Trying to balance increased demand against a shortage of manufacturing capacity has led the Belgian company, Joskin, to expand its home site at Soumagne as well as its other plants abroad.
Capacity is not only limited by factory size, there is also an issue with the availability of assembly staff, leading the company to bring in more automation and focus its expansion outside of its home country.
Quantity and quality
Automation and expansion will not only lead to extra machines being built, those machines, the company believes, will also be of a better quality. Didier Joskin, son of the founder, explained:
“Despite the high initial cost, these investments will result in improved quality and production processes and, consequently, in an increased user satisfaction.”
The investment in Belgium includes two optical-fibre laser cutters for the thicker plate steel used in the heavier machines, these can handle sheets of up to 4X2m.
This latest optical fibre technology is characterised by a significantly higher processing speed, almost no deformation at the sheet area being worked on, and a much lower energy consumption.
Normandy new build
Down in France, at the Leboulch site in Normandy, the company is planning a new 5,900m² extension which is intended to accommodate welding facilities, as well as an automatic shot-blasting machine for large parts that are presently difficult to process.
Over in Poland, at the Trzcianka site, the construction of a 12,000m² buffer storage hall between the production factory and the galvanisation unit began in March.
There is also an option to purchase 9ha of adjoining land for future expansion.
Luxemburg is a state that is not normally associated with industry but Joskin is planning a 15,700m² unit on a 6ha site at Esch-sur-Alzette in the south of the Grand Duchy.
It will be a factory dedicated to the assembly of large tipping trailers and muck spreaders, and is scheduled for construction in 2023.