5th October 2023 will be a milestone for JOSKIN. The company welcomed King Philippe and Queen Mathilde to its historic site in Soumagne, as part of an official visit by the royal couple to the Province of Liège. A visit that JOSKIN sees as a great honour for itself and its staff, but also as a sign of genuine interest in the challenges the agricultural world is facing.
This royal visit was seen at JOSKIN as a recognition of all the work accomplished by the Joskin family, the company, which has since grown into an international Group, and above all its staff since it was founded in 1968.
Welcomed as it should by the Governor of the Province of Liège, the Mayor of Soumagne, the company founder Victor Joskin and his last grandson, who presented Her Majesty the Queen with a pretty green-and-yellow bouquet (!), the Sovereigns were then introduced to the entire Joskin family, including children-in-law and grandchildren.
During a brief round-table discussion, the King and Queen spoke with Victor Joskin, his wife, his 3 children and the management assistant about the challenges both the company and the agricultural world are facing. In particular, the royal couple paid close attention to the theme of vocational training and the need to organise a practical in-company teaching to tame the most modern technologies and motivate learners.
A Keen Interest in Technology
The proper tour began with the company's R&D department. From the design of an electronic board to the writing of the code, via the design of an ergonomic shell and its 3D printing, the royal couple discovered the different stages of a development through the example of the Isobus joystick controlling the different functions of a slurry tanker.
Given the time available, the tour was then limited to the areas dedicated to the machining, laser tube cutting, automated storage, robot-welding, steel sheet laser cutting, automated bending, paint line and assembly lines, culminating in the final test area for the slurry tankers equipped with spreading implements, JOSKIN brand’s historic flagship.
Clearly very interested in technology, the King paid close attention to every detail and asked his interlocutors many questions. Very friendly and full of empathy, the King and Queen, who cared deeply for everyone whatever their responsibilities, spontaneously approached several members of staff. Chatting with them with great simplicity, they were interested in their backgrounds, their respective roles within the company and their factual work.
Finally, King Philippe took place in a tractor cab to test the Isobus joystick presented at the beginning of the visit. Quickly instructed by the JOSKIN Group's longest-serving employee, Marc Chapelier, the King dexterously manipulated the dorsal boom and the Pendislide PRO spreading boom of the X-Trem2 hitched to the tractor. Smiling, the Queen and the 400 Belgian JOSKIN staff members who had gathered to cheer the Sovereigns at the end of their visit soon realised that the system had the King's approval!
Prior to their departure, the royal couple simply agreed to pose with the JOSKIN staff for a family photo; a gesture reflecting their image, but above all a great honour, crowning a prestigious encounter that will forever be engraved in everyone's minds.