JCB secures £35m order as plant hire firm looks to re-equip

STAFFORDSHIRE excavator manufacturer JCB has secured one of its biggest orders of the year as a major UK plant hire firm looks to upgrade its fleet.

A-Plant is investing £35m in 1,200 new machines. The contract follows on from A-Plant’s purchase last year of 1,500 JCB machines worth £50m.

The latest order includes a fleet of 13-tonne JS130 tracked excavators made at JCB Heavy Products in Uttoxeter.

The deal is also good news for JCB’s other Staffordshire factories in Rocester and Cheadle, which will manufacture a range of mini excavators, Loadall telescopic handlers and rough terrain fork lift trucks especially for the order.

A-Plant is also buying a fleet of JCB site dumpers. All the machines are being supplied by JCB dealer Greenshields JCB.

For the first time A-Plant is also investing in a range of UK-produced generators for the rental market from JCB Power Products. The range – produced by the former Broadcrown business acquired by JCB last year – is fitted with the revolutionary ‘JCB LiveLink for Power feature’.  Almost 40 sets have been purchased, providing enough power to keep two hospitals or 1,000 homes running.

The latest order marks a major milestone for A-Plant as it now means the company has bought more than 11,000 machines from JCB since the first one was purchased more than 25 years ago.

JCB UK & Ireland Sales Director Dan Thompstone said: “JCB has a long-standing relationship with A-Plant and we are delighted to cement that with this huge order. Winning business like this is testament to JCB’s continued introduction of innovative products supported by unrivalled parts and service back-up from the JCB UK dealer network.”

A-Plant Marketing Director Asif Latief said: “This order is part of our investment programme to ensure our customers continue to get the most advanced, reliable, safe and environmentally friendly equipment.”

The hire firm, which is part of FTSE-100 company Ashtead Group, is the UK’s largest equipment rental company with over 150 service centres in Britain, more than 3,000 employees nationwide and over 30,000 customers in the construction, industrial, commercial, utility, public sector, homeowner and events markets.   

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