JCB has announced plans to invest £100 million in a major overhaul of its flagship Rocester plant in Staffordshire, in a move set to safeguard 8,000 UK jobs and bolster confidence in the nation’s struggling manufacturing sector.
The project will transform the company’s historic UK headquarters — originally converted from a cheese factory in 1950 — into a state-of-the-art production facility capable of delivering greater efficiency and output.
The privately owned construction and agricultural equipment giant, controlled by the Bamford family, said the revamp marks a “once-in-a-generation” upgrade for a site that has become “an obstacle to growth” after 75 years of continuous use.
Under the plans, JCB will install a fully automated £60m powder-paint facility, reconfigure the shop floor, and modernise production lines to support faster, leaner manufacturing.
Graeme Macdonald, JCB’s chief executive, said the investment would make the Rocester site “almost unrecognisable”: “With all the investments we’ve made in India, the US, China and Brazil over the past 20 years, we needed to modernise our headquarters.
“You would never design a factory the way it’s laid out today. This investment will make it leaner, more efficient and more cost competitive. We just couldn’t build enough — this will finally solve that problem.”
The move follows a difficult year for JCB, which has faced rising costs, softening global demand and US steel tariffs that have squeezed margins. Despite a turnover approaching £6 billion, the group cut 230 agency roles last year as construction markets cooled.
JCB’s commitment represents a rare vote of confidence in Britain’s industrial base, amid reports that UK factories are consuming the least energy in half a century — a stark indicator of declining output.
Britain also dropped out of the top 10 global manufacturing nations last year for the first time since the Industrial Revolution.
However, the Rocester overhaul coincides with the opening of JCB’s new $500 million (£373 million) Texas plant, due to start production next year. The US site will help absorb North American demand, allowing the UK factory to focus on European and emerging markets.
Once both sites are operational, JCB expects to boost annual production capacity to over 200,000 machines, up from 120,000 last year.
The expansion comes as JCB continues to diversify internationally while reaffirming its domestic heritage.
Lord Anthony Bamford, JCB’s chairman, said: “Obviously, we are expanding overseas, not least in America, where we have been for decades. But the UK is our home.
“This investment will put Rocester at the forefront of our industry and ensure we continue to lead in innovation, productivity and quality.”
Despite optimism, Macdonald warned that demand recovery in the construction sector could take time, predicting the market will not rebound until 2026 or 2027 as firms scale back after pandemic-era equipment purchases.
Still, analysts said the investment signals JCB’s intent to future-proof UK operations, strengthening its position against global competitors while aligning with its long-term digital and sustainability goals.
Read more:
JCB invests £100m to modernise flagship UK factory and secure 8,000 jobs