Boris Johnson opens new JCB factory built near Vadodara for Rs 990 cr

The new facility will process 85,000 tonnes of steel annually and is expected to create 1,200 jobs.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday opened JCB’s new export-focused factory in Halol near Vadodara, marking the strengthening of the company’s manufacturing in Gujarat.

Set up at an investment of £100 million (over Rs 990 crore) in Gujarat, the factory will fabricate parts for global production lines. Built on a 47-acre site, the new facility will be capable of processing 85,000 tonnes of steel annually.

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, who joined Johnson at the opening, JCB India started by manufacturing 39 machines in its first year of full production and will make a total of half a million by next year.

"This country is now a major engineering power and being here has transformed our business. It has been a fabulous success, with so much more potential for growth. Such progress has only been possible by continued investment and the opening of our new Gujarat facility is an important step in growing our business here and around the world," said Lord Bamford.

This new facility will create around 1,200 direct jobs when complete and thousands more in the supply chain, said JCB India CEO and MD Deepak Shetty. The new plant will not only be a benchmark in the industry on gender diversity but also on modern technologies in laser cutting, welding and machining.

With 11 factories in the UK employing more than 7,500 people, JCB first began manufacturing in India in 1979 and is now the country’s leading producer of construction equipment. India has been JCB’s biggest market every year since 2007 and one in two of every construction machine sold in India today is made by JCB.  

JCB has six factories in India at locations including Jaipur and Pune. Johnson is on a two-day visit to India starting Thursday.