Classic PMJ Adverts (Part Two)

Rounding off the week with another selection of advert scans from the now long-gone British industry trade magazine Plant Managers Journal (PMJ) shared with us by our German friend Dirk Bömer.

Starting with the headline image, the front cover of the March 1992 edition of PMJ, featured the then brand new Hymac 1301 Synchron hydraulic excavator, which by then under the ownership of John Kennedy was the British manufacturers last throw of the dice in excavator manufacturing, fitted with good quality Linde hydraulics and a modern cab, it would have been a decent contender facing up to the ever increasing presence of Japanese and Korean machines, however, sadly only nine 1301’s and six 1501’s were ever built before the business collapsed for the final time, bringing an end to once dominant Hymac brand, who had built a total of 16,746 hydraulic excavators from 1962 to 1993.

The Swedish built Åkerman range of excavators had a solid reputation in the construction industry. The Volvo diesel engine powered machines were often referred to as the Rolls Royce of excavators by operators of that generation. The H10B model seen above was a 21-tonne class machine and was one of the company’s best sellers.

In 1991 the original AB Åkermans Gjuteri & Mekaniska Verkstad business became a part of VME Group. Eventually these excavators morphed into the Volvo line up and eventually the Åkerman brand name was consigned to history.

There is a bit of a theme developing in this post, as German brand O&K (Orenstein & Koppel) is another brand that has since disappeared from the market. In this advert that features an RH120C face shovel, they are promoting the companies’ new electronic systems that were featured in these big machines.

Austrian manufacturer Neuson introduced their first mini excavator in 1984, and various models were added to the range over the coming years, including the 1.5-tonne class 2100 RD seen in the advert above. The company was eventually merged with German business Wacker, to become what we know today as Wacker Neuson.

Finishing off with this advert for JI CASE in 1987, who by that time had taken over the French manufacturer Poclain, whose modern looking machines, with high pressure hydraulic systems had taken the industry by storm in the early 80’s. The machines unfortunately suffered terribly with hydraulic leaks, much like the British Hymac machines, whereas the Japanese had developed hydraulic systems that were more often than not, dry as a bone.

I'm sure there will be many younger followers of this blog that will probably have never heard of PMJ magazine, or some of the brands mentioned in the post, but I hope you have enjoyed this trip down memory lane with us older guys and girls! 

We thank Dirk for sharing these scans with us to share here on the Digger Man Blog.