Mr. P Nageshwar Rao speaks at the Agricultural Innovation Conference and Exhibition held at HAU, UK
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Mr. P Nageshwar Rao speaks at the Agricultural Innovation Conference and Exhibition held at HAU, UK

TAFE entered into collaboration with Harper Adams in June 2018 to develop advanced technological, agronomic and educational solutions for the delivery of sustainable food production around the world.

Recently, the National Centre for Precision Farming (NCPF) at Harper Adams University successfully hosted its first Agricultural Innovation Conference and Exhibition on July 03, 2018.

The event which was sponsored by AHDB and supported by Agri-Tech West, started with a keynote speech from LEAF Chief Executive Caroline Drummond MBE. She said: “In terms of where innovation is going in agriculture, it’s exciting times.”

Mr. P Nageshwar Rao from TAFE R&D was amongst the speakers for the event. He shared TAFE’s history and the situation in India and said: “Precision farming in India is still in a nascent stage; unique challenges will require tailored solutions in this market.

“We believe by 2025, in India, adaptation of technologies like imaging, FMS, mobile apps, autonomous in agriculture space to be at par with global standards.

With regards to hearing about HFH, Mr. P Nageshwar Rao added: “When I heard about a tractor without a driver, I said this is where we need to jump to join hands together.”

Venkateswaran K, Elango. R, Bhagwat Nagalwade, from TAFE R&D COE participated and presented a technical paper in the Fluid Power Technical Seminar (FPTS)
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TAFE R&D presents paper on enhanced new product development

Fluid Power Society of India conducted the Fluid Power Technical Seminar (FPTS) in Bangalore on June 19 and 20, 2018. Venkateswaran K, Elango. R, Bhagwat Nagalwade, from TAFE R&D COE participated and presented a technical paper in the seminar.

The paper presented was titled “Methodology Adapted in Hydraulic System Simulation to Enhance New Product Development” was well received by the audience and committee members, and awarded a certificate and shield for the paper.

This paper focuses mainly on simulation driven product development as one of the methods to reduce lead time for concept creation, concept optimization and to reduce the product development cost. It is detailed into three major categories:

1) Overview of model based system engineering in product development

2) Simulation methodology demonstration of a hydraulic system through AMESim software, and

3) Challenges faced by OEM

This paper presents the methods used in modeling of a tractor hydraulic system with assumptions and meeting the performance requirements. It elaborates the modeling of each sub system and validation of subsystem. The paper also explains the identification of critical factors, sensitivity study and Design of Experiments (DoE) on performance parameters and its ability to size for the given product specification through simulation.

The TAFE team at HAU's Agri-EPI Centre
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TAFE and HAU collaborate to develop sustainable agriculture solutions

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.”

A fleet of MF 6028 - premium compact utility tractors that were delivered to over 100 farmers in Nashik Maharashtra
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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”.

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.

TAFE's MF Service Camp in Umred Maharashtra
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Cultivating the World always, made possible by TAFE service

When customers purchase a product from TAFE, they gain a companion for life. Relationships at TAFE – be it with a customer, dealer or supplier, are treasured and nurtured for the long run; steadfast through changing and dynamic times.

With a robust network of over 1000 dealers, supported by over 2000 sales outlets, customers are empowered. The distribution and sale of its tractors is facilitated by the company’s own fully trained sales staff of over 450 people, and close to 3000 dealer sales staff. With such a strong focus on sales, it is paramount that TAFE customers receive a stronger after-sales support. All dealer service personnel, both domestic and international, are trained at TAFE’s Product Training Centre near Chennai on usage, servicing and trouble shooting of products through extensive and structured training programs that use a judicious mix of class room training, on the field and in work shop training as well as through the aid of digital media. TAFE has an exclusive service team distributed among its various area offices to provide additional service support to dealers as when needed.

TAFE extends its expertise towards servicing and maintenance of tractors and equipment, with the aim of reducing downtime and ensuring extended and reliable product performance. They can not only avail after-sales support and spare-part requirements, but get it at their desired location, including remote clusters pan-India. An example of this positive outreach is exemplified by our authorized dealer in Umred, Maharashtra, who regularly organizes customer interaction programs, right at their doorstep or by service camps at the dealership.

These photos offer a glimpse of this superior service provided by the dealer. We congratulate the team for ‘Cultivating the World’ with their ‘service’.

Photo courtesy: Sonu Verma

Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari visits TAFE dealership
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Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari visits TAFE dealership

The Indian Minister of Road Transport & Highways and the Minister of Shipping, Mr. Nitin Gadkari recently visited TAFE’s tractor dealership in Latur, Maharashtra, India.

An agriculturist with interests in fruit exports, he is a firm believer in the power of farm mechanization. On his visit, he sought to understand the features and capabilities of the globally acknowledged Massey Ferguson tractors by TAFE.