JCB invest for growth in India

Company unveils plans for new £65 million manufacturing plant in Vadodara in the State of Gujarat

JCB are to invest £65 million in a new plant in India as the company prepares to celebrate 40 years of manufacturing in the country.

The new factory will be located in Vadodara, near the port city of Surat, in the State of Gujarat on the West Coast of India and will fabricate parts for global production lines as the company prepares to meet increased demand.

JCB chairman Lord Bamford yesterday (25 March) laid the foundation stone for the new plant, which will be JCB’s sixth in India – a country which has been JCB’s biggest single market since 2007.

The announcement follows the start of work on a new £50 million factory to build cabs for JCB machines in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, which will be completed later this year.

Lord Bamford said: ‘With major investment in manufacturing capacity in the UK and India, we are very well placed to grow our business in the future. This year we celebrate 40 years of JCB India and our success over those four decades is down to our continual investment. It’s fitting that we mark the 40th anniversary with an investment in a factory which will give us enormous manufacturing capacity.’

JCB India already have factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur. Production at the new facility on a 44-acre site will begin next year. It will house the most modern laser cutting, welding and machining technology and will be a forklift-free operation. It will be capable of processing 85,000 tonnes of steel annually.

JCB India’s managing director, Vipin Sondhi, said: ‘For 40 years JCB have remained committed to India. The decision to build a new world-class factory at Vadodara builds on JCB’s commitment to India. The chosen site is strategically important because it is located close to a major sea port which allows efficient transportation.’