JCB is building a $500 million factory in San Antonio, Texas, marking the company’s largest investment in its history. The Hon. Alice Bamford, daughter of business Chairman Anthony Bamford, kicked off construction with an official groundbreaking ceremony at the site.
Work on the 720,000 sq ft (67,000m²) factory is now under way on the 400-acre site. It will be the company’s second largest plant, rivalled only by JCB’s world headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, England, and create 1,500 new jobs over five years.
The factory will produce loadall telescopic handlers and aerial access equipment, with production scheduled to start in 2026. The factory will also have the capacity to expand and build other products in the future.
“Construction equipment manufacturers sell more than 300,000 machines every year in North America, making it the single largest market in the world,” said Anthony Bamford. “JCB has been growing its share of this important market steadily over the past few years and the time is now right to invest in our manufacturing capacity in North America, where we already have one factory.”
“Texas was this year named as The Best State for Business for a record-breaking 20th year, and I am proud to welcome JCB as the newest business to call our great state home,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “Today’s groundbreaking marks a major milestone in JCB’s journey that will create 1,500 good-paying jobs for hardworking Texans in Bexar County and bring hundreds of millions of new capital investment to San Antonio and beyond.”
JCB sold its first machine in North America in 1964 and opened its first US manufacturing plant in 2001 in Savannah, Georgia, which employs 1,000 people. The new facility will manufacture machines for customers specifically in North America. JCB employs 19,000 people globally and has 22 factories around the world, including 11 in the UK, seven in India, and others in Brazil and China. The company will mark its 80th anniversary in 2025.