Landini Dealers Get Behind the Scenes in Italy

Inlon recently hosted Landini factory visits for dealers to get a feel for the culture behind the Italian tractor brand.

While this tractor powerhouse continues to innovate and evolve to meet farmers’ needs, there are some core values that haven’t changed in its 135-year history. Firstly, the global trend for outsourcing has not pervaded Landini, which continues to take pride in being a true manufacturer with four plants in Italy. Transmissions and axles are built by Landini employees, including machining housings, shafts and gears. Heat-treating and assembly is all in-house, while cabins are welded from components and finished and painted on site.

The tractor assembly lines are the pièce de résistance, where these marvels of modern engineering come together. Second generation farm machinery dealers, Eddy and Tanis Sheather from Sheathers Machinery were impressed:

Headquartered in Fabbrico and employing around 1,800 people, this town has grown around the factory that first opened its doors in 1884. Giovanni Landini had a vision to change farming forever, building their first tractor engine in 1910. Since then, Landini’s reputation for specialist orchard, vineyard and high clearance tractors along with durable utility tractors has grown from this culture of innovation. An important symbol of Landini’s culture is the OLF (Officine Landini Fabbrico) factory stamp. It is the guarantee of Landini authenticity and proof of the pride and commitment that every Landini employee has in the production process.

To those in the know, the OLF mark is as valuable as a jewellery hallmark stamp, reflecting a strong culture of quality that has sadly been lost in the world of outsourced manufacturing. As if to emphasise the Landini heritage, the dealers visited the Frescobaldi vineyard in Tuscany with original buildings date back to 900AD. The Tuscan farming group is still family owned and headed by the 35th generation Frescobaldi. Its first tractor, a Landini Velite from 1940’s, is fully restored and proudly on display.

To this day, the group exclusively uses Landini tractors across their farms. Jim Jardim, Inlon’s Managing Director, has visited many tractor manufacturers around the world. He continues to be impressed with the cleanliness and well organised nature of the Landini factories with their attention to detail and quality focus.