Massey to invest DES MOINES, lA. - The downturn in tractor demand the past few years has presented a relentless challenge to improve tractor manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs. To meet this challenge, Massey- Ferguson, the western world’s largest producer of tractors, is investing over $31.5 million in its plant for the MF 200 series tractors to improve utilization of plant capacity, streamline production, and increase efficiency. The plant, located in Coventry, England, is the world’s largest for tractors. In 1985 nearly 6,700 tractors made at this plant were sold through the Massey-Ferguson North American sales office inDes Moines, lowa. Scott Glover, MF’s director of supply, said: “Since 1976, the in dustry has suffered from over supply and laggmg demand. We needed to match our tractor facilities to the lower sales volumes, while at the same time making better quality products at lower cost to compete effectively with the more than 50 other makers of tractors around the world. These were the key ob jectives of a strategic plan we put in place two years ago to secure the future of our tractor manufacturing base,” Glover explained. Due to be completed next year, the project includes: • a major re-layout of machinery and assembly areas using the latest manufacturing technology. • modernization of “goods HUNT VALLEY, Md. - While the portrait of gloom and doom is being painted for American agribusiness in today’s world, nearly 700 participants at the annual district-wide meeting of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore listened to a different song. During the three days of meetings from March 10 through 12, officials from the 26 affiliated Federal Land Bank/Production Credit Associations and the Baltimore Banks’ board of directors heard panel discussions and speakers draw a hardworking picture of success for one of only two profitable districts of the Farm Credit System throughout the nation. The nine Farm Credit Associations of Pennsylvania sent their own presidents and directors as representatives, while two Pennsylvanians appeared in one of the panel discussions giving their associations’ viewpoint on han dling and implementing new marketing strategies. Jay Rush, president of the York Association, and William England, chairman of the board of directors of the West Central Association, participated with three other panelists from the Baltimore Farm Credit District. Rush and England both agreed that the needs of the borrowers must be met in a timely, economic fashion with marketing as a tool to reach borrowers. “We try to view marketing as the total process of providing credit and related services to farmers and other eligible applicants in such a manner that both their BUSINESS NEWS... receiving” and component storage. • a new generation of com puterized systems for planning and monitoring production. • relocation of the engineering center and consolidation of all machining operations into the main plant. Two major contributions to the Sianufacturing innovation now in peration are a new installation for assembling transmissions using automated guided vehicles, and a robot paint-spraying facility. Automated Guided Vehicles Under the command of a com puter system, each driverless vehicle locates and carries all the parts needed to make a tran smission, acts as a mobile work station for fitters to assemble the transmission, and delivers the completed unit to test rigs. The vehicles are controlled by signals from a wire ‘loop’ buried beneath the floor. An electronic ‘eye’ and other safety devices on the vehicle ensure that if it should be about to run into anything or anyone, it will stop instantly. Robot Painters The robot paint sprayers can see and recognize up to 100 different shapes and sizes of components, and can paint each one as ac curately and expertly as a skilled human operator. As components enter the paint booth, a line-scan camera iden tifies them and activates a com puterized program to operate the robot arm. Farm Credit officials see ag problems leveling ofT stated and unstated needs are met now and for the foreseeable future,” said Rush, with England adding “We should help our borrowers make more money.” The Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore serve not only Penn sylvania but Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. One of 12 nationwide districts of the Farm Credit System, the Baltimore Banks are comprised of three separate banking in stitutions. The Federal Land Bank (FLB) and the Federal In termediate Credit Bank (FICB) offer long-term and short-term financing along with other financial services to individual farmers and rural home owners through 26 local Farm Credit Associations including the nine associations in Pennsylvania. The third bank within the organization, the Bank for Cooperatives (BC), serves only agricultural cooperatives. Making his first public ap pearance as the new head of the Farm Credit Corporation of American (FCCA) at the meeting, H. Brent Beesley took the op portunity to pat the Baltimore District on the back for a job well done. Chartered last year, the FCCA’s purpose is that of strategic planning and central policy making for the entire Farm Credit System. “Well-managed banks like Baltimore have a legitimate in terest in how other districts price their loans,” siad Beesley referring to some of the ailing districts that the Baltimore Banks 31.5 million in tractor Computer controlled automated guided vehicles handle much of the “leg work” at Massey-Ferguson's tractor plant located in Coventry, England Initially, the robots are “taught” completed are all part of a how to paint each individual program of inter-related activities component by a skilled operator to help us achieve lower product using the spray gun manually, costs and maintain competitive Each precise move is repeated prices,” said Glover, automatically by the robot every “Equally important is the time the particular component is flexibility they give to our identified by the camera. manufacturing, which will help Components are accepted in any improve our delivery performance sequence, and the robots can make by increasing the speed with which any change in color of the paint we can respond to changes in needed from component to com- market demand and build tractors ponent. to the precise specifications “All developments m-process or wanted by customers ” helped by contributing in excess of $l3 million during the past year. “If one district’s gomg to help pay another’s bills, you want a voice in setting policy.” Cutting the 1985 yearly earnings in half, the Baltimore Banks were only one of two Farm Credit System districts that operated at a profit in 1985. With the amount contributed and additional operating cost, the Banks showed a $12.6 million profit. While the Baltimore District Lewisburg FmHA office announces promotions LEWISBURG Two recent promotions in the position of agricultural management specialist occurred in the Lewisburg County office of Far mers Home Administration. Mildred Turner was promoted to county supervisor. Turner comes to Lewisburg with extensive training and experience in administering the rural housing and farmer programs in FmHA. Her recent past assignment was as an assistant county supervisor in SAN ANTONIO, TX - Visibility is the key to the success of any kind of fence. With that in mind, the people at Snell Power Fence Systems have introduced a highly visible electric fence tape. Constructed of heavy duty polypropylene, Snell’s unique Polytape is bright orange in color, half an inch wide and hard to miss in any pasture situation. Five strands of stainless steel wire, woven into the Polytape, carry electric current down the fence. Once livestock associate the colorful tape with electric shock, they respect a single strand of Polytape by itself or attached to another fence. Snell’s new Polytape is used primarily for temporary electric fencing functions such as strip grazing and crop protection. However, Polytape’s high cannot afford to function with blinders under current economic conditions, the District can enjoy one of the more secure positions, making future change a little less traumatic. Gene L. Swackhamer, President of the Baltimore Banks, reflected on the condition of the District. “Adversity will not disappear from agriculture in 1986 and the Farm Credit System will not be exempt from its share of the stress,” said Swackhamer, “but we are well positioned to adjust. the Mifflmtown County Office of Juniata/Mifflin Counites. Turner is a graduate of Penn State University, where she earned a Masters degree in Animal In dustry from the College of Agriculture. She received a Bachelor’s Degree from Murray State University, Kentucky, and an Associate Degree from Alfred State College, Alfred, New York. “Mille” as she is known, is a native of Elmira, New York, but now resides in Centre County. She is married and has one son. Snell fence tape has high visibility visibility makes it ideal for fencing dealers throughout the United horses. One or more strands of States. For information on Polytape running along the top of a Polytape, and other fencing in barbed or net wire make it easy for novations, contact Snell Systems, horses to see a fence and judge its Inc. at P.O. Box f’/69, San An distance. tonio, Texas 782]*. The phone Snell’s Polytape is available in number is (512)494-5211. Outside of 655’ rolls from Power Fence Texas call toll free: (800)531-5908. Snell's bright orange Polytape is *.ven into five strands of stainless steel wire. eduction Production Occupying an 83-acre site, the plant has more than 1.5 million square feet of floor space specializing in the production of MF’s popular 200 series tractors - economic, medium specification machines in the power range most widely used by the world’s far mers- approximately 35 to 90 h.p. The plant accounts for over half of Massey-Ferguson’s world-wide production of tractors, which last year totaled nearly 112,000 units. We have a strong capital base, a proven record of quality borrowers, and a lean and cost effective operation.” Even though the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore will continue to aid troubled districts should assistance be necessary, Swackhamer firmly believes the problems are leveling off. Midwest land prices are bottoming and the dawn of lower energy costs will help operating budgets. Joining Turner as assistant county supervisor is William Massey. Massey was transferred from the Wellsboro County office in Tioga County. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where he was awarded a Masters degree in Plant Science. He has owned a wholesale nursery business as well as sold real estate. BUI is a native of Williamsport, but now resides in Franklin County. He is mas cd and has two sons, ages 16 and 13. V > *** *
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