Johnston Sweepers 

The story of
Johnston Sweepers

What started in London as the import and selling of Rhenish Basalt stone, was built over more than 100 years to become a global manufacturer of sweeping solutions. Johnston Sweepers was founded in 1904 and was originally named Johnston Brothers. In the years following 1904, the Johnston Brothers quickly realised the fast expansion of Britain's road system and in 1924, the Johnston Brothers took over the assets of Road Plant Construction Company. Having primarily worked with the distribution of raw materials, the company embarked on what proved to be defining for their continued success in many years to come. 

In 1934, Johnston Brother introduced the first mechanical road surface cleaner. Compared with today's high tech machines, it was a basic affair but in the 1930s it represented a great advance in sweeper design for the aerodrome construction program throughout Britain. In the 1950s, the Johnston Brothers was involved in the design of a machine to recover surplus chippings following road dressing. This development led to a commitment to producing a sweeper unit that operated on the principle of high-velocity air conveyance suction. At the end of the 1950s, a new prototype sweeper design was ready. By mounting the complete suction sweeping equipment on the back of a truck, the first truck-mounted sweeper was launched to market in 1960. In the 1960-1970s, the company continuously developed the sweeper design and application, among others by introducing the twin-engine concept for constant suction and brush action.

In 1978, Johnston Sweepers introduced the basis for the company's success in North America: The skid-unit manufacturing concept. Containing all the sweeper components above the vehicle chassis frame, the unit can be stored ready for mounting on any chassis without dismantling. In the 1980-1990s, the company focused heavily on the design, engineering, and application optimisation of their truck-mounted sweeper program, enabling customers to access a wide range of options alongside the impressive capacities of the equipment. In the late 1980s, the company expanded the product range to include the manufacturing of small, compact sweepers. 

Taking impressive leaps in the 2000s

In recognition of its core business, in 2003 the company changed its name to Johnston Sweepers Limited. 2003 was also the year where the well-known V-range was launched to market, replacing the 600 series and introducing a wide range of new features and improvements. In 2005, the C400 mid-sized sweeper was launched, replacing the 5000 series in the 7.5 and 8.9-tonne class. The machines introduce high and low transit speeds for the first time, as well as the new CANview in-cab display system.

In 2010, the CN101 subcompact sweeper was launched, entering the product range in the new lightweight subcompact class for sweeping in urban pedestrian areas where space is confined. Just one year later, the C201 compact sweeper was launched to the market, featuring more than thirty design upgrades including a unique patented 4 wheel steer system for best-ever maneuverability, state of the art electronics and Glide 2 suspension.

In 2012, the all-new V Range truck-mounted sweeper range was launched, featuring more than one thousand upgrades and a brand new clean-air engine to bring to the market the longest-ever on station work time and lower than ever running costs. The compact sweeper was named Waste and Recycling Vehicle of the Year for 2012 in the PAWRs awards and goes on to also win Mechanical Product of the Year in the 2012 British Engineering Excellence Awards.

Ahead of competition

In 2017, a range of clean alternative fuels to power the sweeper range is introduced to the market. These options included CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), the cleanest burning transportation fuel on the market today, HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), the first in the industry to be granted approval to use the new fuel, and an all-electric compact sweeper. Development begins on a fully autonomous sweeper, the first of its kind in the industry, using cutting-edge technology to meet the fast-changing needs and environmental requirements of the market.