Low fuel consumption, great efficiency and a high degree of automation make Steyr and Case IH machines top sellers.
When the American brand Case IH, whose beginnings date back to 1842, took over the Austrian tractor legend Steyr in 1996, a true powerhouse was created in Lower Austria: Today, more than 10,000 Steyr and Case IH agricultural machines come off the production line in St. Valentin. Christian Huber, Managing Director CNH Industrial Österreich GmbH and Vice President Global Product Management for Case IH & Steyr Tractors, gives an insight into the philosophy of the group.
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CASE-IH_Christian-Huber-1024x683.png)
© Case IH
You manufacture both Case IH and Steyr tractors. How do the
two brands differ?
Christian Huber: One difference is certainly the dealer network.
With Steyr, we are increasingly represented in the Central European
market, whereas with Case IH we have a worldwide dealer
network. Case IH also offers a portfolio of harvesting machines
compared to Steyr. There are some differences in the details of
vehicle operation or equipment. While Case IH focuses on automation,
a Steyr tractor offers more adjustment options, such as allwheel
drive, differential locks, CVT functions (NB: automatic transmission
without gearshifts) or cab suspension. Case IH can look
back on 180 years of tradition and experience, while Steyr has stood
for cutting-edge technology and high-quality machines for over 75
years. Both brands are united by first-class service, and proven
technical innovations are also used to ensure maximum productivity
for customers in the agricultural, forestry and municipal sectors
How do you manage to have the astonishing number of more
than 10,000 tractors coming off the production line?
Huber: First and foremost, this success is due to the dedication and
commitment of our employees. Our lean management system helps
us to make our processes efficient and optimise our working methods.
This enables us to keep production as smooth and effective as
possible. With just-in-time delivery of materials to the assembly
line, we also ensure that the materials we need are delivered exactly
when they are needed. This keeps our stock levels to a minimum
and increases the production flow considerably. In recent
years, we have also invested in low-cost automation, advanced
bolting technology and a new state-of-the-art paint shop.
What are your core or largest sales markets, and are there any
countries you are currently focusing on in particular?
Huber: For CNH Industrial Austria, Europe, with a focus on Germany,
France and Austria, is the most important market. Internationally,
Australia, New Zealand and the USA are very important.
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CASE-IH_OPTUM-340-CVXDRIVE_IN-THE-FIELD-1024x683.png)
© Case IH
What makes Austria an attractive location for you? Couldn’t
you produce much more cheaply abroad?
Huber: Austria is an attractive location for us for various reasons,
although we are aware that it is a high-cost country. The decisive
advantage here is certainly that we get very well-trained employees
in Austria. Many of them have a connection to agriculture or
are part-time farmers themselves. This means that they are not only
very familiar with the realities of our customers’ lives, but also know
exactly what their wishes and needs are. It is precisely this knowledge
that is crucial and flows into their daily work when they
manufacture products for our customers.
We attach great importance to providing machines of the highest
quality with the Made in Austria label. To ensure this quality,
we rely on careful process assurance and optimisation. The process
steps are so precisely defined and our employees so well trained
that the error rate is almost zero.
Although we could possibly produce abroad at lower costs, we
are convinced that the advantages of a high-quality product manufactured
in Austria outweigh the additional costs. Our customers appreciate the quality and reliability of our tractors, and we are
proud to be able to maintain this standard.
We attach great importance to providing machines of the highest
quality with the Made in Austria label. To ensure this quality,
we rely on careful process assurance and optimisation. The process
steps are so precisely defined and our employees so well trained
that the error rate is almost zero.
Although we could possibly produce abroad at lower costs, we
are convinced that the advantages of a high-quality product manufactured
in Austria outweigh the additional costs. Our customers appreciate the quality and reliability of our tractors, and we are
proud to be able to maintain this standard.
To what extent have digitisation and AI already made inroads
in the world of tractors? Are self-driving machines an issue?
Huber: In general, due to automation and built-in technology,
our machines enable efficient operation with lower fuel consumption
and optimised use of seed and fertiliser. The precision
technology enables exact track planning with 2.5 cm track accuracy
as well as an automatic turning and steering system to
prevent overlaps during work and to be as economical as possible
in the field. All operational and fleet data can be accessed
by customers via mobile phone, tablet or computer, coordinated
and shared with dealers, who can thus service our customers
even faster and more efficiently via remote diagnostics and
software updates, without the machine having to go to the
workshop. We presented a concept of autonomous
driving last year at SIMA (NB: the leading
international trade fair for agriculture and
livestock) in Paris.
What measures did you have to take or have you taken in terms
of sustainability in production?
Huber: We attach great importance to the optimised use of energy
in order to minimise consumption and use resources more efficiently.
We therefore use energy-efficient machines and an energy-saving
production process. We are currently actively working on the
integration of a photovoltaic system in our factory. By using solar
energy, we want to generate our own sustainable electricity and
thus keep CO2 emissions as low as possible.
Does the trend in tractors go towards electrification as in cars?
Huber: Whether an alternative concept would be suitable for customers
in the future also depends on the agricultural application.
We see this trend in tractors in the smaller power segment of up to
100 hp and with lower utilisation of four to five hours per day, for
example. Here, the use of a battery-electric model makes absolute
sense in the next few years. For high-performance tractors, on the other hand, a combustion engine will continue
to be necessary. The reason for this is the low
autonomy, i.e. the rather short time a battery-
electric tractor can be operated without
charging or refuelling.
Of course, all this may change in the future. In addition, a hybrid
solution could also be interesting in the future – i.e. a combustion
engine in combination with an electric transmission; we are working
on various solutions here.
![](http://weltmeister.cc/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CASE-IH_PUMA-260-CVXDrive_INSIDE-CAB1-1024x768.png)
© Case IH
How concerned are you about the rise in energy prices on the
one hand, and high inflation in general on the other? Do you pass
on increased costs to customers in full?
Huber: In production, we are not so strongly affected by the increased
energy costs because we are an assembly company. Of
course, we clearly feel the price increases of our suppliers and their
components. In order to be able to continue to work economically,
we have to include them proportionately in our price calculations,
for example in the area of steel, cast iron and housings.
Especially during the years of the pandemic, the reliability of
supply chains was a problem. Has that subsided now, or how do
you secure your supply chains?
Huber: Maintaining supply chains was a challenge, especially during
the years of the pandemic.. Although the supply chains have
improved in the meantime, the situation is still tense. The industry
is working at such a high level that suppliers are currently reaching
their capacity limits. We continue to take measures here to secure
our supply chains and are therefore working closely with our suppliers
to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.
With the shortage of skilled workers, the next crisis has arrived
in the Austrian economy. Do you feel the shortage of labour?
Huber: Yes, we feel the shortage of workers, but we have taken
active measures to counteract it. For example, in the last two and
a half years we have been able to create more than 250 new jobs
in the company to meet our staffing needs and ensure that we have
enough skilled employees. However, the focus is of course also on
our existing workforce; here, far-reaching measures to promote
health such as a subsidy for bicycles and e-bikes, sports offers,
physiotherapy, a company kitchen, to name but a few, are particularly
important to us in order to ensure good conditions in the long
term.