Late last year, the Irish Farmers Journal got the opportunity to visit the birthplace of Joskin in the town of Soumagne in Belgium.

The family business has strong ties to agriculture, as founder Victor Joskin started life as an agricultural contractor. In 1968 he worked for local farmers, where the main tasks were spreading and hauling of slurry and muck, along with planting and harvesting maize.

In 1972, Victor moved the business into servicing and repair of machinery and one year later he started to import machinery into Belgium. It was not until 1983 that the first Joskin machine was built – a grass aerator. This machinery line remains in production today. The company’s first slurry tanker was built in 1984 at 777 gallons or 3,500 litres.

The company is pushing ahead with the plan that Joskin will develop the world’s largest programme of trailers for transport and spreading of agricultural products. Last year, the company’s consolidated turnover was just over €105m. Joskin has four production facilities with a state-of-the-art galvanisation process in Poland. In 2015, the family business employed 849 staff in the production sites and produced 3,091 machines. According to Victor, Joskin will always have a clear philosophy on building the highest quality machines. He also joked that this is not good for resale, as they don’t wear out easily.

The production line

Didier Joskin outlined the company’s preference to manufacture almost all components themselves. According to Didier, it allows them to control the quality and, because no two tankers or machines are the same, it gives the production teams independence. There are 15,000 parts required in the factory production lines alone. Investment in the factory is evident all over. All of the group uses SAP, a computer system which allows precise management of the whole production process in real time.

The facility at Soumagne is the nerve centre for the group. The main design and technical teams are based there along with the parts warehouse for the entire Joskin group. The central parts warehouse, which is 2,200m² and 13m high, uses 21 automated carousels to deliver parts. All items are coded with a QR code. This is the same code used in the manual, so the customer can cross-check to ensure the right part is delivered. In 2011, Joskin launched EasyParts, an online service for ordering spare parts. They guarantee delivery within 48 hours.

In the main production facility, there is an abundance of slurry tanker designs on show. From chassis to wheels and attachments and loading points, it would be fair to say every machine is unique. This is what Joskin prides itself on – being adaptable to meet customer needs. Although the products are very different at the end, they are reliant on technology in the factory. Laser cutting facilities include nine laser cutting tables and two 3D laser tube cutters. These can cut steel up to 25mm in thickness. The factory has invested in robotic welding and very precise jigs to maximise production and accuracy.

Automation of the storage facilities for profiled steel and parts is impressive. When the steel enters the factory, it is stored in automated carousels. Each carousel box is automatically controlled to feed the laser cutters; about 110km of steel is stored. The parts carousels deliver parts to assembly, reducing downtime.

Joskin has developed this factory into a state-of-the-art production centre. From design to fabrication, almost all tasks are carried out at the factory.

Question time with Victor Joskin

What is your favourite Joskin product?

The Joskin tanker range is my favourite. They are unique to every customer as they all want something different. There are over 3,000 parts in the average Joskin tanker. This is exciting for design as we can always focus on the customer’s needs. Every Joskin tanker will have its own unique parts manual delivered with the machine. The local dealer will also have access to this information, so ordering wearing parts is easy.

What do you think about the size and scale of machinery at the moment?

Machinery has always got bigger since I started in this industry. It is also very important to look at technical performance. The machine again must suit what the customer wants. If there is a premium to be paid for that product, it will probably be worth it in terms of performance and reliability over the life cycle of the machine. As I said before, Joskin machines have a very long life cycle so they are a good investment.

What difficulties do you see in this industry over the coming years?

In western Europe, we are overstocked with machines, and really good machines. The land area is not increasing, but we are still selling more machines. In reality, some farmers could farm their lands without having to change their machine in 10 years or more. This makes us vulnerable as manufacturers if farmers decide they don’t want to change machines anymore.

Are there any new markets opening up for Joskin?

Africa is a new market for us, along with India. The machines required are small to meet their needs. We operate in 45 countries. Getting into new countries is hard and has a high demand on resources – at least three staff work on the administration alone. I believe that there is more potential for our products in Ireland too.

Can you get a Joskin tanker, un-galvanised?

No this will not happen; we can paint over the galvanised finish when required. We want our tanks to last and this process is a must in my view for quality and longevity of the machines.

How do you see farming going in the next 10 years?

Probably more dairy farmers and livestock farmers. This will increase the demand for feed such as maize and silage. After that, slurry will need to be managed and there will be lots of it. Our machines can help with the transport of forage to farms, and applying the nutrients back to the land. Dairy farmers will buy machines, especially in Holland. They maintain them well – they’re good at producing milk and good with their machinery.

Will there be any new products from Joskin next year?

No. We have a broad range of equipment at the moment. What we will concentrate on is our muck spreader range. We are working on spread patterns and evenness of application. This is important for the farmer to accurately apply muck across the fields for good growth of crops afterwards. We also believe that training for our local dealers is vital to maintain good relationships with our end user, the farmer. I still prefer to sell many small machines rather than just once-off big machines.