One of the UK’s leading independent concrete producers has purchased two new JCB wheeled loading shovels for materials handling at its batching plants.
Brett Concrete – a division of the Brett Group – originally purchased a JCB 427 model for handling concrete at its Royal Tunbridge Wells site. The company was so impressed with the performance of the machine that it has since bought a second model to work at its Canterbury site.
The latest machine has been specified with a unique narrow bucket and greater reach to enable even more effective loading of volumetric trucks. A bucket which is half the width of the truck ensures material can be loaded precisely to maximise the available space far more efficiently.
Both models are used at the Brett facilities to move fine and coarse aggregate from bays into steel bins and trucks as part of the concrete production process. Operating in short bursts each machine will handle between 40,000-50,000 tonnes per year.
Brett Concrete Operations Manager, Aaron Bartram said: “We had not been impressed with the reliability and service from our previous manufacturers so we did a desk top evaluation of the models available in this category.
“Before making the decision we liaised closely with dealer Greenshields JCB and visited the JCB factory. We were incredibly impressed with the set up, the commitment of the workforce and the build quality was clearly evident. It gave us complete confidence that JCB could deliver and made us proud to support a British manufacturer.
“Since the first machine arrived both myself and the operators have been incredibly impressed. They are performing very well, are extremely comfortable and the fuel economy is excellent.”
“Another feature which is useful for us is the JCB LiveLink telematics system through which we can measure productivity, fuel consumption and manage our servicing requirements. “
The JCB 427 is powered by a 6.7 litre Cummins QSB engine, which is Stage IIIB (Tier 4 Interim) compliant without using a Diesel Particulate filter or Selective Catalytic Reduction. It delivers improved fuel consumption on earlier models with a 9.4% increase in torque.
Features on the machines include: a variable geometry turbocharger delivering improved machine response at low rpm and engine shutdown mode for enhanced fuel efficiency. It also incorporates an intelligent clutch cut-off system, automatic differential lock on the front axle and full colour LCD monitor.
Part of the Brett Group – one of the largest independent construction and building materials producers in the UK - the Brett Concrete division has a combined resource of 19 quality controlled operational plants across the South East of England.
Boasting a fleet of truck mixers and an annual production capacity in excess of 500,000m3. It offers a full range of concrete solutions, from standard products through to high performance mixes and specialist concretes.