Hundreds of JCB employees today joined in the celebrations to mark the production of the company’s one millionth machine. The landmark is being marked in vivid style with the whole of the glass frontage of the World HQ at Rocester, Staffordshire, UK, being encased in a graphic wrap marking the achievement.
The picture covers an area of more than 9,700 sq. ft. and a total of 207 windows have each been individually covered with a section of the print – evolving like a giant jigsaw puzzle over a total of 50 hours as five people pieced it together. Nestled behind the glass in the reception area is the actual one millionth machine, a 22-ton JS220 tracked excavator in shimmering silver.
According to JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford, “It’s taken JCB more than 67 years to produce its millionth machine. Incredibly, one third of those machines has been produced in the last six years. Reaching the million milestone is the result of a huge effort by the JCB team past and present and it’s an achievement everyone can be justifiably proud of. Given our continuing growth, JCB’s two millionth machine will be produced in considerably less time.”
More than 2,500 JCB dealers and customers worldwide will be joining in the celebrations in the next five weeks as the company embarks on the next phase of its global growth program by staging the biggest ever product conference in its 67-year history. The event in Staffordshire is showcasing all the latest machines in JCB’s construction, agricultural and industrial ranges.
North American Milestone
As JCB worldwide celebrates the one millionth machine, JCB’s North American headquarters reached a milestone of its own on April 5, 2013, when the Savannah, GA facility produced the 6,000th JCB skid-steer loader.
“We are extremely pleased to have reached such a milestone here in Savannah," said JCB, Inc.’s Chairman and CEO John Patterson. "The production of the 6,000th skid steer marks a particularly proud accomplishment for the team in Savannah, as it is the first machine to be designed, engineered and manufactured here. With the increasing demand for the world’s safest JCB skid steers, we look forward to hitting more production milestones at an even quicker pace.”
The 500,000-sq.-ft. Savannah facility, built in 2000, produces JCB’s full range of 17 models of skid-steer and compact track loaders for worldwide distribution.
