JCB
July 22, 2021
Humble Bill’s lasting legacy to engineering
A talented JCB engineer from the Moorlands who amassed a multi-million pound fortune thanks to his interest in cars has made a life-changing bequest to a Staffordshire school dedicated to nurturing the engineers of the future. Bill Turnbull spent almost a decade working at digger maker JCB as chief engineer helping to develop the company’s first ever mini excavators. He retired in 1995 at the age of 65.
June 29, 2021
The Hermitage Care Home is up for sale
A CARE home that was gifted to the town of Uttoxeter by the widow of Dr Charles Bamford, is to be sold as a going concern. The Hermitage Residential Home in Holly Road, is run by a charitable trust and caters for women over the age of 65 from the Uttoxeter area.
April 2, 2021
Jumping for job joy after gaining permanent contracts
Husband-and-wife agency employees Julie and Sean McReynolds are jumping for joy - after being handed permanent JCB contracts. The couple, from Alton, both gave up permanent jobs with other employers to take up agency positions with JCB in 2018 – Julie at the World HQ in Rocester and Sean at JCB Earthmovers in Cheadle.
January 14, 2021
New machine built to tackle potholes
A digger giant has unveiled a brand new machine to tackle a national scourge - potholes. JCB has launched the PotholePro - a machine that can repair a pothole in less than eight minutes – reportedly four times quicker than standard methods and at half the cost of current solutions.
November 13, 2020
TV star comes face-to-face with ‘famous’ digger
A small screen star has been getting a close-up view of one of the most famous JCB diggers in the world during filming for an ITV programme about an infamous robbery attempt. Presenter and investigative journalist Ross Kemp visited JCB’s Staffordshire base during the making of a programme to mark the 20th anniversary of a thwarted attempt to steal millions of pounds worth of diamonds from the Millennium Dome.
October 1, 2020
Digger focus for Matthew’s children’s book
A Moorlands man has conquered dyslexia and penned a children's book. Matthew Wroe has conquered his dyslexia and swapped numbers for words by writing a book in aid of his favourite charities. The intrepid accountant, who is Assistant Financial Controller at JCB, has raised more than £25,000 for good causes over the last decade by taking part in endurance events – even climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
September 4, 2020
Factory workers sent home to self isolate
Twenty factory workers have been sent home to self-isolate after one of their colleagues tested positive for Covid-19. The colleagues, who work at JCB's Rocester site, were sent home last Friday (August 28).
August 27, 2020
Charity appeal in memory of JCB worker
Colleagues of a motorcyclist killed in a collision earlier this month have paid tribute to the much-loved father-of-one by raising funds for charity in his memory. Shaun Warren, aged 53 of Newcastle, died on Friday, August 7 when his motorcycle was involved in a collision on Parkhouse Road, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
May 29, 2020
Shop floor workers saved but salaried staff still up for redundancy
Shop floor jobs at a major employer in Staffordshire, which has factories in the Cheadle and Uttoxeter areas, have been saved. On May 15, JCB announced that almost 1,500 jobs across its UK factories were set to be axed. These included 950 jobs at risk of redundancy, and around 500 Guidant agency employees who were going to be ‘released’ from the digger giant. The announcement came from the company after “demand for its machines fell by half as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.”
May 15, 2020
Almost 1,500 jobs to be axed at digger giant JCB
JCB has announced today (Friday, May 15) that up to 950 jobs are at risk of redundancy at its UK plants after “demand for its machines fell by half as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.” The company revealed that it has written to UK employees today to advise that up to 950 staff roles are under threat at its ten plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham and that a 45-day consultation period will begin on Monday (May 18). Around 500 Guidant agency employees, who work at JCB’s UK sites, are also being “released” from the business.
May 14, 2020
Safety measures announced as JCB production resumes
A major manufacturing company announced this week a partial re-starting of production at five of its UK factories as a comprehensive package of safety measures is rolled out to protect employees in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. British production lines at JCB fell silent on March 18 and the vast majority of the company’s 6,500 UK employees have been furloughed since April.
March 12, 2020
Dancing diggers to take centre stage at carnival
JCB’s world-famous Dancing Diggers will take a birthday bow at a Moorlands community event this summer as the company marks its 75th anniversary. Widely regarded as a 'down-to-earth version' of the Red Arrows, the legendary JCB Dancing Diggers will take centre stage in the main show arena at Cheadle Carnival on Saturday, July 4. There, the mechanical monsters will perform intricate and spectacular ‘choreographed’ routines with an elegance and split-second precision that belies their heavyweight construction. The World’s Fastest Tractor – a modified version of the famous Fastrac made in Cheadle – will also be on show. The tractor secured the title with a speed of 135.191 mph driven by motorbike racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin at the wheel. Also lining up alongside the tractor will be the JCB GT - the world’s fastest backhoe loader with a top speed of around 120mph. JCB is also supporting the carnival with a £3,000 donation by sponsoring the main stage.
