Brandwells Celebrates Half a Century with New X-Series Excavators

In this penultimate post for 2024 I'm taking a lookback at a recent article that was featured in Earthmovers Magazine, un-edited and bringing it to life on the internet with alternative photos.

Based in the St George area in Bristol, Brandwells Construction Co Ltd was first founded in 1973, by the current Executive Chairman Andy Dowden and another senior partner, Joe Whitter with whom Andy had worked with during previous employments. In the early 1990’s Andy was joined in the business by his son Chris Dowden, who having taken on various roles within the company during that time, is now the current Managing Director

The company has continued to grow at a steady pace over the years and is now one of the most well-known and respected names in the groundworks industry in the South West and surrounding areas, working for major blue-chip housing developers such as Barratt Homes, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey, Linden, David Wilson and Bellway to name a few, in addition to a number of smaller independent local builders.

Like most businesses there have been a number challenges along the way, including of course the financial crisis back in 2008 and in most recent times the Covid pandemic, both of which were tough times for any business, but with a great team on board they have continued to be at the top of their game in the industry, and in 2022 the company had a record year turning over an all-time high £62 million. 2023 was another significant year as the company, which employs 275 employees, reached the milestone of 50 years in business.

Today the company has at least 30 live sites across the region and report that they are very busy, which is extremely good news in the current climate. On the plant and machinery side of things, the company was historically a Hitachi excavator customer but that has changed in more recent times.

We met up with Brandwells Craig Waters, on a new housing development site in the delightful setting of Axbridge, in Somerset, where they are engaged in all the groundwork and infrastructure works for 53 dwellings for their client Bellway Homes. Well-known in the plant and machinery sector loacally, Craig took on the role of Plant Manager at the company some two years ago following on from a 20-year career with plant hire & sales company CBL (Clive Barford Ltd).

Talking about the Brandwells machinery fleet Craig said they are running a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. In the 40 strong fleet of excavators, there are still two Hitachi models on the fleet, along with some Kobelco’s, CASE, and a few Takeuchi models. They are also running 54 site dumpers, a combination of Wacker Neuson forward tipping DW90 and DW60 swivel skip models most of which are fully cabbed, which are rapidly becoming the industry standard for site dumpers.

Increasingly the company is turning to JCB for its excavators, most recently with the addition of four new 14/15-tonne class 140XLC models. These new machines join 5 x 9-tonne class JCB 90Z-2’s and 1 x 5-tonne class 50Z-2 all of which have been supplied by local Avonmouth based dealers Holt JCB.

Talking about the JCB machines Craig said, “As a company we are keen to invest in a British company, and were invited up to the factory in Staffordshire last year with our local Holt’s Sales Manager Leigh Proctor, to take a look around for ourselves, have to be honest, it was a bit of an eye opener, and we were all super impressed with the set up, and amazed at how many machines roll off the production line on a daily basis.

JCB is an iconic British brand and our senior management are keen to support them going forward, we have a great working relationship with Holt JCB which is always a bonus, if we do have any issues, they are always right there to support us, so you can’t ask for anything more really!”.

Incredibly it’s now been 6 years since JCB first launched the X-Series range of machines with the 220X being the first model. The 4-years of development and significant £110m investment budget has certainly paid off as the machines are now highly regarded by owners and operators alike who are both enjoying the benefits that these machines offer.

Its in the popular 13/16-tonne class where they are making the biggest impact, according to JCB’s statistics around 60% of excavators sold into the UK market are in that weight class and they are without a doubt the favourite size machine for those companies like Brandwells who are engaged in housing development groundwork due to their all-round capability.

The 140XLC is powered by the in house built, 81kW (108hp), EU Stage V emissions compliant, 4.8-litre JCB DieselMax 448 engine which delivers 516Nm of torque. It is equipped with a new Selective Catalytic Reduction Filter (SCR-F) that comprises a combined SCR, DPF and DOC with a large soot holding capacity.

The most outstanding feature on these machines is the absolute smoothness of operation which comes courtesy of the blue-chip hydraulic system components such as the latest Kawasaki hydraulic pump, and the Kayaba valve block set up which when combined deliver powerful, smooth and precise levels of functionality. This is really appreciated by operators when performing fine trimming work and when doing lifting operations, such as lowering manhole rings and pipes into a trench box.

On the day of this site visit the operator of this 140XLC Robert Hawkins, was appreciating the finesse of the hydraulics as he was cutting in steps on the foundation he was digging.

Robert has been operating a wide variety of machines for over 25 years, asked for his thoughts on his new mount he said, “I really like it, it’s a nice piece of kit, they have come a long way now since the days of the JS130’s that I have operated previously. I’m a big fan of the cab, everything is right where you want it and within easy reach, not behind you so you don’t have to be twisting around to reach anything. The controls are nice and steady, super smooth in fact, I really notice it when digging these foundations, which to be honest is one of my favourite jobs, so yes, I’m super impressed with the machine, it’s a pleasure to drive every day!”.

Echoing Roberts sentiments, it’s safe to say that the CommandPlus cab is one of the standout features on the X-Series machines. It’s the same size cab as the 220X and is incredibly spacious at 2.5 metres wide. To facilitate this large cab these smaller machines have been designed 80mm wider, that’s a width of 2619mm on the upper-structure and track frame width of 2690mm when fitted with standard UK spec 700mm track pads.

Robert also hinted at how roomy it is inside, and that there is no feeling of claustrophobia in this cab, JCB suggest that it’s some 15% larger inside when compared to the old JS model cabs.

Robert also pointed out the quality of the 7-inch full colour monitor which displays a whole host of settings which he can access by using the multi-functional toggle dial on the console to his immediate right, “It’s all so very clear and easy to use” he concluded.   

The machine which is sporting the Brandwells 50-year anniversary signage, is in immaculate condition and a real credit to the operator. It is fitted with full fall from height boxing ring protection, and rear and offside blind spot cameras. In addition, the machine has been fitted with the latest Leica GPS machine control system, which was installed by Leica at Holt JCB’s facility in Avonmouth.

Pictured left to Right : Craig Waters Plant Manager & Robert Hawkins Plant Operator.

Looking to the future Craig Waters suggests that as a company Brandwells have been delighted with the new JCB machines, which are performing well and have been well received by all the operators on the company.