Ground breaking: JCB set to launch revolutionary new-generation construction machines in the UAE

JCB, the innovative manufacturer of equipment for construction, agriculture and demolition equipment, have unveiled their latest generation of machines which they are confident will further establish the multinational British company at the forefront of the industry.

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The brand-new and advanced machines will be phased into the UAE, Middle East and World markets, over the next three months, starting this March.

The show-stopper is the latest high-tech model JCB JS385LC HD tracked excavator that has been meticulously researched and designed for the mining and quarrying in civil engineering sectors.

JCB, whose sole distributor in the UAE is the Galadari-owned GB Equipment Solutions (GBES) also unveiled the updated version of its entire 3CX range of veteran ‘backhoe loaders’, which include updated features which help customers reduce cost and increase efficiency, with improved comfort, versatility and productivity when loading, roading and excavating.

During the elite unveiling of the new JCB superstars James McMillian, Global Product Manager for Large Excavators and Edward Lovatt, the Business Head of Backhoe Loaders and Site Dumpers offered Khaleej Times an insight into the exciting new generation of machines.

McMillian explained: “JCB has been making large construction equipment since 1945. Obviously, “We have a very strong dealer network in the UAE for our products which include backhoes and excavators.

“Given the product range that we have, JCB sees the UAE as a market with a huge potential for the machines that we develop and continue to develop. It’s a massive opportunity to try and develop our machines to suit our customers’ needs.”

Galadari partnership

Commenting on the partnership with the Galadari-owned GB Equipment Solutions (GBES), the authorized and sole dealer for JCB machines, products and parts in the UAE region, McMillian added: “The Galadari’s are one of our dealers we value a lot as they are forward-thinkers. “We have a regional team that works closely with them and myself as well. We work as closely as we can in a dealer-partner relationship to ensure that we give them the highest level of support and assistance as we continue to develop exciting machines for the construction industry,”

“We also transfer as much knowledge as we have to make GBES fully informed of our products and the huge number of things you can do with them and to ensure that the customers are satisfied with their purchase and hope that they are going to buy the next machine from JCB in the future,” McMillian said.

Edward Lovatt echoed his JCB colleague’s sentiments and said: “Galadari has been a key supporter of this launch event and has helped us with machines, the location and the logistics.

“The Galadari business has been a long-standing dealer of JCB and a tremendously successful dealer for us here in Dubai and throughout the UAE. We look forward to further developing our partnership with the upcoming launch of our new generation of construction equipment.”

Explaining the choice of Dubai to launch the JCB prototypes which are in full-scale production and are set to be phased into the market over the next three months, Lovatt said: “We are absolutely delighted to be in Dubai. What better place in the world to launch a brand new range of backhoe loaders that were purposefully designed for the non-legislative market?

“Dubai is a fantastic venue for a fantastic product launch.”

Phase in, phase out

Lovatt also explained the process of phasing out the existing JCB machines as they plan to seamlessly launch the futuristic new generation of backhoes and excavators which are widely used in the UAE and Middle East.

“We are phasing out of the previous generation of machines through March and we are in full production with the new ‘3CX’ and ‘3CX PLUS’ Sitemaster models initially through April and then the high-spec 3CX ‘PRO’ model will phase in through May,” he revealed. “All variants will be available by the end of May.”

Highlighting the key areas of development that the machines have undergone, Lovatt enthusiastically detailed how JCB are taking the driving experience to a new level.

“The product launch has been about the operator and about the individual who buys the machine,” he said. “We care about the man who puts in the hours in our machines so we have made them easy to use and more comfortable. We have introduced a brand-new operator environment to deliver in these areas.

“The person who buys the machine has different requirements. He cares about productivity, how much work the machine can do and how much it costs him to do it.

“So what do the new generation of JCB backhoe loaders have,” Lovatt continued. “We have got a brand-new electrical system and a brand new hydraulic system which improves productivity and improves fuel efficiency significantly.

“To cut to the chase the machine is 24 per cent more efficient on an average duty cycle than our leading competitors and we are confident to stand behind that number.

“To give you an example of some of the metrics this machine can achieve, it can excavate more than 150 tons of sand and rocks per hour and on the loader end we can load 20 tons onto a lorry in less than 5 minutes and we can grade stone more quickly than a 14-ton excavator.

“These are some incredibly impressive statistics,” said Lovatt.

Operator comfort improves productivity

“For the operator, we have made the environment more comfortable and easier to use, because that does matter. So what have we done is to introduce a brand new airconditioned cab that is capable of operating in high-ambient temperatures of 55 degrees Celsius when loading and excavating,” he said.

“In the cabin itself, the ‘PRO’ variant comes with an ISO excavator control pattern for familiarity with excavator operators. We know that’s important because operators are difficult to get and good operators are even more difficult to find.”

The new JCB machines have also introduced, for the first time, a brand new steering column to make the transitions between excavating and loading easy and comfortable for the operator to get in and out of the cabin with the titled steering wheel (I can vouch for this because even somebody like me could get in and out without breaking a sweat).

Lovatt continued; “We’ve gone to town with the cockpit redesign. We have increased storage space and designated stations for a mobile phone with a charging point and Bluetooth radio.

“So, the new series of JCB machines are a massive step forward and as the business head of backhoe loaders, I am really, really excited about the new range and we know the market is going to jump at it.”

• Business