JCB, the world’s third largest manufacturer of construction equipment, today announced plans for a new £31 million engine development project in the UK that will create around 350 jobs across its Midlands and Wales plants.
The programme will benefit from a £4.5 million grant through the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) initiative. Design and research will take place at JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire, where the company’s Dieselmax engine is manufactured.
The new engine will be installed in JCB’s own products, as well as being sold to third parties, and its development will create almost 50 new advanced engineering jobs at JCB Power Systems. When the engine goes into production, a further 300 additional jobs will be created across the company’s Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Wrexham factories between 2016 and 2021.
“Since we began production in 2004, JCB has led the way in off-highway engine development, with a range of fuel saving, clean and highly efficient engines,” said JCB Chief Executive, Alan Blake. “The announcement that we now intend to invest £31 million developing our next generation engine is an important step in building on the success we have enjoyed so far and it will take the efficiency, productivity and environmental performance of our engines to new levels.”
JCB’s own engines now power more than 70% of the company’s equipment range. The same engines also powered the JCB Dieselmax car to a diesel land speed world record of 350.092mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, USA in 2006.
