Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford joined hundreds of employees to celebrate the 500,000th milestone of the machine that the company says made it famous around the world.
The 500,000th JCB backhoe to be produced was a 5CX model, which is the most powerful commercially available JCB backhoe ever made, and which is also JCB’s most productive, being able to shift 344tonnes of earth/hour or load 196 trucks/day.
JCB says it is carving out new business, with the half millionth machine destined for a customer in Russia, is one of the company’s key markets.
Sir Anthony, who was presented with a silver model of the machine, said: “When my father pioneered this machine all those years ago we could never have imagined how successful it would be and how it would totally mechanise jobs that until then had been done by hand.
“The backhoe is the world’s most versatile piece of construction machinery and that is what ensures the product will continue to thrive.
“The original 3CX launch was a pivotal moment in JCB’s backhoe history and from there the product went from strength to strength and laid the foundations for growth of the company and the introduction of a product range of over 300 machines you see today.
“It’s innovation over the past six decades that has made JCB a world leader for backhoe loaders and it’s innovation that will keep us in the lead with this product over the next 60 years.”
The first backhoe rolled off the production line in Rocester in 1953. Called the Mark One, it brought the new wonder of hydraulic power to construction equipment, and in the first full year of production in 1954 just 35 of the machines were built: it took more than 20 years for the first 50,000 to be made, and today one JCB backhoe loader rolls off the company’s production lines every three minutes.
JCB’s CEO Alan Blake said that despite the maturity of the versatile backhoe loader, it is still one of the biggest selling pieces of construction machinery and is remains the world’s fourth most popular machine in the construction equipment sales league table.
He explained that JCB has always invested heavily in its backhoe loader range and an early catalyst for growth was in 1980 which saw the £24 million (US$18.5 million/€29.85 million) launch of the technologically advanced 3CX. With the launch of JCB backhoes powered by the JCB Ecomax engine it is said this development will save up to 11% in fuel costs.
JCB backhoes are manufactured in the UK, India and Brazil and the company sells the product in 120 different countries.
The business unit which manufactures the machines has won seven Queen’s Awards, while Royalty, Prime Ministers, politicians and TV stars have all been photographed in the cab of JCB backhoes over the years, while the machine was the subject of a song which made the top of the charts.
A JCB backhoe was even used in a failed attempt to steal £350 million worth of diamonds from the Millennium Dome, London, in 2000.
