders who are shaping the future of global manufacturing.”
The power of Eicher tractors from TMTL was put to test during the first ever tractorthon journeying from Manali all the way till Khardung La Top, at a height of 18380 ft above sea level, in July 2017. This herculean feat of covering 473 kilometers of varied terrain was the first tractorthon and Eicher’s success of completing this task lives up to its promise of providing an “Umeed Se Zyada” experience.
One of the oldest names in the tractor industry, Eicher tractors are well known for being economical, fuel efficient and its unique distinction of being the pioneer in agricultural mechanization and product technology. The Eicher 548 and 557 embarked on one of the toughest journeys and successfully completed the challenging Tractorthon on the World’s Highest Motorable Road.
The Eicher 548 is packed with the air-cooled technology and Eicher 557 with water-cooled technology, and both tractors traversed the rocky terrains with ease as Egon Eicher and his son, from the family of the first founders of Eicher Germany drove through the stunning lands of Leh. This action packed power ride showcased the signature style of Eicher’s ruggedness and reliability to perform even in the most extreme conditions.
The Tractorthon was a show of power and Eicher tractors’ uncompromising promise of durability, reliability and its promise of an Ummeed Se Zyada experience.
TAFE TRIBE is the original merchandise portal of TAFE, offering a range of interesting, high quality products that embody the essence of the TAFE’s brand, its globally renowned standards of design, quality and efficiency.
Capturing the spirit of TAFE and its people, the products under TAFE TRIBE build a brand new way of life. They are like a badge of honour; a proud proclamation; a marker of identity and living the TAFE way of life.
After a successful year of operation with the lounge store at TAFE head office and the online store, TAFE TRIBE is proud to announce that its newest store at the TAFE Sembiam Plant, Chennai, was inaugurated on 28 June, 2018. The much awaited store presents an amazing range of apparel, travel gear, stationery items, collectibles, gifts and lifestyle gear, carefully curated and designed to reflect the TAFE brand.
The store was inaugurated by Mr. John Edwin (President and Chief Officer), Mr. Shaik Rahiman (Vice President Manufacturing), and Niraj Jain (Head of Materials). The drone parade carrying the TAFE TRIBE flag was a marvel for everyone, piquing their interest and drawing them to the store. Balloons, buntings, and banners in the classic TRIBE colours red and white added to the festive environment of the store launch.
The store was extremely well received and hopes to promote TAFE’s way of life to all. Do drop by at the TAFE TRIBE Store at Sembiam and shop from the exciting collection of Original TAFE Merchandise. You can also shop online at tafetribe.com and avail free delivery pan-India on orders above Rs. 500.
Gear up with authentic TAFE Merchandise. Live the Brand. Join the TRIBE.
Since 1963, TAFE’s Product Training Centre has been playing an integral part in supporting TAFE’s multi-fold growth over the decades by integrating learning and hands-on training modules for the service staff to provide its customers with quality after sales service.
With the needs of customers changing, staying ahead of times is crucial to stay relevant. Over the years, PTC has introduced several programs that facilitate knowledge sharing, ensuring that the technicians and service staff always have access to knowledge.
PTC recently launched a two-day refresher training program for aftermarket private tractor mechanics which aimed at educating the participants about the tractor – its parts like the common and special parts, and the procedure to remove and fit the same. They were also trained on some of the latest changes in the aggregates and adjustments. The training ensures that TAFE customers receive the best service from the technicians and around 338 private tractor mechanics have been trained so far and the training has been well received.
Additionally, TAFE has started training programs for tractor models MF 6028 and MF 2635 at their PTC centers, and also one for the field team dealing with the new IPTO (Independent Power Take Off).
A mechanic skill level competition was organized in Bihar and Jharkhand for PTC trained mechanics where their skill levels were evaluated to encourage them to improve their skills, which was marked by the attendance of about 35 mechanics. The competition comprised of objective-type questions based on repair and maintenance of tractors and the top three scorers were awarded and recognized.
335 dealership technicians from various dealerships across India have successfully completed the basic product training programs and new product training programs; and 593 TAFE personnel from across functions, technical and non-technical teams have successfully completed various training programs at PTC up to March 2018. Apart from this, various electrical models and wiring diagrams have also been introduced in the electrical section for easy understanding of the trainees.
The Product Training Centre is TAFE’s commitment to Cultivating the World and ensuring that customers get the best after sales service. With its expertise, training programs and evolving teaching methods, PTC is paving the way for a one of a kind customer satisfaction experience.
Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited – TAFE has entered into a new international collaboration with UK based Harper Adams University (HAU) to develop advanced technological, agronomic and educational solutions for the delivery of sustainable food production around the world.
HAU is an agriculture university established in 1901 in the United Kingdom. HAU’s Agriculture Engineering Precision and Innovation – Agri-EPI Centre is one of the four national Centres for Agricultural Innovation created as part of the £17.7m UK government investment from UK’s Strategy for Agricultural Technologies to help provide engineering and precision agriculture solutions for the agri-food industry.
The collaboration with HAU’s Agri-EPI Centre will include joint research projects and programmes, joint publications and staff exchanges. The areas of research will focus on agriculture, engineering and technology development programmes on autonomous farming and energy efficient implements, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems and sensor technologies, and the Hands free hectare project to be implemented at JFarm India – TAFE’s adaptive agriculture research centre.
TAFE President & COO – Mr. T R Kesavan said, “TAFE’s collaboration with Harper Adams – Agri-EPI Centre is a reaffirmation of TAFE’s commitment to its vision of ‘Cultivating the World’ as it aims to combine integrated farming techniques with precision agriculture and engineering to develop sustainable farming models that work for both marginal and large farms. This collaboration will provide opportunities for developing a range of advanced training skills, learning and the promotion of international technology transfer and exchange.”
Engineers from TAFE have moved into the new Agri-EPI Centre on the Harper Adams University campus to work on the centre’s first major research and development project. On the team’s arrival, Harper Adams University engineering lecturer, Kit Franklin said, “We at Harper Adams have been building contacts with TAFE for the last 18 months. It’s great to now have this young and enthusiastic team of engineers from TAFE’s Centre of Excellence here in the UK where we’re about to start our first collaborative engineering project. Along with the completion of the project, I hope the team will get a flavour of British agriculture, helping them to return with fresh new ideas.”
Welcoming them to the Agri-EPI Centre, Lee Williams – Newport Centre Hub Manager said, “We’re extremely excited about the first major R&D project coming into the centre, but even more so as it’s a large global tractor manufacturer that’s working in collaboration with Harper Adams.”