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The “Oscar Carraro” Tractor Museum is inaugurated

Rovigo, 22 May 2015 – Today at Carraro Agritalia, the leader in the design and production of specialized tractors, the “Oscar Carraro” Tractor Museum was inaugurated.

This exhibition space is dedicated to the origins of the Group’s industrial activity up to the present day.

This area aims to recount the evolution of agricultural machines through an exhibit of a series of models that could change over time.

The story starts at the beginning of the 1900s and tells how step-by-step the company became one of the industry’s benchmarks on a global level.

Undoubtedly, it was Oscar Carraro who marked the most important moments in that history and for whom the Tractor Museum is named. 

Indeed, it was Oscar who contributed first-hand in determining a new avenue for the company with the arrival of the first agricultural tractor branded “Tre Cavallini” in 1960.

He and his brother Mario had followed in the inventive wake of their father Giovanni. The museum is located in a dedicated area at the Carraro plant in Rovigo.

Inside the museum there are five tractors that symbolize the success of the company during the 1960s and 1970s. More specifically, the exhibition space will display:

- A C18 automatic seeder from 1957, the first Carraro vehicle to resemble a tractor. More than 1,000 units were produced, all hand-built.
- A C23 model from 1959, which was conceived for use in open fields and included both narrow and wide versions. Over 4,500 units were made through 1964.
- A model 230 tractor introduced in 1964, the first four-wheel drive tractor which was especially adapted for use on steep grades.
- A model 555 crawler tractor dating back to 1969, which was designed to operate in extreme conditions like limited manoeuvring space and arduous slopes.
- A model 354 tractor from 1974, one of the first vehicles to have the characteristics of a modern tractor. More than 6,000 units were produced.

The inauguration of the Museum was the perfect opportunity to describe what Carraro Agritalia is today. 

Over time, the Rovigo plant has become the recognized leader on an international level for the design and production of specialised tractors, mainly for vineyards and orchards.

Since the 1980s, the company has collaborated with the main manufacturers of agricultural machines, relationships that have been consolidated over time.

Carraro Agritalia is the undisputed leader in its class and the first choice for industrial groups including John Deere, Massey Ferguson and Claas – they come here to make their range of special tractors – which is proof enough.

Among the most relevant facts in recent years, in 2011, that plant activated a project to completely renovate its production methods, striving towards a leaner system called Project APS - Agritalia Production System.

In 2012, the plant became ISO14001 certified, making it a benchmark in environmentally-friendly production.

Finally, in 2014, Agritalia became OHSAS 18001:2007 certified, reaching a level of excellence in the management and the protection of health and safety in the work place, one of the first Italian companies to do so in its sector. Maintaining this approach, Carraro Agritalia confirms its position as leader on the market thanks to its technological and production competencies and data from the beginning of the year are decidedly positive.

In the first quarter of 2015, the company registered significant growth in turnover going from 19.3 million Euros (equivalent to 730 tractors) in the first quarter of 2014 to 33.6 million Euros (1,225 tractors), which is an increase of 74.2%. 

Also, in the general market context, which has seen a reduction in the volume of agricultural machines, the reference sector for the Carraro Agritalia plant, that of specialised tractors for vineyards and orchards, has been very positive and is going against the trends. 

This last result is due to the validation registered for the new products launched by the Rovigo plant in the second part of 2014 and is validated even further by the satisfying order portfolio forecasted for the 2015 year.

In the first quarter, Agritalia knew how to take advantage of the opportunity on the market, increasing its rate of production and its level of service during peak season.

Additionally, there were also highly positive results from notable improvement in efficiency regarding production management.