Backed by an investment of over $350 million from its parent company AGCO, and the result of more than six years of research and development, the Massey Ferguson Global Series is a brand-new product line of 60-130hp tractors which will ultimately be assembled at multiple manufacturing sites and sold globally.
“With its forward-looking perspective, our Vision of the Future event is the perfect platform for the world public debut of these new machines,” comments Richard Markwell, Massey Ferguson Vice President and Managing Director Europe/Africa/Middle East (EAME). “This is the largest manufacturing and new product development project in the history of AGCO and is an extremely significant evolution for the Massey Ferguson brand. It signals the biggest extension to our tractor line-up for many years. Massey Ferguson boasts impeccable credentials to spearhead the ambitious Global Series project with unrivalled experience and understanding of designing, manufacturing and selling tractors in international markets.”
“As modern agriculture becomes ever more challenging and hungry for efficient and appropriate mechanisation, these tractors represent a new source of power for world agriculture. Designed from the outset for global distribution, they will offer an array of specification, options and features to suit customers no matter where in the world they farm,” Mr Markwell continued.
Multi-national engineering teams worked on a clean-sheet design. Their brief was to take the concept of the utility tractor and re-engineer it from the ground up whilst incorporating the classic Massey Ferguson design tenets of straightforward, dependable operation. Around 90% of the components are completely new. More than 36,000 hours of lab and field testing have seen prototype models show their paces in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
In a concept unique in the farm machinery industry, the thrust of the manufacturing strategy is to create a highly flexible network of plants where major units and complete tractors can be produced and assembled at multiple locations throughout the world. Plants in the network include Canoas in Brazil, Chennai in India, Manisa in Turkey and Changzhou in China. At Changzhou, a brand-new state-of-the-art factory has been built to act as an anchor facility for both tractor manufacturing and for the supply of major components. Wholly owned and operated by AGCO, the plant is equipped with all the very latest machine tools, assembly processes and systems as distributed extensively in AGCO factories worldwide.
The Massey Ferguson Global Series will be introduced on a phased approach basis over the next five years. Rugged, dependable, easy-to-operate and maintain, they will be available as footstep, semi-platform, platform and cab versions. The first model – the 82hp MF 4708 – is already in production for African markets and the next model up, the MF 4709 will be launched in other EAME markets later this year.
“The Global Series is designed by our experienced engineering teams, built by using cutting-edge manufacturing and quality techniques and fully backed and supported in the field,” adds Mr Markwell. “These tractors are set to become the machines of choice for the new generation of farmers all over the world.”
developments must provide farmers with a good return on their investment and help boost efficiency,” he said. “We will continue to stay close to our customers, listen to their ideas and ensure that our solutions are consistent with their expectations for farming in the real world.”
