Civil engineering, plant hire and haulage specialist Fred Mence (Construction) has invested in 10 JCB 3CX Sitemasters from dealer TC Harrison JCB. The machines are part of a regular fleet replacement policy that sees all equipment changed within a three-year period, to ensure maximum availability and to deliver the best return on investment.
News of the deal - worth more than £½ million - comes just days after JCB celebrated 60 years of making backhoe loaders.
Fred Mence (Construction) was founded by Managing Director Fred Mence in 1989, the firm is based in Washington, Tyne & Wear, providing a civil engineering service throughout the North East, from Yorkshire to the Scottish Borders. Works include deep drainage, mass concrete structures, road construction, surfacing and hard landscaping for local authorities and major contractors.
JCB backhoe loaders have always played a central role in the firm's fleet, thanks to their versatility and high utilisation. Though available with skilled operators as part of the firm's plant hire fleet, the machines are usually employed on the company's own civil engineering projects.
Director Paul Mence said: "We started out with backhoe loaders well before we had crawler machines. The JCB backhoe loader is in our opinion the most versatile machine on the market, in terms of work capability and also as a medium-size tool carrying platform. "We use them with breakers and planer attachments, anything that is required on site."
TC Harrison JCB provides full back-up for the JCB fleet, with the latest 3CX models now benefitting from the addition of JCB's LiveLink telematic system.
"All of our JCB machines are under extended maintenance service contracts with TC Harrison, complemented by the LiveLink system," says Mr Mence. "This means that both we and the dealer know where the machines are at all times and can monitor performance. TC Harrison JCB has a first rate sales and after-sales team, which usually means that they are our first stop for all plant enquiries."