Tractor, harvester IT comes of age
Over the last halfdecade, digital technology has appeared to be the “must-have” for tractor and machinery companies, who believe that bringing IT to tractors and farming will offer its customers huge benefits.
This plus a shortage of manufacturing capacity has led the Belgian effluent, manure and transport company Joskin to expand its home base at Soumagne near Liege, as well as its other European plants.
Commenting that capacity is not only being limited by floor space, but also the availability of assembly staff, the company is planning to introduce more automation, alongside structured expansion outside of its home country.
Both strategies should lead to better overall quality, says the founder's son Didier Joskin. "Despite the high investment cost, the result will be improved quality and production processes and, consequently, increased user satisfaction."
The investment in Belgium will include a duo of optical-fibre laser cutters capable of cutting the thicker steel plate being used in heavier machines, with the ability to handle sheets of up to 4 by 2 metre dimensions. Additionally, the technology offers significantly higher processing speeds, almost no deformation of the sheet steel and a much lower energy consumption.
At the company's Leboulch site, south east of Caen in Normandy, plans are in place for a new 5,900m2 extension, intended to house welding facilities, as well as an automated shot-blasting machine for larger parts that are currently difficult to process.
Nearer to the home base, Joskin is planning a 15,700m2 unit on a 6ha site at Esch-sur-Alzette in the south of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, to create a factory dedicated to the assembly of large tipping trailers and muck spreaders, scheduled for construction in 2023.
Elsewhere, at Trzcianka in Poland, the construction of a 12,000m2 buffer storage hall between the production and the galvanising processes began in March, with an option to purchase 9ha of adjoining land for future expansion.
