Everyday design: Valtra

August 11th, 2009

Matti Makkonen of ED-Design spoke about Valtra tractor design in the Arjen design (Everyday Design) radio series, broadcast on August 1st 2009 on the Finnish YLE Radio Suomi channel.

The fact that tractors are used for many diverse purposes poses a design challenge. "A tractor is essentially nothing but a power unit which can be used for rotating machines, or pulling, pushing, or lifting. By itself, a tractor can be used for little more than fetching mail", says Makkonen. The basic vehicle is equipped according to the needs to the end-user, e.g. for farming or forestry. "All known needs have to be taken into account in the design -- and then some more need to be imagined."

Aesthetic issues are secondary; creating a working environment which supports the work flow is crucial. "It is greatly rewarding to be able to design a working environment where one can be imagined to be able to work eighteen-hour shifts, from one day to another."

The whole story is available online at YLE Areena (in Finnish).