Where do the initials JCB come from? How did the company start? Where are JCB Machines produced? Find out here.
The story of JCB is one of innovation, ambition and sheer hard work. From small beginnings building agricultural tipping trailers in 1945, to the global force in manufacturing the company has become today, JCB has constantly pushed the boundaries in our desire to be the best. My father and company founder Joseph Cyril Bamford’s motto was, “Jamais content”; that is exactly right – we are never content with our achievements. But I believe even he would be amazed by what the company has become. Today, we have 22 plants on four continents and more than 750 dealers worldwide.
These are exciting times. In just 75 years, we have gone from one man in a garage in Uttoxeter to a major global brand renowned for its pioneering spirit. All this is down to our people – an 11,000-strong worldwide force that makes up the JCB family we are so proud of. Our achievements over the past 75 years have been considerable, but at JCB, we believe in always looking ahead to the next development and the next level of success. As we speak, JCB continues to innovate and push the boundaries in research and development, particularly within sustainability, where energy costs and emissions are becoming an increasingly important purchasing consideration. Many of our customers will need to reinvent their businesses to meet new building standards and emissions legislation, and we will be there to support them every step of the way, as we have always been.
Do take the time to read through the innovation milestones over the decades on the timeline below.
Lord Bamford – Chairman
Joseph Cyril Bamford began the business that bears his initials using surplus World War II parts and scrap metals. The JCB all-steel tipping trailer was made with wheels and tyres from a Grumman Hellcat fighter aircraft and hubs from a small howitzer.
In a little less than three years since JCB started, Joseph Bamford launches the Major Loader. Engineered for versatility, it is Europe’s first industrial front-end loader.
Attaching a prototype excavator with hydraulic rams to the back of a front loader, Mr Bamford invents the world’s first backhoe loader, the MK 1 Excavator. The revolutionary design brings hydraulic power to construction and shapes the industry’s future.
In 1963, the JCB 3C backhoe, an acknowledged design classic, was launched.
The JCB 7 crawler excavator was manufactured under licence from Warner Swasey and powered by a Ford engine, while JCB made the undercarriage and excavator assemblies.
JCB launched a tracked loading shovel, the 110, the first of its type to feature a hydrostatic transmission and twin tiller loader controls. The machine was the first to be awarded with a Design Council Award in 1972
The JCB 520 telescopic handler was launched in a blaze of publicity, created out of some blue-sky thinking by JCB’s production team. It was a pioneering concept and proved to be very successful, leading to the modern range of JCB Loadalls – still one of JCB’s most successful product lines.
Product innovation continued to be the lifeblood of the company, and in 1985, the 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loader was launched and became JCB’s biggest-ever selling backhoe. It’s also the year JCB celebrated the production of its 100,000th backhoe.
The famous JCB GT was powered by a Chevrolet V8 and capable of reaching 160kph (100mph). It wowed the crowds at the British Grand Prix in the year 1988.
JCB launches the Fastrac 125 and 145 high-speed, full draught tractors with all-round suspension – a world’s first, ‘specifically developed for the farmer, with input from the farmer’. Breaking with more than 40 years of traditional tractor design to completely revolutionise the agricultural industry.
Once again, JCB has transformed the industry. This time, by designing the JCB 165 Robot, the world’s safest skid steer loader. Thanks to its patented single power boom loader design and side entry cab, the 165 Robot and our existing skid steer range today have easier, safer access and greater visibility.
In 2004 employees gathered at World HQ for a commemorative photo to mark the production of the 500,000th machine. It had taken just short of 60 years to reach that milestone. The next half million machines would be produced in the next nine years.
The JCB DIESELMAX streamliner was powered by two JCB 444 diesel engines producing an incredible 1500hp. This car achieved a record speed of 350.092mph on Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, setting a new world land speed record for a diesel-powered car. JCB changed the engine’s name from 444 to DIESELMAX in honour of the record.
JCB unveils its new fuel-cost-cutting ECO backhoe loader. The first two machines off the production line were in Union Jack colours rather than the JCB yellow to celebrate the company’s 65th anniversary.
Lord Bamford envisioned the JCB Hydradig 110W as an innovative solution to five key challenges in construction. JCB engineers designed the Hydradig to be first for visibility, stability, manoeuvrability, mobility and serviceability from scratch. With innovation at its heart, the JCB Hydradig 110W is the first true-wheeled excavator, ready to transform the industry.
The JCB Teleskid is the first skid steer and compact tracked loader to feature a single telescopic boom, making it the most versatile skid steer you’ve ever seen. It can lift higher, reach further, dig deeper than any other skid steer in the market, and access areas you wouldn’t have thought possible until now.
JCB unveils its first-ever electric mini excavator – the JCB 19C-1E – the first in a range of zero-emission products. The mini digger was developed in response to customer demands for a zero-emissions machine that could work indoors, underground, and close to people in urban areas. Once fully charged, it is ready to put in a normal working day on the building site.
The JCB WFT storms into the Guinness World Records book as the world’s fastest tractor with a top speed of 153.771mph (247.470 kph). Fastrac Two – designed and built by a team of young engineers in Staffordshire, secured the latest title at Elvington Airfield in York with motorbike racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin at the wheel.
In March 2020, JCB marked production of the 750,000th backhoe loader. With many new and innovative features, it sets new industry standards for ease of use, comfort and efficiency. With a striking new design and many new features, the world’s best-selling backhoe just got even better.
JCB has developed the construction industry’s first-ever hydrogen-powered excavator as it continues to lead the sector in zero- and low-carbon technologies. The 20-tonne 220X excavator powered by a hydrogen fuel cell has been undergoing rigorous testing at JCB’s quarry proving grounds for over 12 months.
Join the leaders in electric innovation as we work towards a more sustainable future. JCB’s pioneering range of machines is 100% electric with zero emissions, zero compromise on performance, and much less noise. No other construction equipment manufacturer has more expertise in building electric machines today.
JCB launched the PotholePro – a machine that can repair a pothole in less than eight minutes and at half the cost of current solutions. The unique 3 in 1 solution specifically designed to sort out any pothole repair, efficiently, economically and permanently, allowing you to cut, crop, clean with one machine.
JCB’s first Hydrogen Engine prototype debuted in one of its infamous Backhoe Loaders, sporting a new green and white livery. The press and some famous faces, including Jeremy Clarkson, attended the event.
The super-efficient hydrogen engine won one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in British automotive engineering, honouring technical achievement.
A team of 36 apprentices have combined their engineering skills to build a unique machine set to raise thousands of pounds for charity. The group has made a cutting-edge JCB 525-60E electric Loadall from scratch, which will be auctioned off in aid of the company’s Platinum Jubilee NSPCC Appeal.
JCB launched its new Fastrac 4000 and 8000 Series tractors, with all-new electronic infrastructures for high performance and unprecedented operator choice.
JCB’s double-award-winning electric mini excavator marked another significant milestone in its short history with the production of the 1,000th machine. The world’s first volume-produced all-electric mini excavator only went into total production in 2019.
The 50th JCB hydrogen combustion engine came off the production line as part of the development process.
JCB launches two articulated boom aerial work platforms in their range, with a choice of full battery electric and diesel/electric hybrid drivelines. The A45E is fully electric, offering zero emissions with zero compromise on performance. The A45EH is a diesel/electric hybrid version, ideal for working in more remote locations where an external power supply is not readily available.
JCB expanded their electric equipment line-up with the launch of a compact 403E. The first full electric wheel loader delivers best-in-class performance and full working day use. The machine boasts its class’s largest standard battery pack, with productivity matching our popular 403 diesel model.
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