UK construction supplier buys JCB excavators

JCB has won an order worth more than £7 million (€9.9 million) to supply a fleet of micro and mini excavators for a major UK supplier to the building industry.

Travis Perkins is buying more than 500 JCB machines – all made at the JCB Compact Products factory in Cheadle, Staffordshire.

The excavators, supplied by dealer Watling JCB, are already rolling off the production lines and will be delivered throughout 2015. The first machines are now being pressed into service by a variety of customers across the UK, where Travis Perkins has over 650 branches.

Richard Dey, group hire director of Travis Perkins, and John O’Keeffe, the company's commercial director, Travis Perkins, visited the Cheadle plant with Watling JCB MD Richard Telfer to see the company’s new fleet of JCB 8008 micro and JCB 8014 mini excavators in production.

The latest order means Travis Perkins has invested in more than 22 00 JCB machines since its first purchase.

Richard Dey said: “JCB micro and mini excavators are our customers’ machine of choice and Travis Perkins prides itself on having a very modern fleet. We have been purchasing them for over a decade and this investment keeps us at the forefront of our sector.

“We have always been impressed by the world-class back-up service provided by Watling JCB, so this was another reason for us placing another large order.”

JCB UK and Ireland sales director Dan Thompstone said: “Travis Perkins is a long-term and valued customer of JCB and we are delighted the company has placed this milestone order with Watling JCB.”

Travis Perkins is part of Travis Perkins plc, which employs 26,000 people, is one of the UK's leading suppliers of materials and professional services to the building and construction, and home improvement markets.