(L-R) Peter Chippindale and Nigel Chippindale at the company's Leeds headquarters.

Leeds-based plant hire company Chippindale Plant is investing over GBP2 million (USD3.4 million) in a fleet of JCB machines to take advantage of the UK's building boom as it marks 65 years in business.

Chippindale Plant was founded in 1949 by the late Wilfred Chippindale, who set up a business from his home in Leeds with GBP100 (USD172) of his savings, selling concrete and scaffolding. Today, the business is still family-owned, run by Wilfred's grandsons Nigel and Peter Chippindale. The company is now one of the UK's largest privately owned construction equipment hire and sales companies, employing 86 people and with depots in Catterick, Huddersfield, Keighley, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.

Chippindale says it is seeing growth in several industry sectors, and is now expanding its fleet to meet increasing demand from customers across the north and the Midlands.

The deal for the JCB machines includes the purchase of 50 Loadall telescopic handlers which are used for lifting and placing loads on building sites. The machines are being bought through Sheffield-based JCB dealer TC Harrison JCB and delivery will be completed later this year.

Joint managing director Nigel Chippindale says: "We rode out the recession with a combination of cut-backs, pay cuts and tough decisions, but we have come out stronger. We've had steady expansion and now operate from seven depots, from Newcastle to Sheffield. We have machines working from the Scottish Borders down to Derbyshire.

"The market is extremely busy at the moment; it's the busiest that it's been since before the recession. Mainly, it is being led by house builders, but there is a general feel-good factor in commercial building and civil engineering, too."

Chippindale runs 140 JCB Loadall telescopic handlers in a total plant fleet of over 2,500 machines.

Chippindale says since the company started expanding the telehandler fleet again, it has focused on JCB as that's what its customers want. "We can also customise the machines, with CCTV cameras and on-board weighing systems, to meet the needs of our customers."

TC Harrison JCB also provides parts and maintenance back-up, although Chippindale has its own team of engineers to provide daily service and maintenance.

Separately, the JCB Academy has passed its first full Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) inspection. According to JCB, inspectors concluded that the achievement of pupils, the quality of teaching, the behaviour and safety of pupils and the leadership and management were all "good".

In addition, the Ofsted team highlighted "outstanding" features, including progress in mathematics, engineering and vocational courses and the Rocester-based academy's dedication to keeping students safe and secure.