2023 will see tractor manufacturer, Valtra, mark 10 years of the Unlimited Studio from its factory in Suolahti, Finland.
Valtra Unlimited has grown year-on-year, from a few engineers producing a handful of customised tractors back in 2013, to a team of 27 professionals customising over one third of the tractors that left the Suolahti factory in 2022.
Valtra has always had a reputation for offering customers a high level of choice. In 1988, Valmet (as the company was named at the time) was the first manufacturer to offer a full range of cab colours for their customers to choose from. In the early nineties, Valtra’s innovative customer configuration system was introduced at the Suolahti factory allowing customers to specify the exact configuration of their tractor from a wide range of factory-defined options. Valtra Unlimited was born out of a desire to take this customer-led specification to the next level.
Petri Loukiala, Senior Manager, Brand Management, Unlimited Operations said: “The dream was to take our customisation even further – to develop it as a complete personalised experience where customers can specify all the equipment they need, directly from the factory.”
Initially, Valtra Unlimited’s team customised tractors from just two workstations. However, demand quickly grew both with Finnish farmers and international customers from other segments. Today, the Unlimited studio has 10 workstations that can provide everything from custom design options to equipment and features that improve work efficiency and safety.
Test-driving experience
During a Valtra Unlimited test-driving day arranged in Central Finland, Valtra specialists and industry experts from Unlimited’s partner network – including Nokian Heavy Tyres, Piippo hydraulics, Kesla, Vuomet, Noremat, PTG and Arctic Aebi Schmidt – showcased some of the latest innovations available from Valtra Unlimited.
One feature demonstrated at the experience was Valtra Unlimited’s Central Tyre Inflation System by PTG. The system is controlled via SmartTouch and allows operators to easily adjust tyre pressures to reduce soil compaction and slippage on the field and lower rolling resistance and improve fuel economy on the road.
Valtra Unlimited can supply a tractor fitted with Arctic Aebi-Schmidt and Vuomet underbody scraper blades to complete specialist tasks like snow and ice removal in winter and spreading and levelling gravel in summer. The same Unlimited tractor can then be used for sweeping using a front-mounted sweeper. At the same time, additional work lights and warning lights can be fitted at the Unlimited Studio to ensure the tractor is compliant with safety standards.
The future
Valtra Unlimited is currently making investments to expand the Unlimited studio at the Valtra Suolahti factory, and increase the studio’s expertise and innovation to continue serving customer’s individual needs in various sectors
Increasing numbers of customers are requesting cameras to be fitted to their Unlimited tractors. Valtra Unlimited VIEW is a new solution that increases the safety of everyone around the tractor. The system uses front and rear-mounted cameras and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect objects moving in front of the tractor. The operator can switch between camera views displayed on the high-resolution screen, and is automatically alerted to potential hazards from moving objects via warning lights and sounds.
Petri Loukiala said such solutions will play an increasing role in the future of Valtra Unlimited: “Valtra Unlimited is investing in technology like the AI in Unlimited VIEW to solve customer needs with smart solutions.”
