You have all seen these remarkable vehicles ‘Dancing’ at county shows.  Now is your chance to receive personal tuition with one of these  earth moving machines.  Feel the dexterity of the controls – they are lighter than a computer keyboard and far more manoeuvrable. Learn how to ‘dig ‘ a hole – then fill it in again ‘Timed’ of course with penalties for over use of the controls……

History

JCB started as one man’s dream. It is the classic entrepreneurial story. Joseph Cyril Bamford (Mr JCB) was one of Britain’s finest innovators. He sadly passed away in 2001 at the age of 84. Joe started the business in 1945 manufacturing a tipping trailer with a £1 welding set in a lock-up garage he rented in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. He sold it at the local market for £45 and went back immediately to make another one. On the very first day Joe started his business his son Anthony was born. He had his hands full!

By 1948, Joe was employing six people. It was then that he turned his attention to making a hydraulic machine – Europe’s first hydraulic tipping trailer. This developed into a hydraulic arm for tractors – called a Si-draulic, one of JCB’s earliest commercial hits.

The first product to carry the JCB logo as we know it was in 1953. This was a backhoe loader which people nowadays call a ‘JCB’. In the 1960s JCB introduced the famous 3C machine. This was a massive seller in its day, selling over 3.000 in 1964. Joe was a brilliant marketeer and was to become famous for a marketing first. The new 3C machine provided the operator of the machine with the facilities for boiling a kettle in the cab. Joe visited every purchaser of a new 3C himself and presented them personally with their JCB kettle. Joe’s customer visits became legendary and the 3C was an overnight success.

Joe’s publicity skills were also evident when he began the tradition of JCB ‘stunts’ in the 1960s. Elaborate manoeuvres performed for the TV cameras – such as driving a car under a machine raised up on its hydraulic arms – showed the versatility and power of the machines and began the tradition of the ‘Dancing Diggers’ shows which are now famous throughout the world.

Today, diggers can not only rise up on their buckets but also roll on their sides, something that is most definitely not advisable on the normal building site. The company also has a JCB GT – a digger fitted with a V8 Chevrolet engine, capable of doing an incredible 100mph. Joe was quick to realise that to be a good exporter, the potential customer had to get a feel for why JCB was special. He realised that the only way to do this was to show them the care and detail that went into making the machine but he had one problem – JCB was right in the heart of the Midlands, making a visit for foreign customers unattractive because of the long journey. Joe solved it by buying JCB its own aircraft and helicopter which were branded with the JCB logo. To this day, visiting customers are still flown to Rocester by jet and helicopter.

Under the leadership of Anthony Bamford the company began expanding its product range, such as the hugely successful Loadall telescopic handler. Later, JCB expanded into wheeled and tracked excavators. By 1994, JCB’s product diversification had paid off, with £140 million of its £565 million sales coming from products launched in the previous five years.

Text © JCB