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HARD HITTER NOVEMBER 2020
JCB was started by Mr. JCB (top centre) Joseph Cyril Bamford in his shed 75 years ago (top left) and over the years has given the equipment world a series of innovations, such as the Hydradig (far left), the Fastrac tractor (left) and the backhoe, seen here with chairman Anthony Bamford, Joseph’s son.
JCB’S 75TH BIRTHDAY
OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ARTWORK MARKS CELEBRATION A huge “75” artwork visible from outer space was carved into a Staffordshire stubble field to mark JCB’s 75th birthday – and to help launch a new high-tech precision guidance solution for JCB’s unique Fastrac agricultural tractor. The giant logo was cultivated in a field eight miles away from the company’s global headquarters at Rocester and covered almost eight acres – equivalent to four football pitches. The birthday tribute was so distinctive is could be seen by imaging satellites orbiting high above the earth. The special artwork was created ahead of JCB’s 75th anniversary on October
23rd by one of the company’s most famous products – the Fastrac tractor, which was equipped with the new JCB Twin Steer guidance system. A team of JCB employees was behind the larger-thanlife creation which is close to
the market town of Uttoxeter where the late Joseph Cyril Bamford founded JCB in a lock-up garage on the same day as his son Anthony, now Lord Bamford, was born. The distinctive tribute was created by uploading a digital version of the artwork prepared by Trimble, JCB Agriculture’s precision farming partner, to the Fastrac tractor’s automatic steering system, which than calculated the guidance paths. The operator only had to turn the tractor at the end of each run and lift and lower the cultivator mounted at the back – the JCB Twin Steer guidance system did the rest.
There cannot be any limit to the successes.” And so a new era had dawned – and one that would see huge expansion of both manufacturing facilities and product ranges. It started in 1972 with the opening of JCB France. In 1977 the wraps came off the Loadall telescopic handler, a machine which revolutionised the way loads were handled on both construction sites and on farms. The Loadall has gone on to be one of the most successful products in JCB’s history. 1977 also marked the start of a number of high profile visits to JCB by members of the British Royal Family when HRH The Prince of Wales toured the Rocester factory. A year later another landmark was achieved: the construction of JCB’s second factory in the UK, JCB Transmissions in Wrexham. But it was the decision to start manufacturing in India in 1979 that heralded a period of global expansion as Anthony Bamford spotted the potential of this market. Today JCB has factories in New Delhi, Pune and Jaipur and India is now JCB’s biggest market behind the UK. Product innovation continued to be the lifeblood of the company and in 1985 the 3CX Sitemaster backhoe loader was launched
