Indian conglomerate Mahindra was one of the big talking points at this year’s Agritechnica show.
The group is home to multiple individual brands. For example, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) – part of the conglomerate – recently signed a deal with Turkish-based tractor maker Erkunt (which includes the ArmaTrac brand) to acquire the latter.
Along with units destined for Turkey, Erkunt manufactures a range of tractors for export – from around 55hp up to 110hp – under the ArmaTrac brand-name.
ArmaTrac tractors are starting to pop up here in Ireland in increasing numbers; the Irish importer is Brogan Tractor Sales – based in Cloghan, Co. Offaly.
Notably, at Agritechnica, several new Mahindra products were on show – including the 120hp 9125P tractor.
Sampo Rosenlew is part-owned by the Mahindra empire. This development commenced back in 2016, when M&M acquired a 35% equity stake in the Finnish harvester manufacturer.
Sampo Rosenlew, as we know it today, was established in 1991. The manufacture of combine harvesters began in 1957. More than 50,000 combine harvesters have been sold to almost 50 countries during the past 60 years.
The move is intended to enable M&M to break into growing harvester markets in India, China, Africa and the Middle East.
M&M’s interests also include Mitsubishi Mahindra Agricultural Machinery of Japan and Hisarlar in Turkey.
Hisarlar’s roots can be traced back to 1974; it began when Fazlı Turker – the entity’s founding president – started a small auto body-shop in Eskisehir.
Turkey’s first domestically-manufactured tractor safety cab; Turkey’s first domestically-built tiller (1985); and the export of heavy equipment cabs to the Netherlands (since 1988) are among its claimed firsts.
Today, Hisarlar has three separate factories (totalling approximately 55,000m²). In addition to manufacturing safety cabs for tractors, ‘heavy’ equipment, agricultural machinery and metal fabrication products, it created Turkar – Turkey’s first 4X4, off-road ‘light truck’. Hisarlar employs around 1,000 people.
