European Division of AGCO

This year the partners of AgroCentre met the spring in Italy. In early March, the company arranged a trip abroad for Russian farmers. The guests visited the AGCO combine harvester production facility in Breganze, Italy, and familiarised themselves with the country’s farming.

The guests visited the factory museum, where they were informed that the facility dates back to 1873. In 1934, it manufactured the first 48A trailer mower and in 1963 it turned out the first self-propelled combine. Today the production complex has pooled its technological resources to serve all European brands of AGCO harvesting equipment. Challenger, Fendt and Massey Ferguson grain combine harvesters are assembled here on an area 60,000 sq m. More than 650 people are engaged in the production. The guests visited all of the manufacturing departments, from raw materials reception and metal laser cutting to painting and assembly. They expressed strong approval of the welding shop with its 40 welding stations, 9 of which are robotised. They also looked over the assembly zone. At the height of season, up to 7 combines roll off the production line in a 9 hour shift. They visited the AGCO spare parts depot, which offers a product range of 35,000 items. The farmers were particularly impressed by the test ground where combines are tested for three hours at 100% load.

Victor Chernov, Chairman of the Ponomaryov Farming Production Cooperative, Tambov oblast, pointed out that such tests of the AGCO equipment “in real combat conditions” can be trusted.

“We use Challenger tractors,” says Victor Chernov. “Their quality is fine. It’s good that the company pays so much attention to the careful testing of its equipment, all of which makes it possible to avoid disagreeable surprises in field work.”

Specialists of the facility explained that hefty investments were made in the engineering modernisation of the enterprise. This year, the plans call for commissioning new automated painting lines where dip baths will be installed. And the welding shop will be re-equipped. In addition, it will receive the latest machines.

The farmers could familiarise themselves with the country’s agriculture on the FATTORIA DIDATTICA PERON farm. The 120 head milk production animal stock is serviced here by a mere 5 people. The milk is used to produce cheese which the guests sampled with pleasure.

“We very much liked the way the manure removal system is robotised,” says Alexander Zemlyansky, head of the Voskhod-VVV LLC, Chelyabinsk oblast. “The robot moves over the cowshed, removing the manure through a special slatted floor. The manure is subsequently used as fertiliser. We still have a long way to go to achieve something like it!”