A-Plant boosts JCB with £27m order
AFTER massive success in its global markets, Staffordshire excavator manufacturer JCB has secured a major new order in its home market.
The company has signed an order to supply more than 800 machines to A-Plant, one of the UK’s leading plant hire rental firms. The deal is worth more than £27m.
Based in Warrington, A-Plant has a workforce of more than 1,900 employees. The business forms part of FTSE-250 company Ashtead Group, which also comprises Sunbelt Rentals based in the US.
The order includes the supply of a huge fleet of micro, mini and midi excavators and 240 Loadall telescopic handlers. JCB said the order was a big boost for its British factories, where all the machines will be made.
Delivery of the new fleet to the hirer’s extensive UK depot network begins this month through dealer Greenshields JCB.
The latest deal comes on the back of 550 machines ordered by A-Plant last year – and means the company has now bought 7,500 machines in a trading relationship with JCB stretching back 25 years.
Alan Blake, JCB CEO, said: “This is the biggest volume deal of the year for JCB from a UK customer and we are absolutely delighted that A-Plant has ordered such a significant number of machines. It is a huge vote of confidence not only in the quality, reliability and fuel efficiency of JCB’s products, but also in the UK hire market.”
Among the machines ordered are one-tonne class JCB 8016 and 8018 mini excavators, which have just gone into production following their international launch at the Bauma construction equipment trade fair in Munich. The machines feature more than 30 improvements including and 11% increase in dig depth.
Amongst A-Plant’s new fleet are Loadall telescopic handlers powered by JCB’s fuel efficient Ecomax engine. Developed to meet the tougher EU emission laws, the Ecomax is the world’s cleanest and most efficient off-highway engine and means JCB’s Loadalls use 7% less fuel than outgoing models.
Andrew Winlow, director – purchasing and fleet management for A-Plant, said: “A-Plant is committed to offering its customers the newest, most productive, innovative and fuel-efficient machines on the market and this order fulfils that promise.
“With the Loadalls powered by the innovative Ecomax engine, A-Plant and its customers both benefit; customers will use less fuel and A-Plant won’t be faced with the expense of maintaining diesel particulate filters or the addition of Ad Blu to the engine.
“A-Plant has been doing business now with JCB for 25 years and from a single machine purchase in 1988, the business relationship has grown into a real partnership between us, JCB and Greenshields JCB. We continue to be positive about future market growth and that is underlined by the size of our investment in JCB machines.”
