JCB has announced plans to invest £65 million in a new factory in India, which will be capable of processing 85,000 tonnes of steel annually.
The manufacturer said the new plant, located in Vadodara near the port city of Surat on the West Coast of India, will fabricate parts for global production lines. It will house laser cutting, welding and machining technology. JCB added that it will be a fork-lift free operation.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford laid the foundation stone for the new facility, which will be JCB’s sixth in India. The country has been JCB’s biggest single market since 2007.
The move follows the start of work on a new £50 million factory to build cabs for JCB machines in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire which is due for completion 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 has factories in Delhi, Pune and Jaipur. Production at the new facility on a 44-acre site will begin next year. JCB India MD Vipin Sondhi said, “For 40 years JCB has 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.”
