When Michael Johnson was looking to purchase his first ever excavator no one would offer him finance – until he spoke to JCB Finance. 20 years on and Michael’s is a massive success story. He now owns Esher-based Landmark Groundworks and Johnson Plant Hire which supplies the groundworks and civil engineering industries. Since partnering with JCB Finance to fund the purchase of its very first machine, the family-owned Johnson Plant Hire has built up an impressive fleet of over 100 items of JCB equipment, predominantly using JCB Finance HP Plus.
It’s very important to our business to invest in new machinery. We used to update our machines every 4 years. Now we’re growing rapidly, each purchase is a case of expansion rather than renewal. If we didn’t own the machines we’d have to hire them in so investing in our own plant helps to keep costs down.
Jake Johnson, Operations Manager
Investing in new machinery is crucial in the plant hire industry as customers demand the latest, up to date equipment. The recent emissions legislation offers an added layer of complexity. In order to stay competitive plant hirers must update their fleet in line with new legislative requirements.
One of the key challenges we face is maintaining our equipment with the new regulations – we have to buy new to meet the emissions requirements. Old plant can’t meet the requirements, so we are forced to update by purchasing new items. HP Plus with JCB Finance has made it easier for us to expand by spreading the cost with added flexibility.
Johnson Plant Hire
Jake Johnson, Operations Manager
JCB Finance HP Plus is an innovative solution that has a 'Take a Break' option which allows customers to take up to 6 months of unscheduled payment holidays during a maximum 5-year agreement. This option is in addition to the flexibility of making additional ad-hoc payments or early settlement - and due to the way that the interest is calculated daily it would reduce the interest payable.