ONE of the world's top manufacturers of construction equipment, with a Wrexham-based site, has secured a 900-machine deal from a national builders' merchant.

JCB, which has JCB Transmission in Wrexham, has won one of its biggest orders of the year after the deal was signed with national builders' merchant Jewson.

The order for machines worth more than £12 million is the biggest ever placed by Tool Hire - the rental division of Jewson - in the 20 years since JCB first began supplying the company.

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And the special anniversary is being marked in electrifying style - literally - as the new fleet of machines includes 19C-1 E electric mini excavator models and 1TE electric site dumpers. As well as being considerably quieter, the electric models offer zero emissions at the point of use and comparable performance to diesel counterparts. Each delivers a full day's typical operation on a single charge.

Steve Fox, JCB Global Major Accounts MD said: "We are delighted to mark 20 years of supplying Jewson Tool Hire with an order of such magnitude, which is testament to the quality of JCB's compact equipment range. The addition of electrically-powered machines demonstrates that Jewson is looking to the future and the opportunities that zero emissions machines present."

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The order also includes JCB 8008 micro excavators, JCB 16C-1 mini excavators, 1T site dumpers and VMT160-80 vibratory tandem rollers. The machines will be supplied by JCB dealer Gunn JCB.

Jewson Business Development Director Mark Esling said: "JCB is a key partner, and we are proud to mark such an important anniversary of working together. We are aligned on our core values of supporting the trade and empowering builders, tradespeople, and contractors across all industries with the best products, services and expertise and we look forward to a bright future together."