JCB staff in Staffordshire are celebrating the production of the digger company's one millionth machine.
The landmark number – enough diggers to stretch from the UK to Australia – is being marked with the whole of the glass frontage of the World HQ in Rocester being encased in a graphic wrap.
The picture covers an area of more than 900m² and a total of 207 windows have each been individually covered with a section of the print – evolving like a giant jigsaw puzzle over a total of 50 hours as five people pieced it together.
The one millionth machine, a 22 tonne JS220 tracked excavator in shimmering silver, takes its place behind glass in the reception area.
JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford, who was in attendance, said: “It’s taken JCB more than 67 years to produce its millionth machine. Incredibly, one third of those machines has been produced in the last six years.”
“Reaching the million milestone is the result of a huge effort by the JCB team past and present and it’s an achievement everyone can be justifiably proud of. Given our continuing growth, JCB’s two millionth machine will be produced in considerably less time,” he added.
Celebrations will be ongoing for the next five weeks, with more than 2,500 JCB dealers and customers set to join proceedings over that period.
The company intends to embark on the next phase of its global growth programme by staging the biggest ever product conference in its 67-year history.
The event in Staffordshire will showcase all the latest machines in JCB’s construction, agricultural and industrial ranges.
During the conference it will demonstrate more than 100 of its innovative machines as well as present technical details on their features and benefits.
Covering the duration of the conference, the heavy machinery manufacturer is expecting delegates from almost 130 countries to attend.
