JCB has landed heavy equipment contracts with the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Blanc Sablon Airport.
The deal will see the delivery of 10 large excavators and wheel loading shovels valued at more than $2.5 million.
The Canadian Armed Forces has taken delivery of six JCB JS130 tracked excavators and two JCB 220X tracked excavators.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has received one JCB 411HT wheel loading shovel and the Blanc Sablon Airport in Quebec has received a JCB 457ZX wheel loading shovel.
“After more than a decade of providing rugged construction machines for US government applications, we’re excited to grow our relationship with the Government of Canada,” said Scott Whitehurst, government sales manager at JCB North America.
“In addition to these recent orders, JCB is included in the Canadian Department of National Defense contract for backhoe loaders and skid steer loader purchases. And we’re working with Canadian officials to identify cost efficient solutions.”
JCB will leverage its Canadian dealer network to support JCB machines at Canadian government facilities. As well, JCB’s comprehensive global parts supply network will enable rapid parts delivery to maximize the uptime throughout the service life of each machine.
US Army contract
A few days before announcing the contract with the Canadian Armed Forces, JCB also expanded its contract with the US Army. The company received a $21 million addition to manufacture High Mobility Engineer Excavators (HMEEs).
The contract modification ensures HMEE production at JCB North America headquarters near Savannah until 2021.
JCB and the Department of Defense are also in discussions about a new multi-year contract that will further extend HMEE production into the middle of the next decade.
“This add-on to our existing contract means we’ll keep producing HMEEs while we finalize the next multi-year contract. It’s great news for the soldiers who depend on HMEEs for their important missions,” said John Kyler, general manager of Government & Defense at JCB North America. “And it’s great news for taxpayers as it preserves the cost efficiency of the program.”
The HMEE is used by the US Army and its allies to perform a range of military and disaster relief missions, including earthmoving, fortification construction and ground clearing. It has a top speed of 88 km per hour, allowing it to travel with army convoys without need for an additional transport vehicle. It is available in various configurations including an armored specification.
JCB was awarded its first HMEE multi-year production contract in 2005. Subsequent contract extensions and international sales have boosted production to more than 1,000 machines.
“The continued success of the HMEE program is testament to the skill of the JCB people who build these machines and the commitment of our supplier network,” said Kyler.
