Belgian manufacturer Joskin has revealed plans to build a new assembly plant across the border in Luxembourg.
The company’s founder and CEO, Victor Joskin, said the move had been prompted by a lack of space to expand at any of its five existing sites in Belgium, France and Poland. Another consideration was the lack of qualified workers in these countries; and the fact that where foreign staff were brought in and trained, they were invariably poached by other companies.
“After much research, we finally chose the site of the former Twinerg power plant that’s located in the former steel region on the borders of the municipalities of Sanem and Esch-sur-Alzette, in the south of the Grand Duchy,” he added. “This location meets all the criteria necessary for the viability of the project.
“The availability of workforce was one of the key parameters in the choice of this location. A job 10 minutes by bus from the station of Esch should attract more than one welder, fitter or painter that the steel industry has left by the wayside.”
The new plant will feature a 15,000 square metre building on a 6.0ha site. The project is specifically designed for the assembly of large agricultural trailers with a monocoque body.
“We’ll start with tipping trailers and will rapidly launch muck spreaders as well.” Mr Joskin said. “More complementary products could be added depending on the productivity rate achieved.
“Eventually the plant is calibrated to reach a potential of five trailers each day, but the business plan is based on an average of about five units per day.”
