JCB India wants to do an Uber in equipment renting space

JCB has already begun preparing ground for this disruption through its digitisation journey of livelink -- an internet of things platform

JCB India, the local unit of British construction equipment maker, has begun to look at replicating the cab-hailing model pioneered by Uber and Ola, that allows customers to hire equipment over a smartphone app and enables owners to improve returns on these capital-intensive platforms.

JCB, which leads the market for backhoe loaders, has a smartphone app that allows users to rent out equipment from owners. The firm has over 60,000 machines, which include excavators, compactors and loaders for both construction and other industries, in use across the country.

“It is early days,” said Vipin Sondhi, managing director and CEO for