Flannery in £22 million JCB order

JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford and Pat Flannery Snr pictured by Flannery Plant Hire’s original 1972 JCB 3C backhoe loader. (Photo: JCB)

UK rental firm Flannery Plant Hire has placed a £22 million order with JCB for a fleet of machines to support major national infrastructure projects.

Supplied by Greenshields JCB, the order includes JCB Loadall telescopic handlers, X Series tracked excavators, site dumpers, mini excavators and 3CX backhoe loaders. Deliveries will take place throughout 2025.

All new machines in the order will feature JCB’s LiveLink telematics system, delivering real-time data on machine utilisation, CO₂ levels and safety performance. The X Series excavators will also be fitted with advanced safety technology including Human Form Recognition (HFR) and X-Watch slew and height limiters.

Flannery Plant Hire managing director, Patrick Flannery, said, “Our customers continue to be delighted with the JCB range and we will continue to invest in the finest quality, innovative equipment available. We are particularly interested in JCB’s development of hydrogen powered machines and we plan to take the first hydrogen 3CX from JCB.”

JCB Global Major Accounts managing director, Steve Fox, added, “We are proud of our longstanding business partnership with Flannery Plant Hire, especially as Pat Snr started the business with just a 3C backhoe. The Flannery family should be very proud of their successful and forward-thinking business.”

The deal extends a long-standing partnership between the two family-run businesses, which began in 1972 when company founder Pat Flannery purchased a JCB 3C backhoe loader to launch Flannery Plant Hire.

Now led by sons Martin, Patrick Jnr and Paul, the Wembley-based firm operates a fleet of more than 6,500 machines across 13 depots in the UK and Ireland, supported by 2,200 operators.