F O C U S 5 Photos: Cover and photo page 7 - © Steyr. Teaser photo, pages 4, 6, 8, 9 - Gerhard Langusch. ‹F›: Mr. Klauser, the agricultural machinery brands Steyr and Case IH, as well as fire engine brand Magirus Lohr are based in St. Valentin. What led you to make St. Valentin the European headquarters? Is Austria known as a particularly attractive location for the agricultural machinery market, or was it rather the Austrian production quality that prompted the decision to establish your headquarters here? ‹Andreas Klauser (A.K.)›: As a matter of fact it was a combination of various aspects. Of course one of them was that Steyr tractors have been manufactured in St. Valentin for close to 70 years. Another reason was that we are lucky to have a very sophisticated engineering unit and, from a logistical point of view, we are optimally located within Europe. Another factor was naturally the location itself, more specifically the greater area of Steyr, Linz and Wels – cities with universities and a high standard of apprenticeship training. These were some of the reasons and factors that ultimately led us to our decision of transferring the European headquarters to St. Valentin. ‹F›: Mr. Huber, what significance does research and development have at Steyr and Case IH and to what extent can it be said that R&D reinforces the two brands? ‹Christian Huber (C.H.)›: Research and development has top priority for Steyr and Case IH. It was also one of the crucial factors why an international group showed its interest in the Steyr plant. We draw our expertise from our strong legacy of innovation. Bear in mind that Steyr was one of the first companies to develop the innovative CVT technology (i.e. the continuously variable transmission) and to implement it into an agricultural tractor, which was an industry first. Apart from that, our key product focus related to the Alpine environment has also evolved out of the R&D area. This particular field includes the electronically controlled front linkages that have led to improved weight compensation, superior soil conservation and maximum efficiency. Farmers in the Austrian region contribute to this legacy of innovation. As some of them have completed their professional training in the field of engineering and work at Steyr, they have the necessary knowhow and understand exactly what our customers need. ‹F›: Steyr is Austria‘s favorite tractor brand. But there must be more than just the red-white-red paintwork to which Steyr owes its success. What makes Steyr tractors so special? ‹A.K.›: Steyr tractors have a long tradition. While this is obviously not a guarantee for future success, it does form a stable foundation. Further success factors are the quality and the models specifically geared to the Austrian market, to be more precise, geared to German-speaking countries like South Germany, Switzerland and also Northern Italy. These markets have one thing in common: farmers are interested in extremely detailed specifications and have very specific machinery requirements. Another reason is that farmers in these markets don‘t want products off the shelf but rather tailor-made machinery that matches their exact needs. This is an aspect that benefits the Steyr brand and which, as Mr. Huber has already pointed out, is specifically developed right here: in the region for the region. ‹C.H.›: What distinguishes a Steyr tractor? Steyr tractors are built by Austrians for Austrians. This is also reflected in research and development. The engineering center at the plant in St. Valentin might not be the engineering headquarters of CNH Industrial (which is in Modena, Italy), but it is nevertheless a very important branch for the company as a whole, for all tractors intended for Alpine farming with an exceptional level of comfort. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the Alpine models are further technologies that Steyr brought into the corporate group. ‹F›: How do you think the tractor market will evolve over the next two or three years? ‹A.K.›: In my opinion, it won‘t continue to grow but rather stabilize at the same level which it was in 2015 and will be in 2016. The trend toward all-round, high-performance machinery will continue. The Steyr Terrus CVT, for example, belongs to this tractor category. The reason for this trend is that very frequently two tractors with a performance of 70 to 80 hp are replaced by one tractor with 240 hp. This is because the number of people working on farms has decreased. The older generation retires, so there is a lack of people working on the farm. The only remaining option is to use a high-performance tractor to farm the land that used to be managed by more workers and more equipment.
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