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Events

TAFE showcases its prowess at Agri Intex 2016

The Coimbatore District Small Industries Association‘s (CODISSIA) Agri Intex fair for 2016 was concluded recently. In its 16th edition, the Agri Intex fair is growing in stature year on year. This exhibition is a great platform for organizations to disseminate information and effectively communicate with customers.

TAFE has been a regular participant at the fair and this year was no different. On showcase where products like the Massey Ferguson tractors and AgriStar implements giving the visitor a comprehensive idea of the product and its wide range of capabilities. The products on display also gave the visitors a glimpse into TAFE’s manufacturing prowess and deep understanding of the customer’s needs. TAFE associates were also present at hand to assist any visitor at the stall with their queries. TAFE’s products generated quite a buzz among the visitors, many of whom were converted to potential customers.

We would like to congratulate the teams and dealer responsible for putting on such a stellar exhibition.

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Massey Ferguson tractors from a bygone era still lead the way

When considering the history of tractors and mechanization in farming, the name Massey Ferguson (MF) is synonymous with innovation and quality. Be it the three-point linkage system or its tractors or implements, Massey Ferguson has undeniably left an indelible mark in farming history. If one were to look at the world’s best tractors through the years, there will invariably be a few MF tractor models on the list.

Consider models like the MF 135 and 165, though production stopped in the 70’s and they can be assigned a proud and cozy place in Massey Ferguson and tractor history; they aren’t really ready to be history yet. Case in point is the monthly second-hand farming machinery auction held in Cambridgeshire, England – one of the biggest auctions of its kind. Picture a field, the size of 40 football grounds and rows of tractors lined up in it. Over 35,000 registered bidders from more than 100 countries attend these sales where about 2,000 lots are auctioned each sale. Though the buyers are from all over the world, there seems to be special interest among buyers from developing nations. Buyers especially from Africa are inclined towards the MF 135 or 165. The successor to the iconic MF 35 and the first tractor in the MF 100 series, the MF 135 was popular in its time. The MF 135 and 165 are basic, incredibly reliable “mechanical donkeys” that keep going on and on. Its popularity can also be attributed to the easy availability of parts and ease of fixing them, as these models are purely mechanical involving no electrics.

Attending the sale from Kenya are Barnabas Sawe and Gideon Okungu who swear by these tractors, “A good tractor can transform a village, it transforms a society – it transforms a community,” Sawe says. Another visitor is Abdi Mohammed from Somalia – a first timer, who is hoping to transform farming back home. He recalls people using Massey Ferguson tractors before the country plunged into civil war. With things having finally almost stabilized, Abdi wants to herald the new era in Somalia with these MF tractors.

In a way, it’s poetic how these old warriors who were once part of bringing about prosperity, in another land, in another era, are now going to be catalysts of growth and progress in fledgling economies.

With inputs from bbc.com

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Forging connections for life

Farming is all about connections; connection between, man and the elements, man and his land, man and his crops, crops and the elements, crops and the soil, man and his tools and so on. Every season it is a harmony of all these factors that brings us the bounty of nature in a farm, the harvest is the coming together of all these connections.

At TAFE we thrive in connections, forming new ones and nurturing old ones. One of the ways TAFE tractors forges connections is by actually heading into the field to meet people and show them what the tractors are capable of. It is when someone sees and touches the tractor that sparks the beginning of a connection. The sort of connection that makes them want to own one of the best tractors in the world. And these connections form regardless of age.

The snapshots you see here are from Algeria where TAFE tractors were taken to the field to the give customers greater insights into them and extend full support to them. The joy on their faces is evidence enough of the place TAFE tractors holds in their hearts. Small steps in our journey of Cultivating the World!

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TAFE Reach outdoes itself

Not an organization to rest on its laurels, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited’s (TAFE) Vehicle Franchise Division (VFD) – TAFE Reach Limited, has once again won accolades from TATA Motors. Awarded the “No. 1 Dealer in Sales Target Achievement” last year; this year TAFE Reach Limited, Chennai has improved its performance and has been named the “All India Best Dealer on Overall Performance for 2015-16”. Mr. Raja T. S. – TAFE VFD Chief Operating Officer (COO), received the award from Mr. Guenter Butschek – TATA Motors Managing Director, with Mr. S. N. Barman – TATA Motors Limited Vice President (Sales), Mr. Dinesh Bhasin – Vice President (Customer Support) and Mr. Girish Wagh, Head of Project and Planning Management and Designer of the TATA Nano.

It was also named the “Star Dealer of the Year” nationally for highest retail growth and outstanding performance in the Dealer Excellence Engagement Programme (DEEP). Mr. Raja T. S. received the award from Mr. S. N. Barman, Mr. Dinesh Bhasin and Mr. Girish Wagh.

The awards and recognitions don’t stop there, TAFE Reach Limited, Chennai was also nominated for a place in the “President’s Club 2015-16” and was also named the “Diamond Dealer for Best Performance in 2015-16”  in the South Zone qualifying for the highest per car incentive from TATA motors. TAFE Reach Limited, Erode also won First Place for “Service Excellence” in Tier–II Cities category for the year 2015-16.

We congratulate the TAFE Vehicle Franchise Division for this outstanding performance and hope for greater accolades and awards next year.

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TAFE tractor rally adds to Sri Lanka’s scenic landscape

In a marketing event to showcase the TAFE brand of tractors in Sri Lanka, a tractor rally was held by TAFE’s associates. Traversing the scenic country-side, the tractors added to the beauty of the landscape with its sublime combination of beauty and power. Attracting eyeballs everywhere it went, these TAFE tractors are proud ambassadors of TAFE’s Cultivating the World philosophy!

Kudos to the team for bringing the orange TAFE tide to Sri Lanka.

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Accolades for TAFE at TPM Awards 2015

The TPM Excellence Awards 2015 were announced recently and in the ‘Outside Japan’ category, three of TAFE’s locations have been awarded. TAFE Engineering Plastics and Tool Room Division (EPD) – Maraimalai Nagar won the, Award for Excellence in Consistent TPM Commitment and the Award for TPM Excellence, Category A was received by TAFE Doddaballapur Plant and TAFE Madurai Operations.

The awards were conferred in Kyoto, Japan on March 23, 2016 at the TPM Awards Ceremony.

TAFE’s embarked on this TPM journey almost a decade ago and it steadfast commitment to quality has seen multiple locations across the organization take up the TPM challenge and emerge triumphant. Congratulations to the TAFE EPD Maraimalai Nagar Plant, TAFE Doddaballapur Plant and TAFE Madurai Operations for winning this prestigious award.

The Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance (JIPM) launched the PM award system in 1964, to “strengthen the improvement of enterprise constitutions and contribute to the development of industry, by promoting the modernization of plant maintenance and the development of plant maintenance technologies.”

The Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) award was introduced by JIPM in 1971 and is defined as ‘the ultimate method of pursuing production efficiency’. It is intended to encompass the entire company from the shop floor to the executive boardroom, creating a true companywide commitment to production excellence, and is designed to avoid any losses by creating a culture of ‘zero accidents, zero defects and zero breakdowns’.

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Ms Mallika Srinivasan felicitates winners of the Be a FarmDost school contest at award ceremony at TAFE s JFarm

In a grand culmination of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited’s (TAFE) ‘Be a #FarmDost’ School Contest, students from Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy attended the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ Award Ceremony held at TAFE’s JFarm in Kelambakkam on February 28, 2016. The award ceremony was graced by, TAFE Chairman and CEO, Ms. Mallika Srinivsasan who also felicitated all the winners of the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ contest. In attendance were more than 350 students, teachers and parents who had embraced the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative. These participants were part of the 63 schools from the four cities visited by TAFE as part of its ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative to recognize the farmer for his contribution to the society and the nation at large.

Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and CEO – TAFE, speaking about the event said, “As part of our philosophy of ‘Cultivating the World’, TAFE’s ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative is aimed at bringing the farming community, back in to our social consciousness and remind everyone of the great service they render to the world. The school activity was conducted to raise awareness among the students – the citizens of tomorrow, about the importance of farmers and farming, and it found instant acceptance. We must acknowledge the hard work and perseverance of these students; their teachers and parents as they played a crucial part in helping build the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative to its current stature; this award ceremony is just a small way of recognizing their efforts.”

The award ceremony felicitated both students and schools from each of the four cities (Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy) who participated in the ‘Best #FarmDost Award’ and ‘#ThankYouFarmers Award’ respectively. Speaking on the participation of students and schools in the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative, Mr. T. R. Kesavan – TAFE Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Product Strategy and Corporate Relations, said, “The schools and the students understood the essence of the initiative and through their participationin the contests, presented a wonderful tribute to the farmer. We have had over 2000 students from different parts of the state participating and many of them even visited farmers as part of the #ThankYouFarmers contest. As an experience, we hope that it would have a lasting impact on the students as well as the farmers.”

The awards were also presented to participating students and schools in a special ‘#FarmDost Social Award’ category. A ‘Champion of Champions’ Award was also presented to three schools – The Fathima Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai; Sevalaya Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School, Chennai and Yuva Bharathi Public School, Coimbatore, from among all the participating schools (four cities) based on the combined participation percentage in the ‘Best #FarmDost Award’ and ‘#ThankYouFarmers Award’. Among the students, Ms. G. Nithya Dharsini from National Model Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore was crowned the ‘Champion of Champions’ from among all the participating students (four cities).

The ‘Be a #FarmDost’ Award Ceremony offered students the opportunity to experience the joys of a farm. With TAFE’s JFarm – an adaptive agri-research centre spread over 200 acres, as the venue, the award ceremony was the perfect place for students to receive a hands-on experience in a farm. The agenda for the day in addition to the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ Award Ceremony included, an organic farm trail with opportunities to harvest crops, tractor ride, knowledge sessions on farming by eminent agriculturists and interaction with farmers.

Check out the complete album of the award ceremony on the ‘Be a #FarmDost‘ Facebook page @ tinyurl.com/hu2khsr

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TAFE participates in CII’s third India – CLMV Business Conclave

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, and Government of India organised the 3rd India – CLMV Business Conclave at Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. The topic for the conclave was, “India – CLMV Economic Integration: Developing Regional Value Chains”.

Ministers from all four respective CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) countries led the delegations comprising officials and business people. Also present were heads of five provinces of Vietnam. Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Honourable Minister of State for Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge), Government of India inaugurated the event.

This Business Conclave served as a platform to:

  • interact with ministerial and business delegations from the CLMV countries
  • identify specific project opportunities, and
  • initiate the way forward

With participants from different sectors taking part in the conclave, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) also participated in this event representing the farm machinery sector. Mr. Chandramouli – Business Head, International Business Unit (IBU), Mr. Shiva N. T. from IBU and Mr. Sukhdeep Grover from Emerging Export Market (EEM) were present, representing TAFE at the conclave.

Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have tremendous potential for development; hence, receiving special focus within the ASEAN region. Socio-economic conditions of CLMV countries and their proximity to India provide opportunities of mutual benefit. The Indian government is undertaking various initiatives to establish multi-pronged economic and business relations with the CLMV countries, thereby providing a boost to the “Act East Policy”. Better economic integration among ASEAN countries will encourage the Act East Policy which essentially begins with these four countries.

Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman in her address, said, “The trade links and ties between India and the CLMV countries can be much better, and the two governing principles, connectivity and economic integration with regional value chains are crucial.” The need for improving road, air, and sea links was emphasized to allow businesses to fully utilize benefits of Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Speakers emphasised the need for developing the regional value chains in CLMV region and India to be a part of the regional value chains. The backward and forwards linkages are expected to boost the Indian exports and also secure source for raw materials. Further integration of the India – CLMV partnership with global value chains was also emphasized.

From TAFE’s perspective, the conclave prepared a foundation for the organization to play a more prominent role in ushering in farm mechanization in these countries.

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TAFE crowned Champion of Champions at PRCI’s 10th Global Communication Conclave

India’s second largest tractor manufacturer and the Aon Hewitt – Best Employer in India (2013), Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) group experienced much joy in the ‘City of Joy’ as it won the title of  ‘Champion of Champions’ at PRCI’s Corporate Collaterals Award 2016 held during the 10th Global Communication Conclave. The TAFE group improved on its showing from last year to win across 16 of the 19 categories it participated in. Held in Kolkata, the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) – 10th Global Communication Conclave hosted over two days is a platform for communications and PR professionals from all over the country. This year the themes of, ‘Image Crisis: Who is Responsible?’ and ‘Digital Now – What Next?’ were explored respectively by eminent personalities from the industry in congruence with the audience that consisted of professionals and communications students.

TAFE group emerged as the ‘Champion of Champions’ with the highest number of awards and rating. The awards won by TAFE across categories included, one platinum, four gold, three silver, six bronze awards and two appreciations. The awards were won across categories like, Corporate Event, Corporate Advertisement, Digital Newsletter, Corporate Film and Public Service Advertisements among others. The highlight for TAFE was the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative which bagged an award in every category it participated in (7); which included radio campaign, CSR brochure, public service campaign and advertisements, social media campaign of the year and idea of the year. Pioneered by TAFE CCD the ‘Be a #FarmDost’ initiative was much appreciated by all the attendees and the few #FarmDost kits made available at the venue were picked up with much gusto and brought many positive reviews. Additionally, TMTL’s regional In-House Journal – Apni Baat, Online newsletter TAFE Café and collateral like MF Diary 2016 won recognition too.

PRCI is a pan-India organization of PR, communications, advertising and media professionals, academicians, forums, institutions, and corporates, that provides a forum where creative minds often come together, upholding the challenges and values of professionalism in PR and encourages high ethical standards of work. The 10th Global Communications Conclave reflected this, as panel discussions on pertinent topics like “Inadequacy of media education, training and research to generate employability and develop communication responsibility” and “Changing behaviour for better education, better health, better policing and better communication” were conducted in the course of two days of the event followed by insightful discussions among participants.

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