In the 175 years of history of the brand, the AGCO/Massey Ferguson plant in Beauvais has represented from its opening in November 1960 an important part of the brand’s achievements. Many highlights have marked the plant’s path from the 25hp MF 825 series to becoming the Centre of Excellence for engineering and manufacturing of the high specifications Massey Ferguson tractors up to 405hp, making Beauvais the Global Home of Massey Ferguson.
On the occasion of the 175th Anniversary of the Massey Ferguson Brand and the production of the 1,000,000th tractor of its parent plant, the brand looks back on pivotal moments and milestones.
1960 – On 21st November the tractor production begins, making 19,506 in its first year with a site of 10ha.
1965 – The Massey Ferguson plant completes first 100,000 tractors.
1971 – The Massey Ferguson plant completes 250,000 tractors
1974 – In these mid 70’s the Beauvais factory starts to expand significantly with a new line to produce cabs and doubling the assembly line.
1981 – In the early 80’s significant investment and expansion brings in Beauvais a completely new research and development centre. The Beauvais engineering team has ‘Born to Farm’ and drive strong innovation for the Massey Ferguson brand. The factory produced its 500,000th tractor.
1985 – The Beauvais Plant celebrates Massey Ferguson’s 25th anniversary and welcomes 15,000 guests to factory in ten days
1986 – With at that time an investment of 220 million French Francs, the production facilities at the Beauvais plant are completely reconfigured to revolutionise tractors industry with the MF 3000 series tractors, the first to include on-board electronics.
1987 – The Beauvais plants starts production of ISEKI tractors for Japan. This is still the case today celebrating 35 years of partnership with ISEKI.
1989 – In the year celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the French Revolution, the Beauvais plant produces its 600,000th tractor
1992 – Beauvais site French Sales & Marketing department creates Massey Ferguson Finance - The first manufacturer fully integrated financing solution making straightforward and dependable machines accessible to farmers. Now known as AGCO Finance celebrating 30 years in 2022 with our partner DLL.
1994 – 2 Main milestones for the Massey Ferguson plant joining AGCO and creating GIMA to develop and manufacture transmissions.
1998 – The Massey Ferguson Beauvais plants launches the revolutionary MF Power Control lever on the MF 6200 & MF 8200 series.
2000 – No year 2K bug for Massey Ferguson but the production of its 700,000th tractor.
2002 – €130 million investment to prepare for the new generation Series and relocate part of the production of the Coventry plant. A massive investment and the wider recruitment plan in Beauvais.
2008 – In this 50th Anniversary of the Massey Ferguson brand, the Beauvais site inaugurates the new Technology Centre to welcome its visitors and unveils the
MF 8600 series, the first Ag machine introducing SCR technology to comply with emission regulation. Engines with SCR exhaust treatment systems operate with the optimum air/fuel mix for the best economy, resulting in fuel significant fuel savings. This technology is now being used by all manufacturers. This tractor will receive all possible awards including Tractor of the Year, Machine of the Year, SIMA Gold Medal for Innovation.
2010 – Massey Ferguson plant is adjusted to the new AGCO Production System, leading the way in the Lean Manufacturing implementation.
2013 – New expansion for the Plant with the Beauvais 2 Cab facility and International Sales Training Centre opening – 15,5 million € investment. The new Beauvais 2 Assembly Facility achieves the creation of a new dedicated cab assembly line at Beauvais 2 while providing much more space to develop activities on the main site, utilising Lean Manufacturing techniques.
2016 – An industry recognition of Beauvais plan excellence - Beauvais receives two coveted awards: Best Foreign Exporter 2016 as the biggest producer and exporter of farm machinery in France; and Factory of Year 2016 for its lean manufacturing implementation and number one in quality approach
2018 – Beauvais 3 new components logistics centre opens - The opening of this 8ha site with a 30,000m² building that houses Massey Ferguson’s new logistics & kitting centre. Here, the two digit million euros investment streamlines the supply of parts to all the production sites and has created more than 100 new jobs.
2020 – With the new acquisition of a 15,7ha site next door, the Beauvais plant is now looking at investing an additional €40 million as we develop a cutting-edge industry 4.0 site. At the end of this new investment programme, AGCO will have created 300 new jobs for its local Beauvais community as we intend Beauvais to become the Global Home of the Massey Ferguson Brand. The acquisition of the 15.7ha site, which includes 4.5ha of buildings, signals AGCO’s strong appetite for continued investment for improved performance, which will enable Massey Ferguson to meet growing demand for its straightforward and dependable equipment. The expansion will support the integration of new activities through vertical integration, including:
- Tractor customisation workshop to re-integrate activities done abroad & offer our customers specificities they need, starting in by year end 2022
- Additive manufacturing facility, benefiting from acquired expertise on prototype parts 3D printing for manufacturing for small series, complex and customised parts production to support the tractor customisation workshop.
- In-house production of hydraulics pipes (1,340 references integrated) from April 2021.
- Gearbox remanufacturing, offering customers a cost-effective alternative to a brand-new replacement for older machines.
2022 – Beauvais site start in-house production of fuel and AdBlue tanks and produces its 1,000,000th tractor. The site will also shortly reunified his 3 sites called Beauvais 1 (Main historical site), Beauvais 3 (logistic centre) and Beauvais 4 to build one single piece MF Campus bundling all departments all together.
In support of the farming community, Massey Ferguson has an extensive network of over 35 dealers covering the whole of South Africa, catering for parts, service, aftersales and new sales. Potential customers interested in the MF range can obtain all information from the range & products page. Upon completing the contact form, potential customers will have the video, brochure and dealer contact details sent to their WhatsApp and email within 30 seconds.
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology. AGCO delivers customer value through its differentiated brand portfolio including core brands like Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®. Powered by Fuse® smart farming solutions, AGCO’s full line of equipment and services helps farmers sustainably feed our world. AGCO was founded in 1990. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9.1 billion in 2020. For more information, visit www.AGCOcorp.com.
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