It is 40 years since the first Loadall telehandler (2wd 520 2.5t to 6.4m) left the production line in October 1977. The flexible machine quickly became an indispensable tool on many farms and last year the factory, which now makes more than 30 base models and over 1,000 individual configurations, produced the 200,000th machine. Each one takes around 35 stages to produce and eight hours to assemble, and Loadall manufacture consumes more than 35,000 tonnes of steel and over 14,500km of weld wire a year. During the same year, the painting facility uses 73,000 litres of primer and 50,000 litres of gloss paint. Manufacturing components employs 300 people, assembly operations another 460.