JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford (left) and Ken Harrison with the millionth JCB backhoe loader.

Centenarian Ken helps JCB mark millionth backhoe loader milestone

2 mins read

JCB has hit a major milestone with the production of its one millionth backhoe loader – and invited one of the last known survivors of the production team that built the first one to help celebrate.

Hundreds of backhoe loader employees lined the road outside JCB’s World HQ in Rocester on Thursday, joining company Chairman Anthony Bamford to watch a cavalcade of 16 backhoes from down the ages.

Guest of honour was former JCB welder Ken Harrison, aged 100, who joined the company in 1952 when only 29 people worked on the shop floor.

He said: “We put long hours in at the factory in those days, in fact we almost lived there.

“Everyone was happy and friendly, and everyone mucked in in those days. One day you would be welding and the next you would be operating a concrete mixer. You’d be doing all sorts of jobs in those early days, nothing like it is today.”

The cavalcade gets underway at JCB’s World HQ.

The first JCB backhoe rolled off the production line in Rocester in 1953. Called the Mark One, it brought the new wonder of hydraulic power to construction equipment for the first time. 

Just 35 machines were built in the first full year of production, and it took 59 years for the first half million JCB backhoes to be manufactured – but less than 13 years for the next half million to be produced.

JCB now manufactures backhoe loaders in the UK, India, Brazil and sells the product in 120 different countries.

Despite its maturity, the backhoe is still one of the biggest selling pieces of construction machinery and it remains the world’s fourth most popular machine in the construction equipment sales league table.

Lord Bamford said: “I am the only person in the business now who can remember the early days when we first started to make backhoes in what was a former cheese factory in Rocester. Looking back at that time, I could never have imagined that we would make one million of these diggers after such humble beginnings. Looking back is a fun thing to do but it’s always been JCB’s way to look forward and I’m looking forward to the production of the next one million backhoes.”

The first backhoe invented by Mr JCB.

Designed initially for post-war reconstruction, as a machine that could complete a host of tasks on site, the backhoe loader concept started as an agricultural tractor with a Major Loader fitted to the front and an excavator arm to the rear.

The Mark One launched by Joseph Cyril Bamford in 1953 was described as one of the most important and influential machines that the construction industry has ever seen.

In the seven decades since, JCB has continued to develop and refine the machine.

Today’s 3CX Pro is the fastest backhoe loader in the world, capable of speeds up to 50kph, reducing travel time between sites.

The one millionth JCB backhoe to be produced was a 3CX model, which has been decorated in graffiti art and was presented to Lord Bamford during the celebrations.

Hayley Johnson

Senior journalist with over 15 years’ experience writing for customers and audiences all over the world. Previous work has included everything from breaking news for national newspapers to complex business stories, in-depth human-interest features and celebrity interviews - and most things in between.

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