Getting the balance right.
It is a bit scary to share this with you all as we constantly bang on about ensuring we only deliver the best of the best. But I am an over-sharer after all.
While the JFS crew remain dedicated to the scoping, provision and support of larger customer projects across the country, I have been seeding some thoughts lately about a project I have been quietly working on to start stretching ourselves to provide lower cost options for automation to assist the smaller operators in staying relevant and efficient in an increasingly mechanised (and competitive!) industry.
We have not been distracting the core JFS team with this thinking as they charge on with what they are awesome at, but I recently took a trip into Asia with our R&D team to get some first hand insight into what they may be able to assist our industry with as we charge on toward the 2020’s. We were interested to get closer to some of the manufacturers of some of the less critical pack line components and better understand their quality as well as their ethics in the way they operate. It was a real eye opener for us. There was of course a mixed bag, but there were certainly some serious options for different pieces of kit.
Do simple conveyors, elevators and rotary tables need to come out of Europe? Especially if they still utilise top notch name brand components? Not normally one to tell tales, but we saw several brand names on the kit being produced that surprised us, all bound for Europe, which is many manufacturers biggest export market.
While we are not jumping in holus bolus, my point is that if the balance is right and the checks and balances are in place, it might be time for us to consider some options for some of the ancillary equipment that the post-harvest sector could benefit from, releasing some capital to invest in some of the really smart stuff.
The way I look at it is that it would be negligent of us not to explore all feasible options to help you excel, and then rely on our reputation and expertise in only delivering excellent solutions for plant optimisation.