Luyckx news

The Brecht-based company Luyckx is not only active in the Benelux but also in Dubai. This family business, which has been around for over 70 years, is a leading distributor of machinery for civil engineering, material handling, and agriculture. Luyckx is also the ideal construction partner for special applications, known as ‘Special Applications’.

Due to increasing capacity shortages on its site, a second site was purchased in Brecht. The welding construction, engineering, and machining departments are currently housed there, with an almost entirely new machine park. After the Turnhout family business Wouters Cutting & Welding installed a first plasma cutting machine at Luyckx almost two decades ago, Luyckx has again opted for an even more innovative plasma and oxy-fuel cutting machine from Wouters Cutting & Welding.

It was Louis Luyckx, together with his wife Céline Vermeiren, who started forest clearing in 1952. He soon saw opportunities in selling agricultural machinery in the Antwerp region, making Luyckx a well-established name in the agricultural sector. “After father bought his first welding machine in 1955, farmers came to him for welding work,” says Jos Luyckx, who runs the family business Luyckx with his sisters Paula and Chantal. “Soon after, the import of excavators to mount on tractors followed. This required an impressive construction around the tractor to mount the excavator. That was the start of what would later become our ‘Special Applications’.” Today, Luyckx has grown into one of the most important national, exclusive distributors of machines for civil engineering, material handling, and agriculture with reliable and innovative brands.

Additional Site with New Factory Hall The headquarters of this leading company is located in Brecht and has a built-up area of 4200 m². Luyckx recently added an additional 3500 m² and a brand-new factory hall. “As everything becomes heavier and more voluminous, we faced space and capacity shortages. Therefore, we decided to house the welding construction, engineering, and machining departments in the new factory hall to work completely autonomously,” says the managing director. “A separate business unit, so to speak. With the renewed machine park, we also want to further automate. We want to make the flow within this new entity even more efficient and performant. An additional advantage is that we can start from a blank page this time.”

Palm Islands as an Opportunity “In 2004, Luyckx took a big step thanks to an opportunity from the company Jan De Nul,” recalls our interlocutor. “In the United Arab Emirates, Jan De Nul was the main contractor for the construction of the Palm Islands. For that specific project, they needed machines with a considerable work reach. Since our aim is to carry out all tasks in-house with our own staff, we do not outsource work but prefer to invest. So initially, we supplied Jan De Nul with machines with a reach of 21 m, then 29 m, eventually ending at 42 m. Step by step, the size and complexity of the work increased, and we gladly participated in the opportunities offered by the customer Luyckx.” With Middle East Crane Equipment Trading LLC, Luyckx established a second home base, this time in the Middle East, specifically in Dubai. Own offices, warehouses, and a workshop also ensure maximum customer support in that region. Besides regular construction companies, Luyckx also works for companies specializing in the construction of artificial islands and the oil and gas industry.

“Both price-wise and in terms of accessibility and service, Wouters Cutting & Welding made the difference”

First MicroStep CombiCut “It was in 2012 that we purchased our first flame-cutting machine from the family business Wouters Cutting & Welding,” says Jos. “We were working with a flame-cutting table that needed replacement. We considered buying the same one again, but Wouters Cutting & Welding turned out to be more interesting. “Both price-wise and in terms of accessibility and service, Wouters Cutting & Welding made the difference.” Today, that first machine is 12 years old and still works excellently. Initially, the plan was to move this flame-cutting machine to the new location, but the management of Luyckx deemed it wiser to invest in a new, more efficient flame-cutting machine. “Without hesitation, we turned again to Wouters Cutting & Welding,” states Jos. “This time for the MicroStep CombiCut, 28.5 meters long and 3 meters wide, supplemented with two portals; one portal with a bevel plasma with Q4500 from Kjellberg and a second portal equipped with an oxy-fuel cutting head.”

MicroStep CombiCut 28501.30 Prk + 1.3G The MicroStep CombiCut is a robust, precise CNC-controlled flame-cutting machine. It is highly suitable for long-term heavy industrial work and lends itself to combining various technologies: oxy-fuel cutting, drilling and tapping, or cutting pipes and boiler heads. “Thanks to its sturdy design and elevated portal, the machine is also very suitable for heavier oxy-fuel work,” says Nic Wouters of Wouters Cutting & Welding. “Oxy-fuel cutting is useful for Luyckx to handle thick material up to 400 mm, which we do very often,” adds Jos. “The plates lie perfectly flat on the machine, and for oxy-fuel cutting, they rest on contact pins, preserving the underlying grid.”

Bevel Cutting Jos: “For Luyckx, the most important aspect was that the new MicroStep could also perform bevel cutting. With the other machine, the bevels still have to be milled, which can now be done directly. Additionally, precision, speed, and cutting quality have significantly improved. Since one of our suppliers, Sidmar, will soon deliver slabs up to 35 cm, we are fully prepared with the new CombiCut, which can cut up to 40 cm. We also opted to have the wiring installed at the top instead of on the floor. This solution is much more durable and less prone to wear.” “Yes, note that we are very satisfied with the collaboration with Wouters Cutting & Welding thanks to the direct communication line, proactive actions, and optimal after-sales service,” concludes Jos Luyckx.

This article is an original publication of Metallerie.