Your loader, sir!
A group of AgroCentre employees and customers has visited England, where they could see with their own eyes the level of precision with which JCB machinery is manufactured.
‘Jamais content’
The motto of Joseph Cyril Bamford, the founder, describes the company’s development strategy like nothing else. Since 1945, JCB has evolved from a small company building agricultural tipping trailers to the global force in manufacturing it has become today.
On arrival to the company’s headquarters in Roster (Staffordshire, UK), the AgroCentre team headed for the JCB museum of history and innovation first. The tour continued onto the assembly lines of the world famous telehandlers and front loaders. That was followed by a presentation of the classical concept of the JCB 541-70 Agri, as well as a novel telehandler-based excavator.
‘I’ve visited a lot of factories both abroad and in Russia, but the JCB works is unlike anything I’ve ever seen’, says Ivan Yashnov, Director of Biyskoye Regional State Enterprise (Pervomayskoye, Biysk district, Altai Area). ‘The trip with AgroCentre has dispelled any doubts I had. I'd heard positive feedback about the machinery from colleagues, I’d compared offers available in the market in terms of price and features. Now that I’ve seen the manufacturing process I am firmly convinced that JCB is number 1. We are going to buy the loader this autumn!’
Self-sufficient company
The customers did justice to the self-sufficient nature of loader manufacturing: all the components of JCB machinery are made in-house.
‘The manufacturing process is set up at a very high level at JCB’, says Vladimir Mishin, Director General of Kurakinskoye, CJSC (Kurakinskiy, Sverdlovskiy district, Oryol oblast). ‘I was astonished to learn that they can monitor operation of every single loader ever sold, so they control the situation all over the world. There is a dedicated group, which keeps track of machinery movement, and a display showing which machinery is in operation and which is idle at any given moment. Such degree of commitment cannot but win you over. That is exactly why we are planning to purchase our third loader.’
Farmers were impressed with the scale and degree of automation of manufacturing processes as well as superior work ethics. JCB enterprises employ around 12,000 people in the UK alone.
‘It’s not my first overseas trip with AgroCentre’, says Dmitriy Tashlanov, Deputy Marketing Director of Mayak farming enterprise (Ognevo, Kazanskoye district Tyumen oblast). ‘The organisation is as immaculate as ever! The trip turned out to be educational and entertaining at the same time. We have been operating JCB machinery for a long time ourselves, we understand the ins and outs of how it works, and could give a lecture on its use ourselves, but factory workflows were definitely worth seeing.’
Top-notch logistics
The guests also saw the world-renowned JCB World Part Centre.
‘The sheer size of the warehouse rendered us speechless’, shares Aleksandr Yashchenko, Sales Specialist of Altai Branch of AgroCentreZakharovo. ‘Around 6 million pounds was poured into the logistics centre. Orders for spare parts from local dealers are fulfilled within a day and delivered to the dealer’s storages at any time of day and night. Everything is working as a whole, one doesn’t have to worry about accuracy and delivery times of extensive orders.’
Traditionally, a comprehensive entertainment programme awaited AgroCentre’s partners. Besides a sightseeing tour of London, they witnessed the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, visited the Doveridge Shoot pistol club and Wootton Farm and enjoyed a cruise on the river Thames.