JCB has announced plans to invest £150 million to expand its operations in Staffordshire and create an additional 2,500 jobs by 2018, which will in turn add a further 7,500 jobs in the UK supply chain.

To mark the announcement, The Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP will visit JCB's backhoe loader factory in Rocester, Staffordshire.

The Chancellor will be hosted by JCB Chairman, Lord Bamford, who will confirm the five-year investment plans for Staffordshire as part of a wider global growth strategy to expand sales and increase market share.

The £150 million plans, which represent the single largest investment in JCB's history, include:

-- Advertisement --

• A brand-new purpose-built 350,000 sq. ft. factory for JCB Cab Systems in Beamhurst, near Uttoxeter, to replace the current smaller facility in Rugeley. It will also enable JCB to in-source production of cabs currently made by third party suppliers in Europe.

• Expansion of JCB’s production operations in Rocester with an additional 126,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space to increase hydraulic cylinder production.

• A brand-new, purpose-built 220,000 sq. ft. factory on the Harewood Industrial Estate in Cheadle, Staffordshire to expand existing JCB Earthmovers and JCB Compact Products operations, allowing JCB Utility Products to relocate to this site from the current smaller factory elsewhere in the town.

• Relocation of the existing JCB Finance and JCB Insurance offices in Rocester to new purpose-designed, high-quality office accommodation at nearby Harper Meadow in Denstone.

• A new in-house training facility for JCB staff, to be run in conjunction with key universities to support apprenticeship and graduate training programmes.

Lord Bamford said: "The Chancellor's announcement of the major A50 road improvement project is good news for businesses in this area. It allows companies like JCB to plan ahead with confidence, knowing that the road network will not constrain business growth and future investment."

(CD/IT)