The mechanical "wizard"

In the Mekong Delta, there is an engineer who always focuses on the fields to listen to the farmers' concerns: Mr. Phan Tan Ben, whom farmers call the "mechanical wizard," a man who has dedicated his life to helping farmers reduce labor while still achieving efficiency.

UNIQUE MACHINES

The story of Mr. Phan Tan Ben, Director of Phan Tan Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd., begins during the difficult times the country faced. In 1985, after graduating with a degree in agricultural machinery, he joined the Dong Thap Provincial Machinery Factory.

The rice harvesting machine is the solution to the problem of rural labor shortage.

Years of training here had given him a solid understanding of mechanics, but the desire to personally create machines suited to the unique soil conditions of the Western region prompted him to change direction.

In 1990, he decided to move to My Qui commune, Dong Thap province to start his own business. With a small mechanics shop and limited capital, he began by repairing production tools for the local people.

Thanks to financial support from his family, he gradually expanded his business. However, what made Phan Tan Ben famous was not mass-producing goods, but his ability to observe and solve farmers' problems with innovative thinking.

Mr. Ben shared: "When embarking on any task, we must have passion, combined with experience and continuous innovation to succeed. To create the agricultural machinery we have today, I had to sacrifice decades of experience and endure numerous failures."

Mr. Phan Tan Ben's unwavering perseverance and creativity have been rewarded with prestigious titles: the Golden Star of Agriculture, Outstanding Entrepreneur, and numerous Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Thap province...

In particular, in 2015, he was honored to be selected to attend the National Emulation Congress for his tireless contributions to the country's agriculture.

The agricultural machinery market is already fiercely competitive with the influx of imported machines from Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. Recognizing that the combine harvester segment was becoming saturated, Mr. Ben shifted his research focus to developing a "2-in-1" corn and rice harvesting machine.

After months of diligent research, testing, and numerous failures, the multi-purpose machine was finally created, allowing farmers to flexibly switch crops according to the seasons without worrying about harvesting delays.

But that wasn't all; Mr. Ben went on to solve the problem of "harvest waste." Previously, straw was often burned right in the fields after each harvest, causing environmental pollution and wasting valuable resources.

Although straw baling machines are available on the market, they are mostly towed models that only work with dry straw and face many difficulties when operating on the muddy soil of the Mekong Delta.

In early 2015, he began improvements, and by June 2015, the PT-CR57 self-propelled, self-dumping straw baler was officially launched. This was a significant breakthrough because the machine could move on its own using a track system, automatically bale straw, and automatically dump it into piles without manual intervention.

The PT-CL5G rice transport truck, integrated with an automatic gripper, is a step forward in agricultural mechanization.

When the PT-CR57 device was brought to Hanoi for international exhibitions and conferences, it attracted special attention due to its "unique" functionality.

Priced at over 280 million VND per unit, this machine offers lower costs compared to imported machines but superior performance in muddy terrain. It has not only become widespread throughout the Mekong Delta but is also being exported to Cambodia, bringing pride to Dong Thap's mechanical engineering industry.

THE SOLUTION TO THE LABOR SHORTAGE

In recent years, rural areas have faced the reality of an aging population and the migration of young workers to industrial zones.

The shortage of seasonal labor has become a difficult problem, causing many farmers to struggle every harvest season. Once again, Mr. Ben and his colleagues are back to research and innovation.

The image of strong young men carrying sacks of rice weighing over 50 kg from the deep fields to the trucks under the scorching sun is gradually fading into the past.

Instead, the PT-CL5G rice transport truck, integrated with an automatic gripper, has appeared. This is considered the "robotic arm" of farmers, completely replacing human labor in heavy tasks.

Mr. Vo Trung Lap, Deputy Director of Phan Tan Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd., shared: “Previously, to carry sacks of rice from the field to the collection point, the farmer had to hire 3-5 strong workers. Currently, young laborers are scarce, so we have created a hydraulic-operated rice sack gripping arm that rotates 360 degrees to replace human strength.”

The PT-CL5G machine boasts impressive technical specifications and is specifically designed for navigating muddy terrain. It features a powerful and durable 52 kW engine and rubber tracks that allow it to glide smoothly over soft ground, a feat impossible for traditional wheeled vehicles.

Mr. Phan Tan Ben operates the PT-CR57 straw baler.

Each truck can carry approximately 100 sacks of rice. Notably, only one person is needed to operate the truck, standing on the ground or sitting on the vehicle, to smoothly handle all the loading and unloading operations.

With the PT-CL5G machine, a middle-aged person or female worker can still complete the work of five healthy young men; the efficiency is clear: saving labor costs and speeding up harvesting to avoid unpredictable storms.

Its high practicality has enabled the company to successfully export this line of vehicles to the Philippines, at prices ranging from 150 to 180 million VND per unit, affirming the position of Vietnamese agricultural machinery in the international market.

The straw baler helps to reduce straw burning, which causes environmental pollution.

However, for Mr. Ben, the greatest reward is not the patents hanging on the wall, but the smiles of the farmers when the burden on their shoulders is lifted.

He frequently went down to the fields, listening to even the smallest feedback from users in order to improve the machinery.

Looking back at the journey from blueprints on paper to hundreds of agricultural machines bearing the "Phan Tan" brand diligently operating in fields both domestically and internationally, one can see not only the sharp thinking of a mechanical engineer, but also the heart of a son of the Lotus Land who is always concerned about the farmers.

DUONG UT

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/nguoi-phu-thuy-co-khi-a239419.html