NW branch visit to JCB

Ten managers visit the JCB site in Uttoxeter

Uttoxeter, a town in Stoke on Trent, is probably best known for its racetrack and a run of industrial units stretching across the countryside along the A50. These units are branded with three letters and known the world over, JCB. Joseph Cyril Bamford founded the company that took its name from his initials in 1945 building tipper trailers and has gone on to manufacture plant of all shapes and sizes on four continents.

On 15th March, a group of ten managers from across the North West headed down for a day at the factory not quite knowing what to expect.

From the moment you arrive to the minute you leave, you are enveloped into the world of JCB. The customer service is second to none and we were greeted on arrival by a member of staff with tea and coffee to hand, all that was missing was the bacon butties. Our hosts, Andy and Mark, met us and gave us a brief rundown of the day and handed us a menu for lunch to check any allergies etc. Being rather partial to my food and having been told about the reputation of the chefs, the menu certainly didn’t disappoint.

We set off to the company cinema, which put our local one to shame, again the addition of some popcorn and a drink was all that was missing (I did say I was food orientated!). A health and safety film and other advisory information digested, we moved into the museum.

Now you think of JCB and diggers and expect a few bits of history etc and the room did not look overly big, so we were a bit taken aback when our hosts said it would take over an hour to go through. Starting with the early life of the founder, Mr JCB as he become known, through to him starting to work for himself making tipping trailers and on through the development of the company with fascinating insights from our hosts, time almost stood still. I could have spent at least double the amount of time in there as we moved from room to room with each stage of the development of the company and the machinery they were producing. Everything was documented and shown in different mediums and retained our interest all the way through.

Amongst the exhibits was a life size model of their largest digger, reconstructed almost like Meccano due to its weight and size, and the car that took the land speed diesel record. Their business model and details of factories across the world and the numbers involved was fascinating. They do not take private sales and work through networks of distributors, so every piece of plant constructed is pre-ordered and paid for on completion. The last part was about their work in alternative fuels and future progress. Throughout the tour, our hosts talked us through the different displays and added their own experiences and whilst it might be a patter to them and done regularly, it came across as personal to our tour and therefore kept the interest of every one of us.

This led on to lunch. When a company has its own farm, which then supplies meat and dairy for the chefs, you know you are on to a good thing. A three course lunch, including braised featherblade of Daylesford organic beef, certainly lived up to the reputation.