Valtra Unlimited is celebrating its first ten years, during which time it has grown to be an important division of the company with a third of all tractors produced passing through its facilities.

Few tractors from any main manufacturer are identical, but Valtra has taken customisation to a new level by creating bespoke machines which meet the customer’s exact specialist requirements.

Multi-role tractors

The company has always taken pride in creating tractors that are a little different from the mainstream, an ethos that has served a small Nordic company well over the years, and it would often work with other companies to provide niche machines.

Valtra unlimited — Valtra Unlimited works closely with other companies to supply factory-fitted implements

Indeed, this is where the name Valtra originates. Any equipment that the then Valmet company was happy enough to be associated with could be sold under the Valtra brand through Valmet dealers.

Come the time for the need of a new name, this moniker was pulled off the shelf and applied to all new tractors from 1997 onwards.

Nordic Tractors

The tractors were always designed for the northern customer base, a market that demanded flexibility, and so the tractors were built for home use, winter snow clearance and forestry.

These three tasks could be asked of any tractor going to a Finnish or Swedish farm and the legacy of versatility has lived on – even surviving the corporate zeal of AGCO.

Specialist equipment Valtra Unlimited — Clearing snow has always been a job for Valtras

This achievement is not to be underrated for it is said that AGCO had, at one time, entertained the idea of merging Valtra, Massey Ferguson, and Fendt together to form one big AGCO tractor brand.

Thankfully, the idea met fierce opposition from the companies concerned and they still defend their independence with vigour, which makes for a much more colourful machinery sector and provides very real choice for the farmer.

While Fendt opted for making a premium tractor and Massey Ferguson focussed on improving the everyday machine, Valtra looked to what it knew best, and that was providing a tractor tailored to the individual.

Valtra Unlimited is born

Creating tractors to suit a wide range of requirements is not always easy to accommodate within a more modern environment of mass production, so the establishment of a separate, yet intimately connected department to provide specialist models would appear a logical way forward.

This has been the approach taken by the company in the launch of Valtra Unlimited a decade ago, and while it is quite happy to provide the razzmatazz of sparkling colours and large arrays of extra lights, it has also grown into a one-stop shop for specialist contractors and municipalities.

Valtra Unlimited Kesla — The Kesla fire-fighting trailer as supplied by Valtra Unlimited

A good example of this is the partnership with Kesla, a company that produces logging cranes for tractors alongside other forestry equipment.

Between the two they have developed a fire-fighting trailer that can be hitched to a tractor with a water cannon mounted on the front loader. This arrangement can hit forest fires from 30m away, ensuring greater safety for the operator.

Growth of digital

Up until now the main thrust of the Valtra Unlimited studio has been towards expanding the mechanical capabilities of the tractors.

However, looking forward, the company believes that the installation of digital systems over and above those which are already available will become an important part of its business.

Tractor Specialisation — Mechanical modifications will always be a vital part of the business, but digital systems will grow

The company has developed a safety feature called VIEW which increases the safety of people who may be working within close proximity of the tractor.

It uses front- and rear-mounted cameras and artificial intelligence to detect objects moving in front of the tractor. The operator can switch between camera views displayed on the high-resolution screen, and is alerted to potential hazards from moving objects via warning lights and sounds.

The legend continues

Valtra is a very organic company; it grew in response to the demands of the Finnish farmer and still makes tractors in the heart of its home market.

Part of working alongside its customers was the supply of additional features to the basic machines and it has always strived, under all the different owners it has had, to offer a more complete package than its rivals.

The formation of Valtra Unlimted is just the latest manifestation of this ingrained company knowledge and is more than just a bolt on extra dreamed up by a marketing department. It has thrived over the last ten years and will most likely continue to do so as this is the company way of doing things.

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