JCB secure £27 million order from A-Plant

Major UK rental firm orders more than 800 machines including Loadall telehandlers and mini-excavators 

JCB have won an order for more than 800 machines from one of the UK’s leading rental firms in a deal worth more than £27 million.

The order has been placed by A-Plant for a huge fleet of UK-built micro-, mini- and midi-excavators and 240 Loadall telehandlers. Delivery of the new fleet to the hirer’s extensive UK depot network will begin this month through JCB dealer Greenshields JCB.

This 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.

JCB’s chief executive officer, Alan Blake (pictured), said: ‘This is the biggest volume deal of the year for JCB from a UK customer and we are absolutely delighted that A-Plant have 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 trade fair in Munich. The machines feature more than 30 improvements including an 11% increase in dig depth.

Also among A-Plant’s new fleet are Loadall telescopic handlers powered by JCB’s fuel-efficient Ecomax engine, which offers a 7% reduction in fuel consumption compared the outgoing models.

Andrew Winlow, director of purchasing and fleet management for A-Plant, said: ‘A-Plant are committed to offering their 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 their 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 have now been doing business 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.’