The long-standing equipment company, J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB), will open its second manufacturing facility in the USA. This new facility, set to open sometime in 2024, is expected to create 1,500 new jobs in the city of San Antonio, Texas.
About JCB
It was established in 1945 in Rocester, Staffordshire, England, by Joseph Cyril Bamford, a local craftsman with a garage and a welding set. The brand grew continuously, building more factories in the United Kingdom (UK) to manufacture their expanding product line. Their chief machine was a backhoe loader. When the founder’s son, Anthony Bamford (current CEO), took over in the 1970s, he initiated the move to begin operations in India.
Today, JCB owns factories in the UK, India, Brazil, China and the United States. They are the largest privately-owned equipment manufacturer for construction and agriculture in the world and offer over 300 products. Although they once made a diesel-powered vehicle to break the land speed record in 2006, JCB is typically in the business of construction vehicles.
India remains JCB’s largest market, although chief operations take place in the UK, where they employ nearly half of all their people at 6,500 (compared to India’s 3,000 people). The eleven UK factories produce 75% of the company’s output and conduct the majority of JCB’s exports.
As profitable as exporting can be for a region, building big machines on the grounds they’ll be used still makes more sense. Hence, the company decided to continue expanding its North American market.
The New Facility
JCB’s new manufacturing site will be located in San Antonio, Texas. The factory will be over 200,000 square feet, built on a 400-acre plot, and cost about $265 million to construct. It is expected to open in early 2024 and create 1,500 much anticipated new jobs. Texas also extended a $42,000 Veteran Created Job Bonus for JCB’s new factory hiring.
The decision to open a second facility in North America was influenced by the brand’s extensive growth in the region. Although JCB owns one other factory in the US, a larger presence in the country was needed to match the pace with demand and engage with the American market.
With 115 thriving dealers across the United States and Canada, a second manufacturing site to supply them all was planned for North America. According to Richard Fox-Marrs, President and CEO for JCB North America, “the growth we’ve experienced in the past few years in North America has been extensive, and demand for our products continues to grow.”
The first JCB factory is located at the site of the company’s US headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, and opened in 2001. This plant is the global production center for 18 models of side-door entry steer and compact track loaders. It is 500,000 square feet and employs over 1000 people.
JCB exported its first machine to the US in 1964, and now they own two manufacturing facilities stateside. America might not be JCB’s primary market site, but it is clear that business is growing in the US. The machines made at JCB don’t just take jobs to manufacture…they go on to continue working for the American good as construction and agriculture vehicles. It’s a cycle of productivity that just keeps giving.
Image credit: JCB
