Flying high
On Glasgow’s Wyndford Road regeneration project, Safedem is putting JCB’s largest tracked excavator – the 370X – to work, proving that sheer power and absolute control can go hand in hand.
The fourth-generation, family-run demolition and dismantling business undertakes a range of complex demolition projects across the globe, including a track record that includes the demolition of over one hundred tower blocks like this current job.
Working in urban environments creates challenges around noise and disruption to local people and businesses. While internationally renowned for its skilled use of explosives engineering and technical precision, Safedem was unable to use explosives on this project due to the proximity of neighbouring properties, so the team were glad of the power and precision of JCB’s largest tracked excavator which enabled them to bring down the tenement, while avoiding risk or damage to nearby buildings.
Ready for anything
Owing to the nature of Safedem’s varied and technical work, they operate a small but specialised fleet of demolition specification equipment, including multiple JCB excavators including JCB 220X, JS330 XD and JS370 XD models.
The latest addition, the JCB 370X has been equipped with extra heavy-duty spec and is proving to be the perfect addition to the company’s line-up, offering the reliability, power and productivity Safedem have come to rely on over their many years using JCB products.
As the biggest and most powerful model in the JCB X Series range, the JCB 370X is ideally suited to Safedem’s heavy-duty requirements, with the ability to move 4.5 tonnes more material per litre of fuel than competitive models and boasting a Stage V, 240kW (322hp) diesel engine delivering 14% more power.
“We’ve lost count of how many JCB machines we’ve bought over the years and they have never let us down. JCB machines have been employed on all our projects across Scotland. The new 370X is a good size machine for demolition and handles everything we throw at it. We were looking forward to its launch and it has not disappointed. It’s the biggest machine JCB makes, it’s powerful, robust and it’s already proving to be a stable, fuel-efficient machine that is comfortable for our operators. We choose JCB because they are good reliable machines with terrific back-up service from the dealership.”
William Sinclair | Safedem Managing Director
A shared history
Safedem has a particularly interesting and unique link with JCB as Managing Director, William Sinclair explains: “My Grandfather, Bill Sinclair, was in the Royal Air Force with Mr Joseph Cyril Bamford, and I recall images of a JCB fitted with a demolition pole and ‘claw’ in my grandfather’s office. I believe the machine, dating to the early 1970s, was ‘designed’ in a tearoom somewhere around Carlisle – a convenient halfway meeting point for the two former RAF colleagues. So, the family relationship with JCB goes back decades.”
From colleagues in the armed forces to an ongoing professional relationship that has spanned many years, the enduring bond between Safedem and JCB is rooted in mutual respect, loyalty and trust – which is still strong today.
As William Sinclair concludes: “Nowadays, I work closely with the Bryant family at Scot JCB for our plant requirements and they are a pleasure to do business with. This business is about people and relationships and I cannot praise the team at Scot JCB enough for their customer care and attention.”
Worldwide success
Much like its trusted partner JCB, Safedem has a presence not just in the UK, but across the world, with a track record for delivering complex demolition projects globally. The company holds the Guinness World Record for the demolition of the tallest building by controlled explosives – the Mini Plaza in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
As Safedem continues to expand its international operations, they continue to look to JCB not just for machinery, but for inspiration, service and support.
As William Sinclair furthers: “As a UK business that now operates internationally, we are inspired by JCB and all that it has achieved globally. It seems wherever we now work around the world, there is a JCB working on the same site!”
Strong foundations
What began as a friendship between two RAF colleagues has grown into a decades-long partnership. Today, the union between Safedem and JCB sees them continue to fly high together.