Such low fuel consumption tractors were destined to fulfill the strategical task of rapid rising production of meat, milk and dairy for the people of Poland. With these needs meet as planned between the years 1976 and 1985 Gierek would be able to end his years of serving as Chief of State in peace and glory, and Poland could avoid the calamities of 1980s and 1990s which followed mainly because of the lack of sausage in state-owned stores.
(Source of the picture: pixafuel.com)
The Banner Lane mechanical works in Coventry, England were established in 1939 as a shadow factory to support the British armament industry in the face of endangering of Britain by the air forces of Nazi Germany. The decision was made because of the British patriotism of the Canadian owners of this corporation. After war the next decision followed — to make the works the part of the Massey Ferguson's peaceful industrial empire and the source of well-being for the inhabitants of the old country. Since 1946 the light-weight tractors were produced there by British workers.
As early as in the 1940s, tractors from the British Isles began their conquest of the USA and Canada. The small farmers found that nowhere would they find a friend like the Ferguson tractor 35.
During 1940s already these tractors became widely known as the most successful work partner of hundreds of thousands of progressive farmers. No other brand has achieved more for tractor's design and manufacture than Massey Ferguson. Since the year 1962 this one brand was also the best selling in the agricultural machinery market worldwide.
This great achievement was a common success for an international network of tractors producing industrial plants, organised by the British management in Coventry
In 1959, Massey bought 100% of Landini mechanical works in Italy. Landini has built many models for Massey over the years, specializing in the vineyard and crawler models. In 1966, Massey purchased 32 percent of the Spanish tractor and auto company Ebro, called also Motor Iberica. Ebro had now began building some its own models for Massey, and Massey models under license. In the year 1973, Massey purchased German Eicher tractor and many Massey-licensed Eichers were built.
During the 1950s and 1960s, when almost all British industry was going through great difficulties, Massey Ferguson turned into hallmark of excellence from good old England. Harry Ferguson at the wheel of the 200,000th MF TE 20.
As we can see there were some European countries which benefited to the cooperation with Massey Ferguson, including for West Germany at the height of its industrial power
There were also two nations of Catholic culture which had no difficulty in making British tractors, earning a lot of money and gaining first class technology for themselves. The management of Banner Lane industrial plant had no sectarian or racial prejudices. The commitment to drive in pursuit for excellence in the quality of products and in every other aspect of the cooperation agreements became another brand mark of Massey Ferguson British branch and its only demand for the foreign partners interested in its technical solutions.
During the 1970s, people from all over the world used to come to Coventry to learn about Massey Ferguson 200 Series tractors and how the agricultural machinery that comes with these tractors works. Massey Ferguson’ equipment instructors had a steady income and a high position in society secured in countries like India, Kenya or the Philippines.
(All pictures in the text are screenshots from the You Tube video: Banner Lane Factory From 1946 Until The 300 Series.)
The Massey Ferguson 200 Series, offered to Poland in the mid 1970s, were not obsolete but state of art machinery. They were introduced in line with Britain and its foreign markets in the 1970s to replace the Massey Ferguson 100 series
The range of models was increased over the 200 series lifetime till the mid 1980s, and their manufacturing was finished only in the year 1989.
On September 13, 1974, the press in Poland announced that the Polish-British agreement on cooperation in the production of modern agricultural tractors had been signed the day before in London. As part of the project of the Ministry of Industry which was layed in Warsaw, the production of four types of small and medium-size Massey Ferguson tractors was to start in Poland.
As part of the establishment of a network of new production facilities, designed to be the sub-suppliers of the new Ursus plant producing Polish made Massey Ferguson tractor models also the production of famous Perkins' record setting diesel engines was to begin. In accordance with the Polish-British cooperation plan, also other technical achievements of Massey Ferguson group - including innovative hydraulic systems - were to be taken over by Polish industry in the near future as the shared intellectual property.
Gierek wasn’t stupid — he had a clever plan to limit the burden of expenditure on diesel fuels in Polish agriculture
Production of highly durable tractors using about 20 percent more diesel, based on Czechoslovakian technology was to continue, mainly for the needs of huge state-owned farms (where much more efficient vehicles operation, reducing fuel consumption, was possible in big fields) and for export to the USSR. As you know the Russians are an oil exporting nation and they prefere to have very durable equipment in their long roads and during fighting against their extreme climate hardships.
According to the development plan for these two licenses, in the second half of the 1970s Polish industry was to produce about 70,000 British tractors and 100,000 British engines per year. Some of this amount was to be exported and sold through the Massey Ferguson commercial network as a license payment.
In the case of Polish agriculture, that could have stopped and reversed the upcoming catastrophe due to massive outflow of youth from the villages to the cities, in search of higher wages and better living conditions, as well as escape from the terrible drudgery in poorly mechanized farms
A modern, prosperous, clean and demographically strong Polish countryside would not only be able to completely satisfy the country's demand for food, but would also strengthen the country's position in international relations, in many respects.
Both the production of new types of agricultural tractors as well as the establishment of masked as an ordinary contractor of Ursus, controlled by computers iron foundry in Lublin were part of the Gierek’s secret plan to transform Poland into a great economic power
To this end, an enlargement and modernisation of Ursus Mechanical Works in Warsaw, which produced since 1947 medium-quality agricultural tractors for the Polish countryside, was planned. Also the largest investments in the Polish mechanical industry since its inception. It was a program of radical improvement in the quality of workmanship not only for tractors but also for motorcars. Also of the productivity of Polish workers, but the workers decided to prove to everyone that they are not ready for that.
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