The newly extended facility was inaugurated by JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford. The factory in Ballabgarh, Faridabad, has undergone the huge expansion which has doubled its capacity and enabled JCB to produce 100 backhoes a day in India.
Sir Anthony said: “When this factory first opened here in 1979 it was a small, low volume manufacturing facility. Today it is the largest backhoe loader factory in the world, an achievement which fills me with immense pride.”
And he signalled that JCB would go from strength to strength in India, driven not only by growth in backhoe sales but also growth in sales of heavy excavators which the company began manufacturing in India in 2007. The new JCB Heavy Products factory in Pune produces the JS80, JS140, JS200 and JS210 tracked excavators alongside wheeled loaders and compaction equipment, all of which were on display at the opening ceremony in Ballabgarh.
Sir Anthony added: “Our factories in India are among the best in the world and the products they make are second-to-none. I look forward to seeing the backhoe and the heavy excavator shaping the landscape of India for the next 30 years and beyond.”
JCB in India is a fully-owned subsidiary of JC Bamford Excavators Ltd., UK, one of the prominent players in the construction equipment industry and amongst the three largest players in the world, producing over 270 different models, which are sold in over 150 countries. JCB has three manufacturing plants in India; one in Ballabgarh and two plants in Pune. The manufacturing facilities at Pune comprises of two plants. Plant-1, is a component manufacturing plant and is export-oriented. It caters to the needs of JCB factories both in India and abroad.
Plant-II is a heavy line manufacturing plant that produces excavators, wheel loading shovels and vibratory compactors. JCB India therefore offers a diverse range of unmatched backhoe loaders. Wheeled loaders, excavators, skid steer loaders, telehandlers and compactors.
JCB India Ltd. started operations in 1979 as a joint venture company. In 2003 JCB UK acquired 100% shares in the joint venture and today JCB is the fastest growing company in the Indian earthmoving and construction equipment industry. The company is a pioneer in the industry and has been recording excellent growth rates. It has ambitious development and expansion plans through launching revolutionary products and adherence to world class JCB corporate identity norms. Today in India, JCB has a park of over 80,000 machines and out of every two construction equipments sold in India one is a JCB product.
The JCB Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Matthew Taylor also joined Sir Anthony at the ceremony to mark the official opening of the new backhoe loader factory.
Mr. Matthew Taylor said: “What happened here 30 years ago was a first in so many different ways. This factory was the first JCB factory to be built outside Britain. When the first machine was made here, it was in fact the first backhoe loader ever to be made on Indian soil.
The JCB backhoe remains the first in its field – the number one backhoe loader in India, from India’s number one manufacturer of construction equipment – the number one in the world, with every one in three sold anywhere in the world today coming from a JCB factory.
“The backhoe loader will continue to be our flagship product in India. However, we expect heavy excavators to increasingly define our future in India as the country continues to develop and needs larger equipment to do so. JCB’s $75 million investment in its Pune plants positions us very well to take advantage of the growing demand for excavators, wheel loaders and compactors.”
The existing backhoe plant area was 24,000 sq m (258,240 sq ft) but now totals 33,574 sq m (361,256 sq ft) including assembly line, paint shop, fabrication, transmission, logistics, utility, pre-delivery inspection and hot test area. Also present at the opening event were customers, senior government officials, suppliers, dealers and important dignitaries, including the British High Commissioner to India, Sir Richard Stagg KCMG, CMG along with senior management of JCB India headed by Mr. Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO, JCB India Ltd.
Mr. Vipin Sondhi said: “JCB holds a leading position in India and one in every two items of construction equipment manufactured here is a JCB. We have sold over 80,000 machines here since 1979, which is an outstanding achievement. JCB India is now positioned as a world-class manufacturing hub, not only for India, but other regions across Asia. We are sure that the recent investment in new capacity in Ballabgarh and Pune will enable JCB India to rise to the ever-present challenges of infrastructure development and the new opportunities that economic recovery will bring.”
