Tobroco-Giant – best known as a manufacturer of compact loading shovels – is set to expand its current production facility in Oisterwijk (Holland).
This, says the firm, is due to “growing demand” for its loaders, telehandlers and skid-steers.
The R&D (Research & Development) and sales departments will move to a new (and more modern) location in Oisterwijk. There, designers and engineers will work on new technologies, including the adoption of Stage V (diesel) engines and electric propulsion systems.
The area currently dedicated to R&D and sales will be absorbed into an enlarged production facility – resulting in greater manufacturing capacity.
The expansion of production at the current location will take place in several stages; new lines, employing a ‘LEAN’ system and “paperless” production, will be centre-stage.
In addition, more pre-assembly will take place and it will be centralised. This, says the manufacturer, will improve lead times. It will enable components to be transported faster to the production lines.
Irish market
Giant, as a brand, is relatively new to the Irish machinery market. Part of the Tobroco group, this Dutch company has grown rapidly – from modest beginnings in a farmyard in the mid-1990s to a state-of-the-art factory making 3,000 machines each year.
The compact Giant Tendo 4548 can lift to a height of 4.8m
So who or what is Tobroco? The name originally appeared as ‘To-Bro-Co’, which stands for Toine Brock Construction. The company’s origins are relatively recent, stretching back to 1996.
Nowadays, the firm produces 29 different wheeled loaders, three skid-steer models and two telescopic handlers. Each week, up to 60 machines roll off the lines.
Attachments and frames are now chiefly made in Hungary, where 80 people are employed. All other manufacturing operations take place in Holland, just miles from Brock’s home farm. 160 workers are based at the ‘main’ factory.
Giant’s D254SW miniature telescopic handler
Giant also now has a growing presence in Ireland; the distributor is Ballyward Plant Services, Castlewellan, Northern Ireland.
