17.10.2006

JCB builds 100,000th Telehandler

JCB chairman, Sir Anthony Bamford joined hundreds of JCB employees yesterday to celebrate the production of the 100,000th telescopic handler a Loadall 530-140 at its world headquarters in Rocester, near Uttoxeter.
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The hand over of the 100,000th JCB telehandler

Bamford presented the keys of the machine to the owner of BL Batiment, a builder from Dieppe France in the Loadall assembly building.

The JCB Loadall telescopic handler was launched in 1977 when the market for such products was in its infancy, this year the company expects to build over 10,000 units at the UK plant which employs over 700.

Singificant investment at the Loadall facility, including a second line, has raised the potential production capacity to more than double what it was at the start of the year. Possibly making it the world wide telehandler market leader.

At the presentation JCB announced that it has also started production of the 506 and 508 Lodall telehandlers at its Savannah, Georgia plant and that it plans to ramp up prodution there.

Bamford took the opportunity to inform the press that he will not be following up with his bid to buy Jaguar. He said that Ford has stated that Jaguar and Land Rover would remain together and that being so, he was not interested.