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TMTL Engines launch its Solar business
 Read | Spotlight

TMTL Engines adds Solar energy to its portfolio

The TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited (TMTL) Engines Division is an established brand with decades of expertise, resulting from years of hard work and perseverance. As the fastest growing brand in the segment, TMTL Engines has entered the Solar Energy market adding a brand new business line to its portfolio. Equipped with an elite team and the latest technology and designs, TMTL Engines is ready to make its mark in the solar power category and become a complete power solutions brand.

TAFE has always believed in encouraging and using sustainable resources, and considering solar power is the future for developing countries like India, this new business line of TMTL Engines is a step in the right direction. Recently, TMTL Engines held a solar conference giving its long standing partners a unique opportunity to gain insights into its journey towards a more sustainable world. Some of the projects already executed are, a 60 kWp grid connected system at Modern Institute of Technology & Research Centre – Alwar, 10 kWp for JFarm – Chennai and a 60 kWp grid connected system at Varanasi.

Some of the projects undertaken include:
– 500 kWp grid connected system at TMTL’s Alwar operation
– 400 kWp grid connected system at Cochin, Kerala
– 200 kWp for JFarm, Rajasthan
– 60 kWp for Pinnacle Generators, Hyderabad
– 50 kWp at Jaycee Punching Solutions, Faridabad

The government of India has set a target of achieving 175 GW by 2022, and with a rich experience in successful delivery of power projects in the genset category, TMTL Engines will surely leave its mark in the solar power category as well.

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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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Photo courtesy: Hachette Book Group
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Masterpieces of Written History

History needn’t always be known through fat books. They can be told in a much more compelling way through articles, especially if they’re written by well-known names like Ernest Hemingway, William L. Laurence, Winston Churchill etc. This book edited by Jon E. Lewis brings you some of the best written works in journalism through its 150 year history. Some of the articles might even be news to you, and some would give you a different perspective to an already known event.

The stories are enjoyable and light; it’s almost as if you’re reading short stories. They’re not your usual newspaper articles because they lend a voice and character to the story. It engages you in its story and it moves you. These articles are not just plain facts and seldom take the inverted pyramid route either. And because these are like short stories, you can pick and start with any story from the book. At the back, it does have a few suggestions like Elliot V. Bell’s account of the Wall Street Crash, William L. Laurence’s Pulitzer winning account of the Nagasaki bombing, Merriman Smith’s work on the assassination of President Kennedy. Apart from the list given at the back, don’t miss out on reading Charles Dickens’ “A Man is Guillotined in Rome” and “A Sleep to Startle Us”. And not to forget Mark Twain’s “The American Assault on the Pyramids” as well as Winston Churchill’s “Escape”. The article by Churchill is his account of escaping from the Boers. John F. Burn’s “An Afghan Village, Destroyed” is a beautiful read that lets you in on the Taliban insurrection in Afghanistan.

Although the book majorly has stories on war, it makes for a great read. It also has stories on politics, sports, disaster, civil rights, corruption and culture among others. And no doubt the book will engage you because the stories here are true masterpieces that have been beautifully crafted.

If you’re looking to pick up a book that lets you in on a bit of history and journalism together without making it boring, you should give this one a shot. And because they are a collection of articles, you can choose which ones you want to read depending on your mood and time. I would suggest starting with the ones mentioned in this review to get into the groove of reading the book.

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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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TAFE's MF 1035 DI tractors 'cultivates' a clean Indore
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TAFE delivers a ‘Swachh Bharat’

A responsible corporate citizen, TAFE has always strived to incorporate sustainability in all its processes and preserve the environment. Guided by its Core Values, TAFE established strict policies and regulations to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure a clean and green world for the future generations, much before government regulations came about. TAFE has persistently worked towards ensuring there is limited consumption of non-renewable energy and strives to minimize its effect on the environment.

Recently, TAFE delivered 25 of its Massey Ferguson 1035 DI tractors to the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC). Indore, Madhya Pradesh has also shown remarkable transformation in its journey as an environmentally conscious city and was named the cleanest city award under the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2017. The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) played a pivotal role in keeping the city clean and TAFE is proud to be partners with them in their journey of ‘Cultivating Cleanliness’.

TAFE hopes that with these MF tractors, IMC will continue to contribute towards the Swachh Bharat movement and ‘cultivate’ a cleaner India.

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TAFE Madurai encourages a learning culture among rural students
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TAFE Madurai to impart skill development training for students

Cultivating the world has always been TAFE’s philosophy and every step the company takes is to achieve this goal. Learning has always been a part of TAFE’s DNA and it encourages knowledge seekers to enrich themselves in areas of their interest. TAFE believes in sharing its knowledge and has collaborated with several educational institutions to create customised syllabus and courseware in agriculture and manufacturing. Ànd now, TAFE’s Madurai operation has entered into an agreement with the Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI) wherein the final year students of Bachelor of Vocation (B. Voc.) – Farm Equipment Operation and Maintenance will be trained in tractor assembly, quality inspection and materials inward. A step towards sharing with the society it is entrenched in; TAFE Madurai’s collaboration with GRI will expose students to the functioning of a world-class facility with a flexi-line that produces hundreds of Massey Ferguson and TAFE tractor models that cater to customers worldwide.

The three-month training program will commence for the academic year 2017-2018, with four batches every year. This initiative will benefit 50 students and hopes to attract more rural students to the course. This training program will give students the unique experience of witnessing the manufacturing of a tractor and also learning from the experienced personnel at TAFE Madurai. Unlike other programs, this training program will also provide an excellent opportunity for girls to work in core departments like Quality and Materials, giving them the necessary exposure and making them industry-ready.

TAFE has been at the forefront of farm mechanization, helping farmers achieve higher farm productivity and yields to meet the increasing food demands. It continuously strives to bring agriculture to the forefront and is engaged in making information and facilities more accessible to stakeholders.

With this collaboration, TAFE has now opened the doors of knowledge to students and strengthening the cause of farming. We wish the TAFE Madurai team the very best in this thoughtful endeavour!

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TAFE's JFarm Services App
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TAFE launches ‘JFarm Services App’ – a digital boost for the Indian farmer

TAFE – Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, India’s second largest tractor manufacturer, has announced the launch of ‘JFarm Services App’ – a mobile app-based aggregator platform which facilitates hiring of tractors and modern farm machinery for farmers in Rajasthan, at the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM), Kota. Available on Google Play Store, the JFarm Services App is free and will connect Custom Hiring Centres (CHC) operated by tractors and equipment owners directly to farmers who need farm mechanization services and solutions, thereby facilitating a fair and transparent rental process while focusing on quality, dependability and timely delivery. The JFarm Services App is a stellar example of the Digital India initiative, tailored to benefit the Indian agricultural landscape. This service by TAFE will foster digital empowerment of Indian farmers while creating a breed of new rural entrepreneurs and significant job opportunities. JFarm Services will also be available to farmers on call through a dedicated toll-free number 1800-4-200-100.

Out of the 95 CHCs allotted through subsidy to TAFE, 38 have been identified across six zones in the State – Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Jalore, Kota and Sikar.

In November 2016, TAFE inaugurated ‘JFarm Rajasthan’, an advanced agri-research centre in Bhawanimandi in the Jhalawar district. As a next step, the launch of the JFarm Services App along with the identification of these physical CHC franchisees creates a hub where farmers gain access to specialized equipment and JFarm Rajasthan’s agri-extension services including modern farm practices, technical know-how, high-yielding crop varieties, crop protection, organic and sustainable farming, besides customized and specially designed training programmes by leading agri-scientists.

JFarm Services – the aggregator platform in its pilot phase has enrolled over 450 Custom Hiring Centres and suppliers and has connected them to over 25,000 farmers.

Speaking on the app launch, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & CEO – TAFE, said, “The JFarm Services App is a milestone in TAFE’s journey of Cultivating the World. With the JFarm Services mobile app, TAFE aims to empower the farming community by creating a viable model for the farmers and the Custom Hirers to conduct transactions in a fair and transparent manner. These initiatives are directed towards building a sustainable livelihood for farmers, while preparing them to remain self-sufficient by increasing farm productivity.”

Mr. T R Kesavan, President & COO – TAFE, said, “As a trusted brand among the farming community in Rajasthan, TAFE through its JFarm Services aggregator model, plans to enrol 10,000-15,000 Custom Hiring Centers in the first two years of operation and positively impact the farming community by reaching out to 500,000 farmers.”

TAFE is proud to partner with #GRAMKota, Rajasthan, 2017, and continues its association as the Platinum Sponsor of this prestigious exposition.

Rajasthan holds a special place in TAFE’s journey as an organization and participated in GRAM 2017 with an impressive range of products from Massey Ferguson, Eicher tractors and AgriStar implements from TAFE.

The men and women of the land welcomed #TAFE and its products as always. The expo is on till Friday, May 26, 2017. Do drop by at the TAFE Pavilion and join us in our journey of Cultivating the World

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TAFE collaborator AGCO uses Google Glass on shop floor
 Read | Perspective

Gadgets helping us Cultivate the World

We are living in an age where computers are tiny, fast and frugal, making them so common that literally everyone carries one in their pocket (or is holding it in their hand if you’re reading this on your phone).

Despite its immense popularity, or some might even say – necessity of gadgets in our lives, we are living in a society where, hardbound text books and newspapers still exist; not everything is on a screen. But when it comes to an organization, the question of ‘cost vs benefits’ is evaluated while adopting a new technology for conventional activities.

Tendencies to continue with existing conventions will always be high, as most employees will look at the experience from an individual’s perspective and would have to reconfigure their current method of working, which is hard wired into the brain. But when an organization decides to go mainstream, employees have to swim with the tide, which will obviously be good for them over time. And of course there are those of us who would love for changes to take place.

This preface is for the news where AGCO has adopted Google Glass for workers in its Engine assembly cell in one of their production plants in Atlanta.

You can read more about it @ goo.gl/kvm4wh

Similarly, I’m sure most of us at TAFE would also be interested in knowing how other divisions in the organizations have made a switch in technology from older conventions, as we evolve in our journey of #CultivatingTheWorld.

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