IDE invites you to the first Regional Meeting of 2017

The IDE has announced the first Regional Meeting of 2017 will be happening next Tuesday, January 17th.

It's a Midlands Regional set to occur at the following location:

JCB
Lakeside West,
Denstone Road,
Rocester,
Staffordshire ST14 5JP

The meeting is being sponsored by AR Demolition Ltd and starts at 5pm. It's free, counts for 3 hours CPD, and is open to Non-IDE members. There will be a number of speakers attending, and if you arrive early (3pm), JCB will be happy to take you on a mini tour of their factory, which should last 30 minutes.

If you would like to attend, please register your interest with The National Secretary at info@ide.org.uk.

C&D congratulate Rik Kiddle on his new appointment at Terex Finlay

During John's time as IDE President members enjoyed a visit to JCB as part of the Alton Towers Family Weekend, organised by Adrian McLean on John's birthday. Rik hosted that event as part of his regular support for the IDE around that time, and we thank him for that support and wish him well for the future now he's moved from JCB to Terex Finlay.

Source: The Construction Index

Coleman & Company purchase 4 more JCB skid steers

Coleman & Company has invested in five JCB skid steers after initially only asking for one. That first JCB 135 model proved so useful, they ordered four more consisting of three more JCB 135 as well as a single JCB 155. The sites you can find them working at include Didcot Power Station, St David’s Shopping Centre in Swansea, and Birmingham New Street Railway Station.

Malcolm Hurst, Contract Support Manager, commented:

"The JCB skid steer models have a number of positive safety features that impressed us. These include far better all round visibility and safer access to the cab which in turn allows a demolition guard to be fitted at the front of the cab. This is something unique to JCB’s design, it is very different to any other skid steer on the market.

We are also very impressed with the build quality along with the flexibility of the JCB skid steers. Given the complex, technically challenging and high-risk nature of the work Coleman & Company undertakes, we felt JCB was best placed to meet our needs. The machines have excelled in these conditions and the support we receive from our dealer Gunn JCB is superb. We are also proud to support a fellow Midlands and UK-based firm."

Coleman even went a step further and requested the safety of the skid steers be enhanced. The models they received include an alarm that is triggered if the door opens whilst the engine is running, solid puncture resistant rubber tyres, and a grapple bucket that ‘clamps’ a broad range of materials.

JCB receives £11 million order to kick off 2014

JCB has started off 2014 with a very nice order from plant hire company Boels Rental. They want 300 machines, and JCB is more than happy to meet that demand.

The order Boels placed is worth in the region of £11 million, includes a range of micro and mini excavators, telescopic handlers and rough terrain forklift trucks, and is expected to be completed, with all the machines delivered by the end of March. Impressive stuff.

McCormack Demolition praises JCB and their NFDC membership

McCormack Demolition was the first Northern Ireland contractor to become a member of the NFDC, and they are hard at work on a new campus development at the University of Ulster Belfast.

The image you see above is part of McCormack's fleet of JCBs working on the project, with JS360XD, JS330HRD, two JS220s, and a JS290XD all in use. Their task is to dismanlte the existing buildings on the site so as to make way for accomodation for 15,000 students.

Eamonn McCormack, director of McCormack Demolition has praised the JCB machines, but also the NFDC membership, stating it has been invaluable in helping him promote his company as a professional business and opening up networking opportunities with industry experts.

After £6 million investment, world's largest JCB Dealer Depot Opens

Stroykomplekt (SKL) is the JCB dealer located in Russia's fourth largest city called Ekaterinburg. It has just opened a new facility that is some 3,500 square meters in size and has a showroom capable of housing 25 machines. It classes as the world's largest JCB dealer depot.

The depot required £6 million of investment, but is seen as very worthwhile due to the reach JCB has in Russia. One in four machines sold there carry the JCB name, and SKL servers customers in a 2.7 million square mile radius, so the company needs the ability to show off JCB's entire range of machines, parts, and servicing operations.

As part of the opening of the new depot, which saw JCB CEO Alan Bake do the honours, several JCB machines put on a dancing digger display which can be seen taking place in the image below:

JCB JS220 being used on Crossrail Project

One of the key stations on the new Crossrail project is Farringdon Station, and a long-reach JCB JS220 supplied by Lynch Plant has been chosen to carry out the required excavations on the site.

As JCB explains:

"After consultation with Lynch Plant Hire – one of the main equipment rental companies working with the major contractors and equipment supplier for the Farringdon Station site – it was decided to use a JCB JS220 long reach excavator which when fitted with an 8.7 metre boom and 6.4 metre dipper has a maximum dig depth of 11,990mm and a maximum reach of 15,600mm. The better the reach, the more ramp material can be removed, reducing the work of a smaller excavator operating at the lower level.

Power for the JS 220 is supplied by an Isuzu 4HK1X Tier 3 emissions compliant engine producing 128kW (172hp) at 2000rpm. JCB has, however just launched a brand new JS220 model at Bauma 2013, which is the first JCB excavator above 20 tonnes operating weight to adopt the company’s highly-efficient Ecomax diesel engine. It will result in Tier 4i compliance, a 10 per cent cut in fuel consumption and improved engine responsiveness without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

All equipment on the Crossrail contract has to comply with strict engine emissions noise regulations and dust pollution, which on the JS220 meant the retro-fitting of a DPF. The machine is also fitted with a simple red/green light cab mounted emissions monitor, which alerts the driver should emissions be too high."

You can read the full story about the JS220 at Farringdon Station over on JCB's website.

JCB wins one of its biggest ever orders for 900 machines

JCB is celebrating one of its biggest ever deals that will see Ipswich company Fork Rent purchse 900 machines netting JCB over £53 million.

Fork Rent Chairman Guy Nicholls said:

"Fork Rent and JCB have a great working relationship that spans over 25 years and that enables us to provide our customers with the latest technology and most highly specified machines. This latest investment in new plant delivers on our commitment to offer customers the highest level of service back up in our industry, reliability and peace of mind.

Fork Rent strives to be at the cutting edge of developments in the materials handling industry. As the first company to invest in JCB 540-200s, we can rightly claim to be reaching new heights in our industry with these machines. With fuel-efficient JCB Ecomax engines under the bonnet, customers can also look forward to lower fuel costs as well as exceptional reach. We are also proud to have bought more JCB telehandlers than any other UK company."

The new JCB 540-200 Loadall is Europe’s highest-reach rigid frame telescopic handler, capable of reaching a height of 20 metres and lifting 4 tonnes.

This deal sees JCB and Fork Rent continue a relationship that has been going since 1987. Over those 26 years Fork Rent has purchsed over 5,000 JCB machines

NFDC Extraordinary General Meeting today at JCB Headquarters at Rocester

Today sees NFDC CEO Howard Button, NFDC President Gary Bishop and most NFDC member company representatives attending the EGM at JCB World Headquarters in Rocester.

It is unusual for NFDC to hold an EGM but, bearing in mind that the business meeting at the Madeira convention was small, an EGM gives the opportunity to discuss relevant burning issues prior to the changeover in Presidency on March 1st 2013.

As associate members of NFDC we are not allowed to attend but we understand from various sources that the agenda includes a number of contentious items with regard to rearrangement of the regions, secretarial matters, the site audit scheme, and future conventions, all of which will require a vote from the members today.

We are certain that the debate will be long and hard and whichever way the votes go we hope that all matters are resolved by the time William Sinclair moves into the Presidency.

Mark Anthony, the NFDC Press Officer, will be attending the meeting and I am sure that his report wil be on the NFDC website and demolition news sometime tomorrow.

Report on IDE Family & Friends visit to The JCB Experience and Alton Towers in April

Adrian McLean MIDE and Noel McLean AMIDE of Armac Group have, for some time now supported the IDE with organising Midlands Regional meetings, the Birmingham Ball & Chain event of a few years ago and this year the first IDE Family & Friends weekend at the JCB Experience and Alton Towers Splash Landings Hotel.

The weekend started with the visit to the invited guests only JCB Experience where Rik Kiddle introduced the experience to us in the JCB theatre with superb films of JCB machines in action before we were split into small escorted groups to move slowly through the JCB Experience which is a history of JCB from the first trailer produced by the company to the present day machines that we see on many sites throughout the world.

The highlights of the tour for me were the reconstruction of the original JCB office from years ago and the model of a machine built from steel reinforcing wire that changed colour as we moved through the exhibits.

When we had all worked our way through the JCB Experience we arrived in the JCB shop where we were able to buy scale model machines, JCB branded clothing, stationery and pens before moving back downstairs for a superb 2 course lunch of Lasagne and various salads followed by a choice of sweets (I had the cheesecake).

Following the lunch we were delighted to find that Rik and his team had arranged JCB “Goodie Bags” for everyone present as we left the restaurant area which was a great end to the visit.

A “small change” collection was held in aid of the President’s charity Claire House which raised £250.00 for the charity.

It goes without saying that the IDE are extremely pleased that JCB allowed us to visit the JCB Experience to see how a massive British company stays in the forefront of excavator production globally, whilst continuing to employ as many UK employees as possible.

Thank you very much to Rik Kiddle and all at JCB.

If you would like to visit the JCB Experience yourselves, and I recommend that you do, you can find out more about it via the following link:

http://www.jcb.co.uk/About/Factory-Tour.aspx




Following the JCB visit the IDE members and guests then travelled on to Alton Towers Splash Landings Hotel for an afternoon in the Water Park or in the main Theme Park where all the rides were open and running. The majority of the children at the weekend decided to go into Splash Landings Water Park to ride the water slides, flumes and lazy river and a great time was had by all.

Evening entertainment was arranged with a curry at a local restaurant, recommended by JCB, and a coach was arranged from reception at the hotel to and from the restaurant to enable all guests to travel together. The food was excellent and all present were amazed to find that it had been fully sponsored by Armac Group so a big “Thank You” to Armac Group from all concerned.

Following the restaurant visit all adjourned to the bar at Splash Landings to discuss demolition related matters and drink beer!

The next morning saw some leave early to travel home whilst others took advantage of the reduced price VIP Theme Park tickets arranged by JCB to try all of the rides before the park opened to the general public and despite the torrential rain a great time was had.

The weekend was a resounding success with everyone saying how nice it was for wives and children to be invited to an event and to be able to put faces to the IDE names often mentioned in conversations with IDE members over family dining tables throughout the country.

Let us hope that we can arrange another similar event for next year.

JCB update their Toughphones, now even more hard-wearing

JCB don't just manufacture hard wearing machinery, they also produce a range of phones you can use on a demolition site without fear of the dust, water, or the odd drop breaking them. They are called JCB Touchphones, and they've just been updated to introduce three new models.

First up there's the JCB Pro-Smart, which is being touted as the world's toughest phone. It is waterproof, dustproof, passes IP67 certification, and still manages to act as a smartphone with a touchscreen running Android.

Next there's The Sitemaster 2, which is probably going to be better for anyone who hasn't joined the smartphone revolution yet. It has the same durable features of the Pro-Smart, but with the old-style keypad and small non-touchscreen display. Finally, there's the Sitemaster 3G, offering a slightly better camera and IP54 certification. It's definitely one for the managers among you.

If you want to know just how durable these phones are, then check out the videos below:




Find out more about these demolition-friendly phones at JCB's website.

JCB invest £3.5 million in jobs for young people

In these harsh economic times anything that UK companies can do to help out the jobs market will go a long way towards getting the country and its finances back on track. JCB is one of those companies.

The Rocester company has pledged £3.5 million and a recruitment drive that will see over 100 new employees join its ranks. These new starters will be young talent beginning in September and taking on roles including in a new Higher Apprentice Scheme.

The other good news is JCB has retained 100% of its graduates over the past 5 years. Now they are taking on double the number of young talent hopefuls in 2012, we hope that success rate continues, and the jobs turn into careers working for a British company.

To kickstart the larger apprenticeship scheme in style, JCB took on 16-year-old triplets yesterday. All will be working at JCB Heavy Products in Uttoxeter.

Source: The Manufacturer

NFDC Annual Convention in Vale de Lobo, Portugal

The NFDC has picked a very desirable location for its Annual Convention this year. The Convention will take place at the Ria Park Hotel in the Vale De Lobo resort on the south coast of Portugal.

Being held between Friday August 26th and Monday August 29th, as well as the convention you have the opportunity to sample the great beaches in the area and get a few rounds of golf in. The hotel also offers swimming pools, a spa, health club, and a range of restaurants and bars to sample.

According to the NFDC:

"We guarantee an action packed weekend, including the annual Claude Brown golf tournament, childrens programme, delicious cuisine & entertainment in a first class venue to mark the 70th anniversary of the NFDC, with full itinerary details becoming available in the coming weeks. We are very pleased to welcome as our main sponsor JCB who will also be celebrating their 65th Anniversary."

If you intend on going then contact Mandy Bateman at Corporate & Sporting Events on 0121 7790885 or by e-mailing her at mandy@corporate-sporting.com. The booking form can also be accessed here.

Source: NFDC

JCB's Union Jack 3CX Auction

JCB are inviting you to participate in an auction for a very different JCB 3CX Eco Contractor backhoe loader. The Union Jack backhoe loader, that has been decked out in red, white and blue, will be auctioned off with proceeds going towards the creation of four Personnel Recovery Centres that provide, in partnership with the Services and other Service charities, ongoing training and support for the wounded after Headley Court.

Done in support of Help for Heroes, which is all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help give wounded UK Servicemen and women the support they so greatly need and deserve. Millions of people have 'done their bit' since the launch in 2007, doing everything from sponsored parachute jumps to cake sales, marathons to climbing thousands of feet up some of the tallest mountains in the world.

The machine comes equipped with:

• 100hp Engine


• 40kph Powershift Transmission


• Loader Quickhitch with mounted 6-in-1 and forks


• Loader Smoothride System


• 24” Rear Bucket


• Heated Air Suspension Seat


• Air Conditioning


• 20” Front Tyres


• Mudguards

If you would like to take part then visit the auction page on JCB.com.

Demolition News exclusive JCB videos

Demolition News has put up a couple of exclusive JCB videos on their site and we are pleased to be able to include them here too.

The first is a demonstration of the new JCB JS360 excavator with Ken Covell explaining the features of the new machine:



The second video is an interview with JCB CEO Matthew Taylor: