I led the Global Industrial Design Team who developed and delivered all of JCB’s new machines - supporting each project from first principals through to production Job#1.
My Team were custodians of JCB's DNA - overseeing exterior bodywork and cab interior design development - focusing on overall look and feel, comfort, ease of use and perceived quality.
To successfully develop and resolve each machine, we interfaced daily with Engineering, Manufacturing and Operator User Groups – and provided technical and strategic governance via JCB's NPI Gate process - to ensure Design intent was fully delivered.
During my time as Head of Design I developed a young and evolving Team - refining their industry skill-sets and supporting their work to overhaul JCB's full product range, in addition to bringing entirely new and disruptive models to market.
Our push coincided with major changes in emissions legislation - which gave us opportunity to rethink industry conventions and develop a more strategic and holistic product development approach.
We reworked our processes to ensure Industrial Design content was actively adopted and our guidance adhered to.
We additionally developed a dedicated and secure Studio working environment – to encourage collaboration and cross fertilisation of ideas amongst our product development specialists.
This Innovation Centre created a secure space within the company - where key stakeholders could meet to review the status of all emerging products both physically and digitally - a place where we collaborated to actively refine long term Group strategy.
Due to the confidential nature of our work, the images collated here are the final output which reached the public domain . . . the development stories and depth of technical detail behind each design (not to mention the concepts still behind closed doors) would be enough to fill a library.
I’m grateful to all at JCB for the opportunity to Lead and directly influence the evolution of such an exciting, prolific and recognisable brand.
Design Copyright JCB Excavators Ltd - images reproduced with permission.
Command Plus Cab: Wheeled Loading Shovel.
This was the first cab to be launched based on the “Command Plus” architecture and philosophy we’d been developing in advance – common operator interface elements, standardised ergonomics, revised colour pallette, and CMF developed specifically to promote control legibility, and provide a robust, low maintenance working environment. Visibility was enhanced to improve operator comfort, ease of use and onsite safety.
Wheeled Loading Shovel range:
Exterior bodywork had to be wholly revisited across our range to suit new emissions legislation and packaging. We took the opportunity to beef up our aesthetic in the process, and improve detail component quality and fit-up. The single piece hinging rear bodywork additionally improves access and speed of service turnaround.
Command Plus Cab: Fastrac
Central to Fastrac’s transformation was an all new cab – again featuring many of our Command Plus common touchpoints and ergonomic improvements. The geometry of the cab was fundamentally reworked to offer increased space, better all-round visibility, improved operator functionality and reduce solar gain.
Fastrac Range:
Exterior bodywork was overhauled to offer better visibility to front axles, and integrate additional lights into the bonnet to improve nightime working – in fact, light performance throughout JCB’s range was improved due to the higher performance LED units we helped to introduce.
Command Plus Cab: Hydradig
Hydradig was a ground-up new product for JCB – and built from a revolutionary new package JCB had developed to radically improve visibility, stability and site safety. Hydradig’s cab was built using Command Plus DNA and component architecture already proven on other platforms and widely liked by our Customers. Each interface point was carefully developed by JCB’s cross-functional Team to ensure it had exactly the right tactile feel and haptic feedback – and offered a logical and intuitive appearance to reinforce ease of use. Our work additionally looked in detail at screen menu interfaces (UI/UX) to ensure all machine information was clearly and logically presented - and quick to find.
Hydradig: Exterior
The bodywork design was refined by the ID Team working in conjunction with JCB’s resident packaging engineers through countless iterations to unlock best possible all-round visibility for the operator. Ground level service access makes daily checks and maintenance easier, quicker and safer.
Midi and Mini Excavator range:
Exterior bodywork and cabs throughout the range were entirely redesigned to suit new emissions and packaging requirements. Pressed steel construction was adopted to ensure precision and robustness of all exterior parts. We took the opportunity to add character to the exterior appearance by introducing a more angled aesthetic, with additional surface features to add stiffness and rigidity to each panel.
19 C-1
Even the smaller machines in our range directly benefited from our update work - carrying the same DNA cues and many of our common "Command Plus" interior touchpoints.
Command Plus Cab: X-Series
Central to JCB’s next generation of excavator design was an all-new cab featuring many of our Command Plus enhancements and learning – HMI, UI/UX and design philosophy were all actively applied to ensure Operator satisfaction and Customer acceptance. Cab length and width were additionally increased to provide a more spacious working environment, with improved storage provision for carry-on items.
X-Series range: Exterior
All new exterior bodywork. Pressed steel construction with surface features to add stiffness and rigidity whilst also enhancing cooling performance. Rear counterweight features recessed surfaces and strong 3D form elements to protect branding and minimise impact damage. Surfaces sculpted to enhance cross-machine visibility. Walkway design refined to minimise any potential trip hazzards.
Command Plus Cab: Agri Loadall
Again, designed from the inside out: focussed to deliver best practice ergonomics, logical HMI, improved Operator visibility and storage. Command Plus touchpoints and thinking throughout.
