After Jonathan Sussman had completed his BCom degree in Management, he found the prospect of merely being a manager of anything, rather boring. This is when he turned to the craft in which both his grandfather, John Sussman, and father, Nathan Sussman, had excelled, which is building.

“After finishing school and while studying, I had worked for and with my dad, Nathan Sussman, and learnt a lot about actual construction, the planning thereof and most importantly, how to fulfill a business plan,” Jonathan, who prefers the name JJ, tells us. “Having completed my degree, I felt the urge to be self-employed in this very competitive field of construction and set about doing just that as I thrive on challenges.”

JJ started his company Procrete in the town of Matsapha in Eswatini in 2014. Armed with a Building Council of Eswatini grading of B4 in the building category, he found himself competing with other construction companies in the private sector, building houses, commercial buildings and even doing work for international companies. Procrete also undertakes roadworks.

“We often hire in yellow machines like graders and padfoot rollers to assist us in our building projects although we own a smooth-drum roller in addition to tipper and flatbed trucks,” he says. “In November 2021, I decided to buy a JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loader for its supreme versatility on the types of building sites we have.”

“My decision to buy the JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loader was based on a few factors such as JCB being a strong British brand but more importantly, being distributed and backed by Bell Equipment here in Eswatini. We all know that any piece of earthmoving equipment will need maintenance and repair at some stage and having the likes of Bell Equipment here on our doorstep is a reassuring factor as Charlie Boucher and his team are just a phone call away.”

According to JJ, his father Nathan has bought and relied on yellow machines sold and maintained by Bell Equipment in Eswatini, which has justified his own decision to invest in the brand.

Since it’s delivery late last year, Procrete’s JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loader has fast made a name for itself as the machine of choice on the many sites where it has since clocked up close to 500 hours as it is used for at least seven hours in each working day. The 1,1 cubic metre front bucket is used to stockpile topsoil, do backfilling and load waste material onto trucks. The 600mm wide backhoe digs trenches for foundations and services although JJ admits that they rely on heavier equipment like excavators to dig deep trenches for piping.

“JCB has really moved with the times and the company’s “Live Link” monitoring system gives me updates on the machine’s performance on my phone, even when I’m not in Eswatini,” JJ enthuses. “In that way, I can ensure that the operator and the machine are where they should be and taking care of the machine, so ensuring longevity, which is what any yellow equipment owner strives for.”

We asked JJ about the JCB 3DX Plus Backhoe Loader’s fuel consumption and while he hasn’t yet noted exact fuel burn figures, he mentions that whatever fuel the machine consumes is not breaking the bank and fits in well with project estimates and budgets.

“I believe the JCB range of Backhoe Loaders has proved itself as the market leader in southern Africa. Having solid technical backing by an established company, such as Bell Equipment, is more than a good enough reason to buy this machine and we have plans to add one more in the coming year,” he says. “Also in the planning is the acquisition of a grader that we’ll use for our own projects and possibly hire out as this is a scarce commodity in Eswatini.”

JJ Sussman (left) chats to the Managing Director of Bell Eswatini, Charlie Boucher.