JCB is putting £100m into its Staffordshire headquarters as the British construction equipment maker steps up investment in manufacturing on both sides of the Atlantic.
The programme will modernise the company’s historic site in Rocester, helping secure the future of more than 8,000 UK jobs while upgrading the facilities where JCB has been based since 1950.
A major upgrade for JCB’s home
The biggest part of the UK investment is a £60m fully automated powder paint plant. That will be accompanied by a wider overhaul of the site’s shop floor and manufacturing equipment.
JCB was founded in 1945 by Joseph Cyril Bamford, with production moving into a former cheese factory in Rocester five years later. The Staffordshire headquarters has remained at the centre of the family-owned business ever since.
The company now operates 23 factories and employs more than 20,000 people around the world. It reported £5.7bn in turnover and £642m in profit before tax during 2025, selling 113,498 machines despite difficult market conditions.
JCB said it increased its global market share while remaining debt-free. It is also continuing to produce hydrogen combustion engines at its Foston facility in Derbyshire.
Hydrogen technology and a new American factory
The Staffordshire investment sits alongside a £100m commitment to hydrogen combustion technology. JCB says it has become the first construction equipment manufacturer to bring a fully approved hydrogen-fuelled combustion engine to market.
That work recently drew global attention when the company’s Hydromax vehicle reached 406.320mph at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. Powered by two production-based hydrogen engines made at Foston, it became the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle ever recorded.
JCB is also opening a $1bn factory in San Antonio, Texas, next month. The one-million-square-foot site will make Loadall telescopic handlers and access equipment for North America, creating 1,500 jobs over the next five years.
Building the next generation
The company is investing in people as well as machinery. The JCB Academy received 708 applications for 314 places this year, while 116 apprentices, undergraduates and graduates joined JCB after more than 6,300 applications.
Since opening in 2010, the academy has educated around 3,750 young people and reports that all its leavers have progressed into employment or further education.
The investment comes as George Bamford becomes Joint Chairman alongside his father, Lord Bamford. It is the first change at the top of JCB in more than 50 years.
Why this is good news for Britain
The Staffordshire programme helps protect more than 8,000 UK jobs and brings more advanced manufacturing equipment to JCB’s long-standing home. Continued hydrogen-engine production in Derbyshire and investment in apprenticeships also support British engineering skills and future technology.
