The journey of Mahindra Tractors began in 1963 when The International Tractor Company India [ITCI] was established as a JV between M&M and International Harvester Company. M&M acquired this business in 1977 and Mahindra Tractors came into being. In 1994, Mahindra USA Inc. was established. In 2005, the company acquired Jiangling Tractors Company and formed Mahindra (China) Tractor Company. In 2008, it acquired Punjab Tractors Limited, another major tractor company in India. In 2008, Mahindra formed its second JV in China named Mahindra YuedaYancheng Tractor Manufacturing Company (MYYTCL).
BLAZE TO BRILLIANCE Thirty years of sustained market leadership is the stuff of corporate dreams. The brand today enjoys more than 40 per cent of the market share, making it the largest tractor brand in the country. As per the 2008 ACNielsen brand equity study, Mahindra Tractors registered a brand equity score of 5.3 – a remarkable achievement considering that only 1 per cent of global automobile brands have received a score of 5 or more.
Not without reason then, Mahindra Tractors is the first and the only tractor company to have won the coveted Japan Quality Medal and Deming Application Prize, two of the highest global quality accolades. It has also won the TPM Awards for all its manufacturing plants.
FAITH FACTOR Mahindra & Mahindra seeks the active involvement of the farmer in its quest to develop better products. All its tractor brands – Bhoomiputra, Sarpanch, Arjun, Shaan and Yuvraj ranging from I5HP engine to 75HP – have been almost completely driven by the on-ground realities of the farming community and their wishlist. When it transpired that a section of farmers was looking for enhanced power and greater speed from their machines, Mahindra came up with the country’s first turbo-charged tractor which delivered on both counts.
Its regular models, too, are feature-rich and serve specific farming needs. The Sarpanch DLX tractor, for example, comes with a side-shift gear, ergonomically designed workspace, multidisc oil-immersed brakes (01B) for powerful braking and Hy-TEC hydraulics with quick-lift and a coupler for high-precision farming.
The Bhoomiputra range which has come in for special praise from farmers across the country offers exceptional fuel efficiency.
Arjun Ultra-I, the flagship brand, stands for style and technology and demonstrates its superlative performance in agricultural and construction equipment (CE) operations.
It’s most recent launch has been the Mahindra Shaan. India’s first 25-HP multi-utility tractor with a built-in trolley, Shaan, was launched in 2007 and has proved very effective in the brick kiln segment.
Over the years, Mahindra Tractors has won several accolades for quality, workmanship and after-sales service. But the most enduring has been the very special sobriquet for its outstanding fuel efficiency: Mileage Ka Master.
ENGAGEMENT THAT ENTHRALS The fact that promotions for tractors are undertaken in rural markets brings with it its own set of challenges. A fragmented audience, poor reach, language barriers, limited access to rural communities and literacy concerns are just a few. To neutralise this, Mahindra Tractors allocates up to 40 per cent of its budget to what it terms as personalised specific communications. This includes thematic vans and two-wheelers carrying productspecific, brand-specific and applicationspecific messages.
In addition, it supplements this effort with several below-the-line initiatives — each designed to strengthen its brand saliency and build strong bonds with the farming community. Amongst the company’s outreach programmes are the Mahindra Tractor Mahotsav, where the brand showcases its complete range of products and services; Mahindra Jashn Josh Ka, a public felicitation ceremony of loyal customers and Mahindra Khiladi No. 1, which promotes local sports talent.
Mahindra Samriddhi, started in 2006, is an initiative to help increase agricultural productivity through use of innovative farming technologies. Mahindra Samriddhi centres are transformed tractor dealerships that disseminate knowledge on modern agricultural practices along with testing local soil, analysing climate conditions and suggested cropping patterns, agri clinics and demo farms. As of today, there are 160 Samriddhi centres, which have catered to over 230,000 farmers.
INNOVEDGE Innovations are a part of life at Mahindra Tractors and their ability to innovate has played a pivotal role in their success. Mahindra’s manufacturing facility in Zaheerabad is Asia’s largest tractor manufacturing plant which boasts of being a fully integrated facility with key functions being completely robotised. Shaan was felicitated with the American Society for Agricultural & Biological Engineers award for being one of 50 Outstanding Innovations of the Year. Yuvraj, India’s first 15-HP tractor, saw the technology that powered larger tractors being miniaturised to make it affordable for farmers with small land holdings. It was the first product of its kind targeted at a segment of farmers that previously did not have access to farm mechanisation.
BRAND PROMISE Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. While it contributes less than 15 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product, it provides employment to nearly 70 per cent of rural India. It is in this critical area that Mahindra Tractors discharges an important function. Over the years, Mahindra Tractors has proven itself to be a dependable partner for the Indian farmer who has appreciated its aesthetically attractive, technically modern and user-friendly product features. Hence, it is easy to understand why Mahindra Tractors is such a trusted brand.
FACTOIDS
1. One out of every 3 tractors in India is a Mahindra.
2. In 2007, Mahindra Tractors became the only tractor company in the world to have won the Japan Quality Medal – universally acclaimed as the highest order in Total Quality Management [TQM] practices.
3. Mahindra Tractors is the largest tractor company in the world by volumes.
PROMISE BEACON
1. 2000: Launched world class product line under the brand name “Arjun”: Introduced synchromesh gear box for ease of operation & robust engine for longer life
2. 2003: Launched the fi rst turbo charged tractor of India “595 DI”: Better fuel effi ciency & power delivery while ensuring the environment conservation
3. 2009: Introduced MKM range of engines: Delivering benefi ts to the customer in term of fuel saving and environment protection
4. 2009: Introduced the fi rst 15-HP tractor “Yuvraj” – Fulfi lling the dreams of millions of farmers across India to own a tractor
5. 2013: Mahindra’s manufacturing facility in Zaheerabad inaugurated. It is Asia’s largest tractor manufacturing plant
