Known largely for its backhoes, JCB manufactured a record 55,741 units in 2006, an 85 percent increase since 2003.

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From humble beginnings, JCB Worldwide has grown into one of the world’s leading construction equipment manufacturers. The company was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford, “Mr. JCB,” in 1945. He started the company in a rented garage in Staffordshire, England.

Working with wartime scrap and a $2 welding set, he produced a screw-tipping trailer that he sold at the town market for $89. The company story follows that he then used the money to buy more materials ... and a great engineering enterprise was born.

Since then, JCB’s famous yellow backhoe loaders and excavators have become part of the global construction landscape and part of the lexicon.  The name JCB is listed in the Oxford and Collins dictionaries as a type of construction machine with a hydraulically operated shovel on the front and an excavator arm on the rear.

The company says it is now the third-largest construction equipment manufacturer in the world with 17 plants on four continents. It employs more than 8,000 people worldwide. It manufactures 279 different machines.

The company is also widely credited with building the world’s first backhoe.

In 2006, the company manufactured a record 55,741 units, an 85 percent increase since 2003. “This success generated a record turnover of $3.5 billion and gave JCB a 10.4 percent share of the world construction equipment market,” the company states.

“In recent years, our strategic vision has been threefold: to move JCB from being a strong European player to a global company with a global manufacturing presence,” JCB Managing Director and Group CEO John Patterson said in a statement. “In addition, we have sought to grow the company by expanding our product range to serve the needs of a much wider customer base and strengthen our dealer network.”

The company’s goal from 2001 to 2006, he says, was to achieve a worldwide marketshare of 10 percent. “In 2006, JCB achieved a 10.4 percent share of the construction equipment market in terms of volume, which means that we’ve not only fulfilled our vision of becoming a truly global player, but also that we’ve become the third-largest manufacturer in the world in terms of volume and marketshare.”

The company says its single-largest growth market in 2006 was India, where its volume increased by more than 40 percent. Its volume in Russia broke the 1,000-machine barrier for the first time that year, as well.

HMEE Contract
In 2005, JCB won a contract with the U.S. Military to manufacture what they call the High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE). “The HMEE contract is of major significance to our North American business.  Not only is it the largest single contract in JCB’s history, but it also signifies our engineering capabilities,” President Graeme Macdonald says. “We are proud to have met and exceeded stringent U.S. military requirements for speed, strength and durability. Because we are a private, family-owned business, we have the agility and flexibility to research, design and bring premium quality products to market much faster than the competition.”

Developed for the U.S. Army, the HMEE is a unique machine. JCB says the HMEE is the world’s fastest backhoe loader, traveling at speeds up to 60 mph on both paved road and cross country surfaces, comes complete with full suspension and ABS braking technology, sophisticated computer diagnostics, run-flat tires, roll-over protection and a two-man, air-conditioned cab.

The HMEE provides strategic engineering capabilities increasing: mobility – opening up roads; counter-mobility – creating obstacles for the enemy; and, survivability – providing water and supplies, building burms, laying electrical lines.  

“This machine has made a strong statement to JCB customers – we build products of the highest quality that are capable of tackling even the most difficult tasks,” Macdonald adds.

In November 2007, JCB Inc. broke ground on the JCB Customer Support Center. The 200,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2008. “This new facility is a testament to our commitment to customer and product support, which continues to be our top priority,” Macdonald says. “Selling machines is only a small part of our business. Product support is what builds a loyal customer base.”

“This is a very significant day for JCB and also for coastal Georgia,” Patterson said in a statement. “The JCB Customer Support Center will serve as a global distribution center for North America, South America and the Pacific Rim.

“JCB’s expansion is a key indicator that Georgia’s business-friendly environment and its strong work force continue to help companies grow,” Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said. “After meeting with top JCB officials in the United Kingdom during my economic development mission in June, I am greatly honored that they chose to expand in our state.”