Mechanisation key to attain global productivity standards, says TAFE chief

April 9, 2013: Mechanisation and improved food storage systems are the keys to drive the growth of the farm sector to the next level, according to India’s second largest tractor maker, the Chennai-based Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE).

According to TAFE chairperson Ms Mallika Srinivasan, who was presented the Business Thought Leader of the Year award for 2012 by NDTV in New Delhi yesterday, it is vital to increase the country’s agricultural productivity not only to meet the nation’s needs but to maintain global standards. She was voted for the award for her insightful leadership in turbulent times and for growing TAFE to its present pre-eminence, leveraging her business skills and experience, and for changing the business landscape of the country.

The TAFE chief attributed her success to a range of products that have been designed and developed at TAFE through significant inputs from customers. She commented that while it is important to grow and sustain an organisation as an institution and make profits, it is equally important to contribute back to society which made it all possible. CSR must not be treated as legal obligation, but as a duty to society, she said.

On being queried about her thoughts on empowering women through training, Srinivasan said: “At TAFE, we consciously work at providing women with opportunities to grow and contribute significantly to the success of the organisation.” The company recently launched a unique initiative called TWIN – TAFE Women’s Interest Network – to empower them and increasingly involve them in the organisational growth story.

Asked about the next steps for TAFE, now that the company is the world's third largest tractor manufacturer, she quipped: “We will consolidate our position in the domestic markets before we move on to focus on the international markets. We are Number 2, but we try harder.”

TAFE is the third largest manufacturer of tractors in the world, and second largest in India, whose products are exported to over 77 countries worldwide. It has an ongoing collaboration with Massey Ferguson (now owned by AGCO Corporation, USA) for over 50 years. TAFE’s products are market leaders in several South Asian markets.

TAFE has four tractor plants in India, besides an overseas plant in Turkey, that produce a variety of tractors in the sub-100 HP range in both the air-cooled and water-cooled platforms under the TAFE, Massey Ferguson and Eicher brands. Additionally, through wholly owned subsidiaries, it manufactures diesel engines, engineering plastics, gears and transmission components, hydraulic pumps and cylinders, panel instruments, and batteries and owns vehicle franchises and plantations.

Photograph: Ms. Mallika Srinivasan receiving the 2012 Business Thought Leader of the Year award from Dr Montek Singh Ahluwallia, chairman, Planning Commission in New Delhi on April 8.