JCB forecast strong future UK sales market

633 JCB is tipping UK construction equipment demand to remain strong over the next few years after recording its third highest sales ever in the market in 2014.

Speaking during the global construction equipment manufacturing giant’s press conference at 7345 Plantworx 2015 in Bruntingthorpe, county Leicestershire, England, JCB’s UK & Ireland sales director, Dan Thompstone, said the firm continues to sell more equipment in the UK than any of the other 30 brands operating in the British marketplace, and had maintained a “pretty reasonable lead” over its rivals.

“The UK and Ireland market is still the second largest market in the world for JCB, after India. It remains a huge part of our business,” stressed Thompstone, who added that that the 33,100 all-brand construction equipment sales in the UK in 2014 meant that annual sales were getting back to pre-2008 global financial crisis levels of nearly 40,000 annual sales. Thompstone said that mainland UK sales had been the driving force behind a 30% rise in UK and Ireland construction equipment sales in 2014 compared to the previous year.

Of the UK and Ireland construction equipment sales outlook for 2015, Thomsptone said that there were UK growth opportunities attached to a “huge infrastructure pipeline” worth around £466 billion. This includes the £42.5 billion HS2 high speed rail project; the £42.4 billion Crossrail project; the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station worth around £16 billion; the Nine Elms residential and commercial buildings development on London’s South Bank; and the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

“We do see the market this year being at worst flat, at best up 5-7%,” said Thompstone. “It started off very strong in the first three months. It’s a trend we’re increasingly seeing – of a strong first four to five months of the year, then it tails off gradually over the rest of the year.”

During the JCB press conference, Thompstone also highlighted how JCB had established six UK mainland dealers; a dealer in Northern Ireland, and another in Eire, based in a combined total of 48 locations, with over 100 sales people working at the dealerships. The dealerships are, said Thompstone, supported by 25 mainland UK-based JCB sales staff working under his direction.

Thompstone said JCB was planning to introduce 50 new products in 2015, the same amount as 2014. He said JCB’s compact product range were increasingly in demand, with compact excavators seeing particularly strong sales growth. Plantworx 2015 is seeing the launch of JCB’s new 9tonne 90Z-I midi-excavator, boasting a Stage 3B/Tier IV Final 55kW JCB by Kohler diesel engine, claimed increased productivity compared to a conventional A-frame excavator; zero tailswing, a 30° tilting cab, and a 500 hour greasing interval.