New JCB loader for Andrews Plant Hire
Plant hire customer marks five decades of loyalty with new 457 wheel loader purchase
ONE of JCB’s longest-standing customers in the world has invested in a brand new fuel-saving machine – nearly half a century after founding his family firm with a second-hand JCB backhoe.
Peter Andrews cut his teeth as a machine driver in the 1960s and was the first person to operate a JCB 6C tracked excavator when it was launched in 1968. JCB founder Joseph Cyril Bamford CBE delivered it personally to his then employers, Brooks Diggers, in Poole, Dorset.
A year later, in 1969, Mr Andrews (right of photo) struck out on his own and founded Dorset-based Andrews Plant Hire with a single second-hand JCB backhoe loader. Today his company runs a fleet of 38 JCB machines including the latest purchase, a brand new 457 wheel loader. His son Chris Andrews (left of photo) is now also a director of the company.
Peter Andrews, who is still at the helm of the firm, said: ‘We’ve operated JCB products since the very beginning and the recent wheeled loading shovels have been outstanding performers in tough applications. That drove the decision to purchase the latest 457 model and everyone loves it. Performance is first class and the service from our dealer, Holt JCB, continues to go from strength to strength.’
JCB’s UK and Ireland sales director, Dan Thompstone, said: ‘Andrews Plant Hire are one of JCB’s most loyal customers and certainly one of the longest standing in the world. We are delighted to continue our long association with them.’
The investment follows the outstanding performance of an earlier model that has delivered more than 5,000 hours of service over the last two years. The machine meets Euro Stage IV (Tier 4 Final) without the need for a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and Mr Andrews has described its performance in challenging aggregates applications as ‘first class’.
The company’s fleet also includes JCB 427 wheel loaders; JS130, JS220 and JS360 tracked excavators; along with mini- and midi-excavators and new JCB site dumpers.
The new JCB 457 is operating at pits owned by Imerys Minerals where it extracts sand and loads it into screeners. The model meets Euro Stage IV (Tier 4 Final) emissions standards with the adoption of a MTU diesel engine that is perfectly matched to the machine’s operating duties.
The engine contributes to a fuel saving of around 16%, compared with the previous model, and meets latest emissions legislation without the need for a DPF, relying instead on an efficient combustion process with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and an exhaust fluid additive.
Founded in 1969, Andrews Plant Hire is a well-established plant hire and haulage firm operating throughout Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon. The company works with many leading aggregates and waste organizations, including Imerys, New Milton Sand & Ballast, Holme Sand & Ballast, Suttle Stone Quarries, Viridor and Sita.
