Today I attended the 'JCB Gold Away Day' organised by P & J Machinery Tours at JCB's World Headquarters at Rocester.
Apparently there where 80 attendees and after refreshments on arrival, the tour started at the JCB VIP Visitor Centre towards the rear of the works with an introductory film in the companies auditorium/cinema. Due to the numbers involved, groups of ten people were assigned a tour guide to lead them round. One batch started with the Story of JCB, whilst the others including my group started with the factory tour proper.
The factory tour took us around various parts of the works starting with the Backhoe Loader production area, then the Loadall production area followed by a most agreeable lunch catered by JCB. The tour party was then transferred by coach to the JCB Arena over the road from the works for a machinery demonstration and an opportunity to inspect various JCB products.
Apparently the demonstration is the last to be undertaken at that location as, all demonstration activities are transferring to Kevin Quarry and the old area site is to be incorporated into JCB's new golf course which was still under construction.
At the time of my visit all UK based backhoe loader production is now undertaken at Rocester, with the 1CX, 3CX Compact, 3CX, 4CX and 5CX models being built on the production lines. Additionally all Loadall models from the 516-40 and up were being built at Rocester.
Understandably, photography was not permitted in the production areas - the products are assembled from a mixture of components made on site, components brought in from other JCB factories and components produced by external suppliers in the UK and abroad.
There is a lot of 'proper engineering' going on - machine tooling, cutting, bending, boring, welding and painting to produce components.
Apparently some of the castings used in the backhoe loader kingpost currently come from Turkey (previously from Sweden and China) and other unspecified castings come from Italy - allegedly JCB can't get the ones they wan't made in the UK.
Also, I was told that JCB backhoe buckets are now made in India.
The Loadall side is relatively buoyant with demand strong, but lower than has recently been the norm.
Demand for backhoe loaders is weaker, apparently the collapse in demand from Russia has had a big impact, and production is about half the number of telehandlers being built each. I won't quote the numbers I was told as, I think it would be inappropriate.
The Story of JCB museum is packed full of information, machines models and other exhibits pertaining to Bamfords and JCB - I would have liked to have spent more time in here, but the tour guide whisked us through. Visitors were given carte blanche to take photos in the museum - I have several photos of varying quality of things within.
I have photos of outside the visitors centre, within the museum and the demonstration that I'll share.
To start:
'JCB Gold Away Day'
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Re: 'JCB Gold Away Day'
Nice one IBH
I have been round JCB a couple of times myself all very good.
Jeremy
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Jeremy
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- Moderator
- Posts: 8677
- Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:36 pm
- Real name: Jeremy Rowland
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Re: 'JCB Gold Away Day'
Thanks for sharing IBH
looks like a great day out; I enjoyed the two trips round JCB that I had some while back now.
Jeremy
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Jeremy
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