22.02.2021

525 JCB telehandlers for Ardent

UK based telehandler rental company Ardent has ordered 525 new JCB telehandlers in a deal worth £26 million.

The order includes a full range of fixed frame models from the compact six metre/2,500kg 525-60 up to the 20 metre/4,000kg 540-200 models. The new machines all come with JCB LiveLink telematics with real time data to Ardent’s management software.

The deal has been done through the manufacturer’s dealer Watling JCB, and the first units are already coming off the production line, along with some classic JCB loader backhoes. This latest order follows on from a two year 1,100 unit deal signed in March 2019 - see: 1100 telehandlers for Ardent.
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The first Ardent units loaded and ready for delivery

Ardent chief financial officer Julian O’Neill said: “Our telehandler fleet is already the largest in the UK and this substantial investment strengthens our position in the telescopic handler hire sector.”

JCB group managing director major accounts Steve Fox, added: “We are delighted that Ardent Hire Solutions has placed this substantial order with JCB given the very competitive nature of the UK equipment supply market. The size of the order shows enormous faith in the quality of JCB’s machines and also underlines the need to invest in new machinery to support the growth in the UK construction industry, which continues to recover strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Ardent Hire Solutions runs a fleet of 7,000 units - with an average age of less than three years - from 11 depots from Glasgow, Scotland in the north, to Fareham in southern England. The company was formed in 2016 with the merger of Fork Rent and One Call Hire - see: Ardent the new name for Forkrent and One call.

Below is the list of the Top 30 telehandler rental companies in the UK and Ireland - if you think you, or the company you work for, has the fleet numbers to break into the Top 30 please get in touch: [email protected].