Machinery fleet protection at its finest

All new Komatsu excavators added to the JN Bentley fleet in the UK have been fitted with Xwatch safety systems.

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Xwatch is the safety solution that has revolutionised the safety market for mining, transportation and civil industries.

JN Bentley, part of the global Mott MacDonald Group, has added 13 new Komatsu excavators to its fleet, each fitted with the Xwatch XW5 system.

The order marks the next stage in the contractor's wider investment program and confirms that all new excavators entering the fleet will now be equipped with Xwatch to give operators direct control, while cutting exposure to high-energy hazards.

Supplied by Marubeni-Komatsu, the UK distributor for Komatsu, the new machines - delivered early this year - follow JN Bentley's 2024 decision to move away from a competitor's safety system in favour of a more advanced and practical alternative.

That first phase saw 20 Komatsu machines fitted with an integrated Xwatch and Leica Geosystems 3D Collision Avoidance solution - a system particularly suited to the high-risk environments of the utilities sector.

With more than 2500 employees and projects worth more than £500 million annually, JN Bentley has built a reputation for embedding safety at every level.

The move to Xwatch was driven by operator feedback and a need for reliable, user-friendly control systems that reduce exposure to high-energy hazards on site. JN Bentley director Dean Holmes said the company was continually seeking ways to invest in technology and equipment that not only ensured the safety of its people, but also simplified tasks for its plant operators and site-based teams.

"Last year, we identified that the Xwatch System would significantly improve our current offerings compared to our incumbent supplier and other available systems," he said.