YTO Group Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Machinery Industry Corporation (Sinomach), and a leading manufacturer of agricultural and construction machinery, has made great strides in globalizing its business in recent years.

The group has made a string of prominent accomplishments in its international operations. It opened up a number of strategic markets around the globe, achieving significant increases in product sales, technology exports as well as building R&D centers and production bases.

The organization’s export values for 2015 amounted to some 624.75 million yuan ($93.68 million), with a year-on-year growth of 64 percent. Sales of the company’s tractors rose to 393.43 million yuan last year, ranking it top in the domestic market.

Since its first expansion to Africa in 1992, the company has since set up operations in South America and Eastern Europe.

In May this year, YTO Group sold its high-end LF1504 power-shift tractor at South Africa’s largest agricultural machinery exposition, integrating Europe’s mainstream power-shift and gearing techs and raising productivity by 20 percent.

YTO Group has customized its products according to different regions’ specific demands, such as the big wheeled tractor in the desert targeting the Middle East and tractors more suited to the highlands in the South America.

Recent years have seen its export focuses extended from products to technological solutions.

YTO has undertaken two sessions of technical training programs in Cuba to learn about tractor-related theories and practices.

The company also signed a contract worth 667.41 million yuan with Ethiopia to promote its agriculture mechanization program, which included assembly line techniques upgrading and development of after-sales service networks. As a result, DFH (Dong Fang Hong) tractor has occupied the highest market share in the country.

Zhao Yanshui, chairman of YTO Group said, “Globalization is a must. YTO is sure to be marginalized if not taking active action.” He also spoke of the company to build a plant in France in the future to allow for deeper penetration into the European market.

In 2011, YTO acquired the US-owned McCormick Tractors, and renamed it as YtoFranceSAS, becoming a pioneer for China’s farm machinery enterprise to acquire world’s agricultural machinery organization.

The group founded R&D center in its French branch and contributed the power-shift technique to the LF1504 tractor which was equipped with the largest number of high-end techs.

It got stationed into the China-Belarus Industrial Park last year, and spread its business cooperation with the nation’s Minsk Tractor Works, one of the greatest manufacturers of agricultural machinery not only in CIS countries, but also worldwide.