A special installation in honour of JCB’s 80th birthday is drawing a crown to the manufacturer’s headquarters in Staffordshire, England.
At the lakeside HQ, an eight-tonne JCB 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loader is presented in the style of the iconic 1:32 scale models loved by collectors worldwide.
“Scale models of our iconic machines have been a part of the JCB family for as long as I can remember. The Backhoe in a Box at JCB’s World HQ is an amazing tribute to our market-leading backhoe and is a truly spectacular sight,” said George Bamford, JCB Deputy Chairman.
The special Backhoe in a Box will be on display beside the JCB lake at Rocester until January. The installation stands about 4.5 metres high by about 7.5 metres wide. The machine and its packaging are also illuminated at night.
The exhibit also marks a milestone in JCB’s history: more than 1 million replica models of its machines have been produced under TOMY’s Britains brand, celebrating nearly 60 years of partnership between the two companies.
Earlier this year, JCB also celebrated the production of its one-millionth full-sized backhoe loader.
“The most successful Britains JCB replica model has been the backhoe loader, so TOMY is delighted to see this product in the form of this giant model displayed at the JCB World Headquarters in Staffordshire,” said TOMY Europe MD Mary Wood.
JCB’s 80th anniversary
JCB was founded in a 3.6-metre x 4.5-metre garage in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire by Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE on Oct. 23, 1945 – the same day as his son Anthony was born.
Bamford rented the garage, which had no electricity, for 30 shillings a week and it was there he made his first product: a farm trailer built largely from wartime scrap. The trailer sold for £45 at Uttoxeter market. Bamford stayed at the garage for 18 months until the owner asked him to leave because she didn’t approve of his work on Sundays. He then moved down the road to a stable block at Crakemarsh, a few miles north of the town.
This year on Oct. 23, his son, now JCB Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford returned to the spot where the company was founded and unveiled a blue heritage plaque where the original garage stood in the High Street, Uttoxeter.
“My earliest memory of the business is of me playing in my father’s workshop. Other than my time at school and my apprenticeship in France with another company, I’ve been around ever since,” Bamford said.
“We have developed the business and products along the way enormously. Probably one of the greatest pleasures for me has been in developing products with our formidable team of highly qualified engineers. As we celebrate JCB’s 80th birthday, it’s wonderful to be back at the spot where it all began and to mark the location with a special blue plaque. I’m delighted that in a small way we can highlight where it all began and reflect on the continuing importance of our home county of Staffordshire.”
