Firm Thomas

Firm of Thomas: gentleman and farmer are served here

In 1931 the Thomas business was founded, a simple blacksmith shop then, repairing agricultural vehicles. Today, 86 years later, it is grandsons Frank and Johan who run the company, specializing in the distribution of agricultural and horticultural machinery.

When grandfather Thomas began as a farm blacksmith in 1931, he may not have dreamed that his modest business would grow into what it is today. His work - repairing the first generation of farm machinery - soon evolved into selling machinery. Initially, he also did contract work, deploying a mobile threshing unit at the farmer's farm, for example. But as mechanization increased and partly due to the efforts of father Frans Thomas, who had already been in the business for some time, the contract work was stopped in order to focus entirely on the sale and after-sales service of tractors and agricultural vehicles.

Diversification

When the third and current generation took over in the late 1980s, the two brothers Frank and Johan decided to continue their core business while diversifying. The agricultural sector was not doing as well and its future did not look very bright. An additional reason for this diversification was that the business now had to support two families. In addition, a "Garden & Park" department offered a lot of new potential. They also wanted to expand their radius of action. For agricultural machinery, they would continue to focus on local customers, in Flemish Brabant. In the garden and park sector, they are now active throughout Belgium and Luxembourg.

Complementary

There is not really a specific division of labor, but the two brothers complement each other nicely. For example, Frank has a marketing background and Johan is more technically trained, although both have a fascination for large motorized machines. The company, which has always been based at the same location, now covers 10,000 m2, of which 6,000 m2 is covered, and there are about 30 employees on the payroll. Frank prefers not to talk about turnover. "Let's just say we try to sell one tractor/self-propelled tractor per working day," he evades the question. The type of clientele? "That varies enormously," says Frank. "From farmer Charel to the bigwigs of our society ;-). Lord and peasant are served here. Since the diversification, we also have many city councils, garden contractors, those responsible for sports centers and golf courses... among our clientele. A varied public that we approach very personally and appropriately."

Science fiction has become reality

"A lot has changed in our business, though," Frank knows. "In grandfather's time, farmers came here to order or pay for something by bicycle, usually after Mass. Gradually the time pressure as well as the competition increased and we went to the customer ourselves. And today things cannot go fast enough and everything will evolve and automate even faster and further. When Ford invited its dealers to America in 1964 and painted a picture of what agriculture would look like in the year 2000, there was talk of science fiction. Well, that science fiction of the time is today's reality. Tractors are equipped with GPS for greater efficiency, to drive more accurately, with less overlap in terms of seeding area. The harvest is analyzed and, depending on that, the degree of fertilization for the next harvest is determined. Robots are used, drones..."

Métier

But it may all have become a little 'easier' and less physically demanding, but you still have to know the craft to survive as a farmer today. You also have to have technical knowledge, because after all, you have to be able to operate and maintain all that automation. Farmers certainly don't have it any easier today. They have also been forced to keep expanding. To increase production. Self-sufficiency is no longer sufficient.

Overqualified

Frank doesn't see a bleak future, but it won't get any easier, he believes. "When we came into the business, farming was slowly going downhill. All the 'small ones' gave up and that process will probably continue for a while. Only large and strong farms will survive. Those that have the people and resources to keep investing heavily in technological developments. Falling behind is not an option. Companies will have to follow to survive and also adapt their structure to the latest developments. An additional challenge is finding the right personnel, because just like in other industries, we need technicians for the future, who are willing to keep training. They also need to have some affinity with agriculture, otherwise they won't last. It is always looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. It is even so difficult that it slows down the growth of companies like ours. For the non-technical jobs, we notice that candidates with bachelor's degrees are applying who are in fact overqualified, which is not healthy in the long run either."

Generation under pressure

Whether my job is tougher now than when my father ran the business? Not comparable, according to Frank. "After all, my father had to do everything alone and manually. But I do think our generation is under more pressure. Relationships with suppliers are good but margins are shrinking. Time is money and we are struggling with very short seasons on the one hand (sometimes only a few weeks) and a quick succession of different seasons on the other. Our activities in the workshop are never idle. Fortunately, today's machines are much more powerful and breakdowns are less frequent. On the other hand, they are much more expensive. And then there is availability. Actually, we have to be permanently available. Especially in the high season, we cannot afford not to be available. We just make good arrangements for that. Finally, a final aspect that contrasts sharply with the past is the unimaginable amount of administration that has been added. It takes an enormous amount of time. But then again, we are also 'a bit' bigger than we used to be."