A mechanical engineer who dedicated his life to inventing straw baling machines.

After 40 years of dedicated research and innovation, Mr. Phan Tan Ben is now proud of his ideal straw baling machine and is exporting it to several ASEAN countries.

Starting a business from a production facility with "three no's" (no quality control, no safety standards, no labor costs, no safety standards ...

Forty years ago, Mr. Phan Tan Ben graduated from the Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry. The student from Go Thap, Thap Muoi district (Dong Thap province), returned to his hometown to work. Ben was assigned to the provincial mechanical engineering company. After three years working in the company's office, Mr. Ben requested a transfer to the factory to directly participate in production, thereby learning about the design and operating procedures of various types of agricultural machinery used at that time.

Five years later (1990), Mr. Phan Tan Ben resigned from his position at the "state-owned mechanical factory" to start his own business. Freed from the constraints of "collective production" thinking, engineer Phan Tan Ben opened a mechanical workshop under his own ownership.

Mr. Ben recounted: "Back then, production was under 'three no' conditions: no electricity, no roads, and no capital. It was extremely difficult!" To secure capital for purchasing materials for the mechanical workshop, Mr. Phan Tan Ben borrowed 2 taels of gold, sold it to buy a generator, welding machine, oxy-acetylene torch, etc. However, for seven long years, despite being freed from the "state-owned enterprise," engineer Phan Tan Ben was confined to repairing small pumps, plows, and generators to support farmers growing rice in the Dong Thap Muoi region.

Engineer Phan Tan Ben stands beside a straw baling machine manufactured by Phan Tan Company. Photo: KD

According to farmers' calculations, a bale of straw baled by Phan Tan Company's machine weighs 12kg and currently sells for approximately 15,000-17,000 VND on the market. Calculated over an area of ​​1 hectare, in addition to a yield of 6-7 tons of rice per crop, farmers also harvest 130-170 bales of straw, adding over 2 million VND per hectare in value.

Unwilling to accept his current situation, despite his training in Agricultural Machinery Engineering, and driven by his own ambition and the urgent needs of farmers in the fields, engineer Phan Tan Ben decided to create a product bearing his name. From a mechanical repairman, Mr. Phan Tan Ben used his basic knowledge from university to start his entrepreneurial journey, inventing several agricultural machines. In 2014, engineer Phan Tan Ben established a limited liability company named Phan Tan. This was also the period when he launched the multi-functional rice harvesting machine (which automatically cuts and arranges rice into rows, then collects and loads it into a bin)... bearing the Phan Tan name, which was then delivered to farmers.

Engineer Phan Tan Ben recounted: "In 2015, the machine was submitted to the National Agricultural Machinery Exhibition organized by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations. My rice harvesting machine was awarded second prize."

This success encouraged Mr. Ben to create a straw baling machine, helping farmers utilize straw waste after harvest to increase income per hectare of rice paddy. To develop the straw baling machine, Mr. Phan Tan Ben spent considerable time traveling to many localities in the Mekong Delta and the Southeast region... traveling by motorbike to nearby areas and by car to visit farmers during the rice harvest season, meticulously observing and recording data related to straw waste after harvest.

Such field trips helped him develop ideas for building the machine. Engineer Phan Tấn Bện faced many difficulties in creating the straw baling machine. The first machine brought to the field for testing did not meet expectations. Mr. Bện meticulously adjusted each small detail of the machine to overcome its shortcomings.

Constantly striving to master technology.

The straw baling machine from Phan Tan Company is very popular among farmers in the Mekong Delta. Photo: KD

According to engineer Phan Tan Ben, currently, some foreign-made straw baling machines in Vietnam are the type that must be combined with wheeled tractors to bale the straw, which is not suitable for the conditions in wet fields. When operating, the baled straw will become muddy and dirty, requiring additional auxiliary equipment to collect and transport the straw to the collection point.

To overcome the shortcomings of imported straw baling machines, Mr. Phan Tan Ben invented the PT-CR57 straw baling machine, a self-propelled machine with rubber tracks, high productivity, a straw storage bin at the rear, requiring no manual collection, and very convenient operation even on damp, muddy ground.

After harvesting the rice, the straw from the combine harvester, spread in rows, is transferred by the PT-CR57 straw baler, which has a straw collection unit located at the front, onto a conveyor belt and then onto a straw trolley to form a tightly packed, round bale. The baler operator simply controls the hydraulic system to release the bale onto the container at the rear of the machine. The tightly compressed bale has a diameter of 0.5m and a length of 0.7m.

The entire machine is mounted on a mobile system using rubber tracks. When the container is full of straw, the operator simply moves the straw baler to the collection point, pulls the hydraulic lever, and the straw is released from the machine.

Huynh Van Phu, a farmer from Vung Liem district, Vinh Long province, who has used Phan Tan's straw baling machine, said: "My family has little arable land, so we had to order a machine from Phan Tan Company to provide straw collection services and earn income for the family."

Mr. Phu said: "Previously, when farmers cleared the land to prepare for the new crop, they only knew how to burn straw and rice stalks right in the fields. Now, they not only collect straw to store as animal feed but also use it as a substrate for growing mushrooms."

According to farmers' calculations, a bale of straw baled by Phan Tan Company's machine weighs 12kg and currently sells for approximately 15,000 - 17,000 VND on the market. Therefore, on an area of ​​1 hectare, in addition to a yield of 6-7 tons of rice per crop, farmers also harvest 130-170 bales of straw, adding over 2 million VND per hectare in value.

After four years of use, the machine has recouped its purchase cost and created additional jobs and income for farmers. Besides baling and transporting straw, the machine also functions as a light truck to transport farmers' agricultural products to markets. For its role in supporting farmers in forming a value chain and increasing post-harvest profits, since 2017, Phan Tan Company's straw baler has been awarded the title of "Outstanding National Rural Industrial Product" by the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Mr. Phan Tan Ben revealed: "The straw baling machine products of Phan Tan Company will actively participate in serving the program to produce one million hectares of high-quality rice in the Mekong Delta as planned by the Government."

Source: https://danviet.vn/ky-su-co-khi-mot-doi-say-me-sang-tao-may-cuon-rom-20240919160625614.htm