The future is orange with a unique JCB 4CX PRO standing out from the crowd in Scotland.
Kenny Hume | Director of B&K Hume Groundworks
Despite its status as a household name JCB is, at its heart, a family-owned business and so is proud to be a part of so many other family-run businesses that operate JCB machinery.
One of those companies is B&K Hume Groundworks, based in Greenlaw in the Scottish Borders. While it was originally founded in 2004 by father and son team, Bob and Kenny Hume – Kenny’s brother Paul, Paul’s son Thomas and Kenny’s son Andy are now also involved in the business.
"Family has always been at the centre of what we do and how we operate. We have continued to grow over the years and are proud to have three generations of the family all working for the business along with about 15 other members of staff working for us directly."
With Bob’s 55 years of groundworking and Kenny and Paul’s 25 years shared experience, B&K Hume Groundworks boast an impressive 80 years of expertise in groundworks and civil engineering.
Tackling any challenge
B&K Hume Groundworks is not afraid to take on large-scale civil engineering and groundworks projects both commercial and domestic and over its lifetime has undertaken a varied range of jobs across the length and breadth of Scotland.
From building new panda and giraffe enclosures at Edinburgh Zoo to new housing developments in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Bonnyrigg, North Berwick, Alnwick and Selkirk, new high schools in the Scottish Borders to car parks in Dundee and the Oriam.
As Kenny Hume said: "We work on a wide variety of projects, in over 20 years of business and way more than that in knowledge behind the company there’s not much we haven’t tackled, from industrial units and sheds to large housing sites. There’s very little we won’t have a go at."
This can-do attitude and willingness to tackle any job thrown at them has won B&K Hume Groundworks a loyal customer base as a trustworthy name within the areas it operates, resulting in repeat business through word of mouth.
A stand-out machine
Central to B&K Hume Groundworks considerable success is a reliable and versatile fleet of construction equipment – including a JCB 140X, JCB Loadall telescopic handler, JCB 4CX backhoe loader – and most recently the brand new JCB 4CX with DualDrive feature. This allows the operator to drive and reposition the machine while facing the excavator, without having to turn the seat to the front-facing position.
As Kenny Hume said: "We have only had our new 4CX for a few weeks and already it’s proving to be an efficient and versatile machine on our sites. Being able to carry out a wide range of tasks with only one piece of kit increases our efficiency. The main operator for this machine is Roger who has been operating backhoe loaders for the last 20 years and really enjoys operating this new machine.”
B&K Hume Groundwork’s latest 4CX boasts a number of new developments, including single loader lever to reduce operator effort, revised direction control for quicker and easier use, return to grade function for improved performance and upgraded quickhitch with wider fork carriage.
But not only that – the machine is also a one of a kind, boasting a unique pearlescent orange paint job which catches the sunlight and is the only machine in the UK to be finished in this way.
A delight to deal with
Going the extra mile to offer a unique machine to help a valued customer stand out from the crowd is characteristic of the relationship between B&K Hume Groundworks and their local dealer Scot JCB which dates right back to the company’s early days.
As Kenny Hume said: “We first started working with Scot JCB when we purchased our JCB 3CX from them about 20 years ago, from then things have only gotten better, we have since had a couple more backhoes and more recently a JCB X Series machine purchased from Scot JCB.
“We have worked in a number of places over the years from Dundee to Alnwick and there usually isn’t a Scot JCB depot far away. Because of their large support network of depots throughout Scotland and England, not once has Scot JCB seen us stuck.
“Our local Scot JCB depot at Kelso is only 15 minutes from our main yard in Greenlaw and is extremely convenient for us when it comes to getting our equipment serviced and repaired when it’s back in our yard. We have developed a great working relationship with the service supervisors at Kelso and Edinburgh over the years and this is one of the main reasons we keep running JCBs.”
The future's bright, the future's orange
B&K Hume Groundworks’ latest investment in the brand-new 4CX with DualDrive bedecked in a striking orange paint job highlights the company’s commitment to investing in the best machinery and shows that they are not afraid to stand out from the crowd - for all the right reasons.