£3 million investment sees Travis Perkins hit milestone

One of the UK's leading suppliers to the building and construction industry has invested more than £3 million in a fleet of new JCB machines - and celebrated an impressive purchasing milestone.

The bulk of the new products bought by the Travis Perkins Group are JCB 8008 micro and JCB 8014CTS mini excavators. The order also includes a number of Teletruks, JCB's innovative telescopic forklift, used for lifting and loading duties in the company's depot yards.

The new investment sees the Travis Perkins Group pass a significant milestone in a business relationship with JCB which has spanned more than 15 years - the purchase of their 1,500th JCB machine. The latest machines, supplied by Leicester-based JCB dealer Watling JCB, are now being pressed into service by DIY users and small building firms across the UK, where the company has 600 branches.

Richard Dey, Travis Perkins' Group Hire Director, said: "We operate in a very competitive marketplace and are committed to providing our customers with the most efficient and modern equipment available. The addition of the latest micro and mini excavators ensures we continue to exceed our customers' expectations and maintain industry-leading utilisation rates for our fleet. The excellent service support from Watling JCB is also integral to our decision to place this new order."

JCB's UK & Ireland Sales Director Dan Thompstone said: "We are proud to have sold our 1,500th JCB machine to Travis Perkins. JCB is the market leader for sales of mini excavators in the UK and it's a huge vote of confidence in the quality of JCB products that such an established and well-respected company as Travis Perkins continues to invest in JCB micro and mini excavators in such huge numbers."

As well as tool hire, the company provides more than 100,000 products to trade professionals and serious DIYers through its 16 businesses across 1,900 outlets nationwide, including Travis Perkins, Wickes, BSS Industrial, Keyline, Toolstation, City Plumbing and PTS. The Group employs a total of 22,000 employees. The company has been supplying building materials to the trade for over 200 years and is the UK's largest supplier of building materials.