JOSKIN treats this visit as a great honour for itself and its employees, as well as a sign of a real interest in challenges faced by the agricultural sector.
At JOSKIN, the royal visit was perceived as a sign of appreciation for all the work performed by the Joskin family, for the company that with time has become an international group, and mainly for all employees that have worked in it since its establishing in 1968.
After the welcome by the Liège Province governor, the mayor of Soumagne, Victor Joskin, the company founder, and his youngest grandson, who presented a beautiful green and yellow bouquet (!) to Her Royal Highness, the rulers of the country greeted the entire Joskin family gathered there, including their adopted and birth grandchildren.
During a brief conversation, the king and the queen talked with Victor Joskin, his wife, their three children, and the directors’ representative about challenges faced both by the company and by the agricultural sector. Furthermore, the royal couple paid particular attention to a question of vocational training and a need to organise practical education at companies, to train students in the latest technologies, and to motivate them.
The tour around the company has started at the research and development department. From a design of a digital card to writing a code, through designing of an ergonomic casing and its 3D printing, the royal couple learnt various stages of introducing improvements on the example of the Isobus system joystick controlling individual functions of a slurry tank.

Due to time restrictions, the tour was restricted to the machining department, laser cutting of pipes, the automated warehouse, welding robots, laser cutting of metal sheets, automated edge bending, the paint booth, and assembling lines, with the last visited location being the department of final tests for slurry tanks with spreading accessories – the flag product under the JOSKIN brand.

The king, clearly very interested in the technology, paid attention to every detail and asked his interlocutors many questions. The king and the queen, very kind and emphatic, were very pleasant to every person, regardless of their function, and initiated spontaneous conversations with several employees. They were very direct, showing interest in their career paths, a role in the company, and the performed work.

Finally, King Philippe took a place in the tractor cabin, to try the Isobus joystick shown at the beginning of his visit. Briefly instructed by Marc Chapelier, the JOSKIN Group employee with the longest service, the king efficiently operated the boom and the Pendislide PRO ramp of the X-Trem2 tank coupled with the tractor. It was soon clear to the smiling queen and 400 JOSKIN Belgian employees, who gathered to greet the distinguished guests at the end of their visit, that the device was approved by the king!

Before they left, the royal couple agreed to take a group photo with the JOSKIN plant staff; it was a nice gesture, and first of all, a great honour, crowning that prestigious meeting which will remain in memories of us all for ever.