It is no secret that the demand for new tractors has fallen in Europe during the past three years, but it is less well-known that in these cost-conscious times some buyers are prepared to spend many £thousands to have their new tractors customised. Finnish tractor maker Valtra has a long-standing tradition with this type of work. However, even company top brass had reservations when a separate division called the Unlimited studio was established three years ago to take care of the special builds and grow the numbers. The initiative has been a big success, last year handling around 1,000 tractors. This year the team are on target to double the numbers to 2,000 (equivalent to 25% of the 8,000-odd new tractors Valtra plans to make this year) and the studio is fully booked until the autumn.
Confident the demand will continue to increase, Valtra marketing manager Olli Honkamäki has ambitious plans to increase the numbers still further. Working six days a week, the current capacity of the facility, which has a staff of 15 and provides space to work on nine tractors at a time, is around 2,500 units. “We are currently re-arranging the layout of the building to increase the capacity and may soon need to recruit more staff,” he adds.
Back to this year’s 2,000 Unlimited tractors, which are split equally between industry (construction, airports, forestry and local authorities) and agriculture. Unlimited includes everything that cannot be done when a tractor is on the production line. Typically, this includes additional tyre options, an extra hydraulic tank or air-line and compressor. It also includes extra electrical sockets, work lights, leather seat and steering wheel, built-in fridge and sound system, a carbon-fibre look dashboard and even a breathalyser! It depends a bit on the level of work required, but before a tractor leaves the Unlimited studio it is generally finished with an Unlimited seat cover and floor mat, and an Unlimited steering wheel centre cap and cab door hinges.
Colour is one of the most popular changes carried out in the studio. Solid red is the standard production line livery, but other colours that can be added at the same time are white, black, silver, metallic red and metallic blue – the metallic options costing around £750. The 100-odd agricultural customers keen for another colour each year can choose anything they want, including gold, pink and even champagne, with some colours costing upwards of £2,500.
N and T Series tractors are the most frequently customised ones, all of which are driven off the production line and into the Unlimited Studio. So why is the concept proving so popular? “Large numbers of Valtra tractors are destined for owner operators who spend many hours a day in the cab,” says Mr Honkamäki. “They are proud of their tractors and like to give them a unique look.”
The Unlimited concept is also growing in popularity. “We have loyal customers that like the product and the good residual values,” says national sales manager Mark Broome of Valtra UK. “When the time comes to part-ex a tractor some customers are looking to upgrade to something a bit special. A different colour is popular. So too are LED lights and different tyre options.”
