‘MF By You’ is a a new factory-fit service that enables farmers to specify their tractors to better meet their agronomic, comfort or operational expectations, according to Massey Ferguson, a worldwide brand of AGCO.
It is a service that takes the optimisation of a tractor a step further by allowing customers to select additions from a larger range of options than are available factory fitted on the production line, including, it would appear from press images, a choice of paint schemes.
Following the Finns
This follows in the well-established tracks of its sister company Valtra (formally Valmet) which, in 1988, offered the revamped Valmet Power Plus range in four different colours, arguing that the tractor’s shape was enough to distinguish it from its competitors.
The Finnish company, which had always been amenable to adapting tractors for customers, took the concept one step further with the establishment of Valtra Unlimited in 2013, which put such requests on a more formal footing.
The venture has been a success for the company with around a third of all tractors passing through the workshops with an associated increase in its revenue stream.
Dedicated space for MF By You
AGCO has now allowed, or even encouraged, Massey Ferguson to do the same with the building of a new 1,000m2 workshop at Beauvais, France, dedicated to the fitting of extra options to the tractors.
The decision to go down this route may surprise some as Massey Ferguson has a tremendously strong brand image centred on the famous red and grey livery.
There is the risk that painting them in a different colour may well dilute the brand image, making it a bold move for the company.
Comfort and practicality
Although Valtra has not divulged the value of customisation to the company’s balance sheet, the various options available are not provided on a charitable basis, and MF By You is hardly likely to be any different.
The options include tinted windows, floor mats, and seat covers to increase driver comfort, while operational versatility is aided by non-standard wheel sizes, central tyre inflation systems and the fitting of guidance systems to Visio Roof cabs.
All the equipment installed by MF For You complies with statutory regulations and homologation requirements. They also conform to the same quality standards set by the factory and come with a full warranty.