In an endeavour to increase brand recall value and deepen the customer brand connect, an extensive marketing campaign was rolled out during September – November 2019. It was the first ever campaign on such a large scale that covered 18 locations in a period of 60 days. It was a series of continuous events that included road shows, customer meets, Mahindra Jagrukta Abhiyaan and STSC camps. Advertisments in leading dailies also made a favourable impact.
Inaugurations also added to the momentum of these months. A new 3S showroom and workshop with hi-tech facilities opened their doors. While the showroom will make the brand more accessible to the customers; the workshop will ensure great after sales service and maintenance of the tractors.
This is what a company on a mission looks like. In less than a year, the first ArmaTrac tractors weremanufactured in Sudan. In November 2018, Erkunt became the first Turkish tractor brand to be granted a license for production of tractors outside Turkey through GIAD of Sudan. GIAD, one of the biggest industrial enterprises of Africa, is also the official distributor of ArmaTrac. As a result of the technical trainings conducted in the premises of Erkunt and GIAD, the first ArmaTrac tractors were taken out of the production line in July.It was an achievement that needed to be celebrated, and hence Erkunt representatives were in Sudan to mark this milestone occasion
FOR SMALL FARMERS AT AGRITECHNICA 2019
The presence of Mahindra and Mahindra, the world’s largest tractor manufacturer by volume, at Agritechnica held in Hanover, Germany, between 10th – 16th November 2019, had a visionary purpose at its core this year. It was clearly reflected in the theme ‘Not Just Farming, Transforming’. Making their second appearance at the World’s No. 1 agri fair, the company championed the causeof small farmers. Unlike large landholders, small farmers are highly vulnerable to the uncertainties of farming and don’t have easy access to knowledge and advanced technology.
Mahindra is pioneering Farming as a Service (FaaS), a new delivery model that will provide solutionsthat are progressive, and at the same time affordable and accessible to these farmers. FaaS is holistic and will integrate agronomy advisory, mechanisation services and high-tech digital solutions to offer farmers support across their full crop cycle.
At Agritechnica, the company had on display farm mechanisation products from its global portfolio, including the Mitsubishi, Armatrac, Sampo Rosenlew and Hisarlar brands, as well as precision farming solutions that encompassed digital platforms and smart machines. The tractor models included Mahindra’s 6075 and 2025, ArmaTrac’s 804 Fruit Garden, power tillers including ELF 20, MMR 600 and MV 170 models as well as the vegetable high clearance tractor, GM501. Under its farm equipment showcase were the silage press and winder, power harrow, rubber type disc harrow, Alabora 300, deep chisel and square baler. The precision farming solutions included soil mapping and variable rate fertilisation as well as disease detection, potato planter and grape solutions.
Precision farming solutions use a variety of sensors and cameras systems, drones and satellites for monitoring and forecasting, collecting soil, weather and crop information from the farm land, and utilise Artificial intelligence (AI) to highlight localised problem areas. This enables farmers to diagnose andtreat distinct parts of their field differently, enabling them to release the right quantities of fertilizers, pesticides and water to optimise costs and improve crop productivity and quality.
Mahindra also presented DiGiSENSE, its embedded tractor platform, which empowers farmers to monitor the health of their tractor and receive alerts anytime, anywhere. Another asset tracking and optimisation tool showcased was Smart Track. An AI powered telematics solution, it is designed to enhance efficiency and profitability in the management of the farm fleet
Designed to enhance efficiency & profitability.
Digisense empowers farmers to monitor the health of their tractor
The company’s endeavours have been consolidated with the aim to be a trusted partner of small and
medium landholding farmers globally, across the full crop cycle. The company aspires to herald the nextwave of progress in global agriculture, for which it has created a network of Centres of Excellence (CoE) across the globe. This includes Japan (Rice Value Chain and Light Weight Equipment), Finland (Small and Medium sized Harvester), Turkey (Tractor pulled implements and specialised farm equipment), Canada & Switzerland (High-tech precision farming algorithms) and India (Affordable farming solutions including tractors, harvesters, farm implements, as well as high tech, affordable IoT and simple precision farming equipment and solutions).
In addition, the company has invested in a network of 200 Agronomy Advisory Centres impacting 800,000 farmers, a platform for Pay-Per-Use Mechanisation Services and an agronomy-based Farm Management Platform.
During the 7-day event, a major press conference was organised on 11th November at Room Berlin at the Convention Centre within the event venue premises. It was attended by 50 journalists from USA, Turkey, Japan, India, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, UK, Finland, France, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Iran, Switzerland and Slovenia. Members of the press were given a detailed presentation on Mahindra’s latest products and breakthrough technologies. During their interaction with Dr. Pawan Goenka (Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra), he said, “With productivity and profitability as key issues of farmers, we at Mahindra want to champion the cause of the small landholding farmers globally, democratising technologies to make a difference in their lives and transform the way farming is done. We want to do this through the introduction of value-adding technologies currently unaffordable and inaccessible to them. Our new precision farming initiatives showcased at Agritechnica are fine examples of our efforts in this direction.”
We want to champion the cause of the small landholding
farmers globally, democratising technologies to make a
difference in their lives and transform the way farming is done.
When asked if the Mahindra tractors would soon be seen in the European fields, Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar (President & CEO, Farm Equipment Sector) replied, “Mahindra has no concrete plans yet to sell Mahindra tractors in Europe. Two years ago we were certain that we were not going to do that. Moving insight has made us realize that Europe is an interesting market for Mahindra. Whether that will happen under the Mahindra brand, or via Mitsubishi, our Japanese subsidiary brand, or via a new brand, we are not sure yet. It will certainly be more advanced tractors than the ones we sell in India. In the US, Mahindra builds tractors up to 115 HP under its own brand, which meet all Western requirements. We already have a large market share there in that market segment. The same applies to Mitsubishi farm equipment in Japan. Mahindra has already taken major steps in the field of precision agriculture and robot tractors. Especially there I see potential in Europe."
Mahindra has already taken major steps
in the field of precision agriculture and robot tractors
A kit was handed over to every journalist which comprised of the corporate brochure, product brochures of all the exhibits across the Mahindra, Hisarlar and Mitsubishi stand, as well as the Sampo Rosenlew and ArmaTrac stands, a pen drive with all the information and a token of appreciation. The press members were suitably impressed with the advanced farm solutions, and the company’s presence at the event was extensively covered by leading print and electronic media.
The event proved to be a great success for Mahindra with more than 8000 people visiting the stall, including farmers, current and prospective distributors, families as well as individuals from the agri-related industry. At the event, the company’s intent to unleash the transformative potential of technology to empower small farmers to Rise was clearly and firmly established.
The power of two is greater than that of one. In a strategic achievement, Mahindra sealed their partnership with Alamo Group and Topcon.
Alamo Group companies has 34 plants worldwide, with Santa Izabel and Herder companies having portfolios that include implements for soil preparation, stone collectors, brushcutters and more. An alliance with them will not only expand Mahindra’s offerings but also enable us to offer complete solutions to the farmers. “Alamo Group and Mahindra have similar global strength. We need to show this force to Brazil. Leveraging our business will facilitate our growth. The Brazilian producer will realize that we have the solution in tractors as well as implements. Products that add up, which will help them produce better and more”, said Mr. Wilson Bezerra (Commercial Director, Alamo Group, Brazil).
Topcon also has a global presence with 200 factories around the world and a distribution network in 140 other countries. As per Mr. Wagner Silva (Sales Manager, South America), “The partnership with Mahindra is extremely important because it enables the small and medium-sized producer to have access to an easy-to-use and cost-effective technology.”
Company’s aim of pioneering accessible and affordable technology is to transform the lives of farmers. Mahindra had its International Distributor Meet in March 2019 and it was a milestone occasion.
Held between 27th and 31st March 2019, it saw the enthusiastic participation of 44 distributors from 27 countries – Nigeria, Benin, Angola, Mali, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Serbia, Paraguay, Peru, Iran, Afghanistan, Macedonia, Myanmar, Fiji, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, Slovakia and UK. Over the period of 5 days, the representatives stayed in Mumbai to attend the conference and then travelled to Chennai to visit Mahindra Research Valley.
In Mumbai, they attended several sessions by the senior leadership team including Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar (President, Farm Equipment Sector & Member of GEB), Mr. Prakash Wakankar (Chief of International Operations, FES), Mr. Arvind Mathew (Chief of International Operations), Mr. Shubhabrata Saha (Chief of Operations, Farm Division) and Mr. Ravindra Shahane (Head, Global Product Planning). Mr. Sandeep Singh (Head of Exports, International Operations, FES), Mr. Subandhu Arya (Head, Farm Machinery, India), Mr. Madhav Kelkar (GM, Customer Care, International Operations, FES), Mr. Manoj Dalvi (GM, Sales, International Operations, FES) and Mr. Pravin Pillai (Senior Brand Manager, International Operations, FD) also spoke on many important aspects.
Training does to a team what a whetstone does to a knife. With the intent to sharpen the skills of the sales team, a 1-day training session was held in Myanmar.
On 8th Dec 2018, 17 participants gathered at Mahindra’s distributor, Bandoola Enterprises’ showroom in Yangon for a highly informative session on Mahindra Sales System. The topics covered included Enquiry Planning and Generation, Enquiry Management, Sales Process, Win-Lose Sales Funnel Analysis, Measurement and Improvement of Critical Ratio, Planning, Post-warranty Customer Connect. Conducted by Mr. Ravi Vyas (Manager – Field Operations, M&M International Operations), the training gave an allround understanding of the different aspects of sales and how various methods could be used to have a productive sales cycle. After the session, the team gave a very encouraging feedback. They were confident that the training program will help them perform their Jobs more efficiently and systematically.
When opportunity knocks, open the door wide. Team Mahindra did exactly that in Myanmar. At the CII Exhibition held from 13th to 15th December 2018 at Hotel Lotte Yangon, Myanmar, they made their presence felt. Mahindra’s display of tractors was dazzling. On the other hand, the stall space was strategically used to promote the tractors with eye-catching collaterals. It drew in visitors through the three days. The enquiries were well-handled by the people manning the stall. Detailed information was given to ensure that the visitors became well-versed with the advantages of the tractors. The presence of other renowned tractor brands like New Holland, Tafe and Sonalika provided the perfect backdrop for healthy competition. Mr. Ramnath Kovind, Honorable President of India, graced the exhibition as its Chief Guest. Visits from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization as well as Rural, was a potent source of encouragement. Mahindra’s participation in the exhibition is sure to have far reaching benefits in the future.
One should always do more of what they excel in. Even if in some cases, it demands a second try. That’s exactly what Mahindra has set out to do. Fuelled by its purpose of empowering farmers to Rise with agri-mechanization solutions, Mahindra is preparing to make a comeback in the Peru market. The first strategic step has been taken with the appointment of a new distributor M/s Agrimaq (Ornavital Group).
Earlier, Mahindra had a significant presence in the Sierra mountain region of Peru and the tractors were very well accepted by the local farmers. In the second run, it was important to rekindle the existing customers’ confidence in the brand before attracting new customers. Agrimaq moved ahead in this direction with perseverance. Reaching out to the existing Mahindra customers wasn’t an easy task, as they were spread across over 1000 kms. from Lake Titicaca in southeast to Piura in the north-west. However, team Agrimaq was undeterred. Led by Luis Chamorro, Jorge Pau and Cinthia and supported by Gary Valencia, they drove across the length and breadth of the country to achieve their aim.
They bravely endured the varied climate and geographies of the high Andes mountains, coastal plains and northern deserts, and personally met with the existing customers. The team inspected their tractors and noted their requirement for spare parts. After that, the team ensured that the spare parts were made available to them at the earliest. Since it was the beginning of the year, the customers were also gifted Mahindra’s 2019 calendar.
Even though this is just the beginning of the journey for Agrimaq, Peru, the team has displayed true commitment to Mahindra’s Rise philosophy. Their customer-centricity has been beyond limits and their actions have spoken louder than any words could ever have. With a start so good, it’s going to be only a matter of time before Aqrimaq reinforces brand Mahindra’s presence in Peru.
Mahindra has captured a 20% market share in the region, and has won the heart of the paraguay farming community.
For over a decade, Mahindra and M/s MotorMarket have enjoyed a strong business relationship. Where Mahindra’s tractors are built to perform, M/s MotorMarket has put in tremendous efforts as our distributors to intensify brand Mahindra’s presence in the country. Among all, the initiatives taken in the western Chaco region are praiseworthy. This area is characterised by harsh conditions of very heavy soil, thorny bushes everywhere and low rainfall. Farming is limited and totally dependent on the monsoon season that favours pasture crops, dairy and live-stock farming.
MotorMarket works with the co-operatives in this area and organises regular engagement with them. These include frequent visits by Mahindra and MotorMarket officials, training and knowledge sharing sessions and product displays. As a result of these efforts, Mahindra has captured a 20% market share in the region, and has won the heart of the Paraguay farming community.
Mahindra made a power-packed start to 2019 with participation in not one but three major agribusiness events in Brazil.
In February, the brand was present at Show Rural Coopavel, one of Brazil’s biggest trade fair. Held between 4th and 8th February in Cascavel, Parana, it was supported by 5 authorised dealers for the region, Agronomica, Torynno, Simoagro, Maquisolo and Agronews. The fair was visited by around 2,88,000 people, who got to witness the launch of Mahindra’s compact 2025 tractor model. This tractor is just right for working in greenhouses, narrow streets and flowerbeds up to 80cms., where the manoeuvring space is restricted, and is best suited for the needs of producers of tobacco and grapes.
In addition to the launch, Mahindra displayed 8 other tractor models. Its booth was attractively designed and modern with a focus on its new campaign message ‘Made in Brazil. For Brazil.’ The MStore also attracted visitors with its striking structure and brand new merchandise. The event got extensive media coverage with live interviews as well as recordings for websites, news portals, magazines, newspapers, radio and TV. Testimonials of Mahindra’s customers were also taken by the journalists
From 8th to 12th February, Expoprado, an important farm show was organised in South Brazil. In this show, Mahindra was represented by the local dealer, Tudo Agricola, who grandly showcased a range of Mahindra tractor models – 4530, Max 26, 6060, 8000, 8000S and 9125. The event was well attended and producers of stone crops like peach and plum, as well as apple and grape found the brand impressive. Mr. Elton Sotoriva, one of the partners of Tudo Agricola, said, “We show the strength of Mahindra. We work with an emphasis on low power tractors. The producer from the region who came to know Mahindra realised that we have what he needs.” The other mega event Mahindra was part of was Expodireto Cotrijal. One of Brazil’s largest agricultural fairs, it took place between 11th and 15th March and was attended by esteemed personalities. Mr. Hamilton Mourao (Hon. Vice President of the Republic), Ms. Tereza Cristina (Minister of Agriculture), Mr. Eduardo Leite (Governor, Rio Grande do Sul) graced the event with their presence. From Mahindra’s side, Mr. Cleo Franklin (Vice President, Marketing, Dealer Development and Strategy, Latin America) was present at the event and interacted with the press as well as shared important issues regarding the Brazilian market. “I can observe and feel what our customers need. How it acts and how we should lead the Brazilian brand.” he said. This was the 20th edition of the fair and it was the biggest one by far. The brand’s presence here will for sure have a far reaching positive impact.
