Pioneering smarter, cleaner full-efficiency Valtra

PIoNEERING SmARTER, CLEANER FuEL-EFFICIENCY

Valtra is a market-leading manufacturer of tractors and agricultural machinery and part of the AGCO Corporation. Its innovative SmartTouch technology is employed in its latest T254 model. This has contributed to the series winning the Agritechnica 2018 ‘Tractor of the Year Award’. Valtra has also become the first tractor manufacturer in the world to begin using renewable diesel for its tractors, as Philip Yorke reports.

Valtra was founded in 1951 and is headquartered in Suolahti, Finland, from where it operates its extensive European state-ofthe-art manufacturing facilities. The company has another major production plant situated in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, where it also produces combine harvesters, cane harvesters, self-propelled sprayers and seed drills.

Today Valtra employs over 1200 people and in 2017 recorded sales of more than €100 million. The company manufactures around 25,000 tractors a year at its two plants.

Award-winning features

Valtra’s newest model series, the Valtra A4 (75-130hp), has won the Red Dot 2018 Design award in the ‘Commercial Vehicle’ category. This coveted award continues Valtra’s success in the world’s most prestigious design award competition in which Valtra was also recognised in 2016 and 2017. The competition was launched in the 1950s and this year attracted over 6300 entries from 59 countries. These were judged by a jury of 40 independent design experts from around the world. The brand new design of the A4 series makes it a truly versatile performer designed to boost the efficiency of farmers, contractors and municipalities alike.

In a separate event in 2018, the Valtra T254 tractor featuring its ‘SmartTouch’ armrest technology won the renowned ‘Tractor of the Year 2018’ award at the Agritechnica Trade Fair in Hannover, Germany. Included among its many winning attributes is its ‘fitted-as-standard’, SmartTouch armrest which features a nine inch touch screen, an intelligent multi-use drive lever and a new hydraulic joystick which gives the most straightforward user interface in the industry. This allows the driver to control and adjust almost any setting of the engine, transmission, hydraulics, the AutoGuide and Telemetry.

In addition, the 5-step Powershift transmission features four main and two creeper speed ranges for a total of 30 speeds in both directions. Shifting is precise and effortless whether operated fully automatically or manually with the drive lever. The T254 Versu also features Valtra’s special Hill-hold feature, which enables easy starts using just the accelerator pedal, even uphill. This is in addition to Valtra’s revolutionary, patented

hydraulics assistant. This latest innovation provides more hydraulic output automatically, either when stationary or when driving, without affecting driving speed.

Responsible innovation

In December 2018 Valtra announced that it would be the first tractor manufacturer in the world to begin using ‘Neste MY’ renewable diesel as the start-up fuel for all its new tractors. As a result more than 700,000 litres of fossil-based diesel fuel will be replaced each year by 100 per cent renewable fuel.

By beginning to use ‘Neste MY’ renewable fuel Valtra is strengthening its role as a responsible and innovative tractor manufacturer. The quality of the renewable diesel is excellent, and its cold-start properties are equally efficient even in Arctic conditions. Valtra’s renewable diesel is ideal for tractors as well as forklift trucks without the need for any additives and without having to make any adjustments to engines.

“In today’s world it is important that we can demonstrate to our customers that we are taking decisive action to protect the environment. ‘Neste MY’ offers us a simple way to move towards environmentally friendly operations. We are quite a big consumer of diesel so this move is really significant,” said Mikko Lehikoinen, Marketing Director at Valtra.

“The environment is also very important for our customers, who traditionally support ecological values. They are constantly trying to make better choices and no doubt also prioritise responsibility when choosing a tractor brand,” added Lehikoinen.

The number one best seller

For the first time, Valtra has become the best-selling tractor brand in Norway with a market share in 2017 of more than 20 per cent. A total of almost 700 Valtra tractors were sold in Norway in 2017, which means that there was an increase in sales of over 220 tractors from the previous year.

“It has been an amazing year for us. We have dedicated sales staff across the country, good service technicians and of course excellent products. That’s why it it’s so satisfying to be able to reach the top of the scoreboard,” said Tor Jon Garberg, sales manager for Valtra in Norway. “This year we launched several new models that have been very well received by the market. The new SmartTouch Armrest is one of the great, new technological releases that has contributed to its success. Customer feedback has also been very positive,” added Garberg. n