JCB plan to create 2,500 new jobs

Chancellor welcomes company’s £150 million five-year plan to expand operations in Staffordshire

JCB have today announced plans to invest £150 million to expand their operations in Staffordshire and create an additional 2,500 jobs by 2018, which, in turn, will add a further 7,500 jobs in the UK supply chain.

To mark the announcement, The Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP, today visited JCB’s backhoe loader factory in Rocester, Staffordshire. The visit came just a day after he delivered his Autumn Statement, in which he committed government funding to unlock economic growth in Staffordshire with a major road improvement project on the A50 trunk road in Uttoxeter.

The Chancellor was hosted by JCB chairman Lord Bamford, who confirmed the company’s five-year investment plans for Staffordshire as part of a wider global growth strategy to expand sales and increase market share.

The £150 million plans, which are subject to planning consent from the relevant local authorities in Staffordshire, represent the single largest investment in JCB’s history. They include:

• A brand-new, purpose-built 350,000 square foot factory for JCB Cab Systems in Beamhurst, near Uttoxeter, to replace the current smaller facility in Rugeley. It will also allow JCB to in-source production of cabs currently made by third-party suppliers in Europe.
• Expansion of JCB’s production operations in Rocester with an additional 126,000 square feet of manufacturing space to increase hydraulic cylinder production.
• A brand-new, purpose-built 220,000 square foot factory on the Harewood Industrial Estate, in Cheadle, Staffordshire, to expand existing JCB Earthmovers and JCB Compact Products operations, allowing JCB Utility Products to relocate to this site from the current smaller factory elsewhere in the town.
• Relocation of the existing JCB Finance and JCB Insurance offices in Rocester to new, purpose-designed, high-quality office accommodation at nearby Harper Meadow in Denstone.
• A new in-house training facility for JCB staff, to be run in conjunction with key universities to support apprenticeship and graduate training programmes.

Lord Bamford said: ‘The Chancellor’s announcement of the major A50 road improvement project is good news for businesses in this area. It allows companies like JCB to plan ahead with confidence, knowing that the road network will not constrain business growth and future investment.’

He continued: ‘Our plan to create 2,500 high-quality manufacturing jobs locally is clear evidence of the important link between infrastructure improvement and job creation. The Chancellor’s decision to invest in the regional infrastructure means JCB can continue to invest locally, which is good for Staffordshire and good for Britain, especially given the wider benefits to our UK supply chain.’

The projected growth in machine output from JCB’s Staffordshire factories will be supported by an increase in production of components from factories elsewhere in the UK, including engines from JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire, and axles and gearboxes from JCB Transmissions in Wrexham, North Wales.

During his visit, The Chancellor met with senior company executives and was introduced to employees in the backhoe loader factory, including welding operatives in the manufacturing cells and assembly line operatives on the production line where the company’s iconic yellow JCB diggers are assembled.

He also met five apprentices who have recently joined JCB, three of whom were taken on via the acclaimed JCB Academy for 14–19-year-olds, located in Rocester.

Mr Osborne concluded his visit by congratulating employees on reaching a key milestone in JCB’s history by selling their one millionth machine during 2013. More than half a million of these were backhoe loaders – the innovative machine range that celebrates its 60th birthday this year.