JCB engine investment to create hundreds of jobs
JCB has announced plans for a £31 million engine development project in the UK that will create around 350 jobs across its Midlands and Wales plants.
The programme is set to get underway after the company was awarded £4.5 million towards the cost from the Government's Regional Growth Fund (RGF).
Design and research into the new engine project will take place at JCB Power Systems in Foston, Derbyshire, where the company's Dieselmax engine is manufactured.
The development of the new engine means almost 50 advanced engineering jobs are available immediately at JCB Power Systems. The engines will be installed in JCB's own products and also sold to third parties.
JCB chief executive, Alan Blake, said: "Since we began production in 2004, JCB has led the way in off-highway engine development, with a range of fuel saving, clean and highly efficient engines.
Last year JCB announced it had made one of the biggest investments in its history to develop the off-highway sector's cleanest engine, in readiness for increasingly stringent emissions legislation in both the United States of America and in Europe.
The company has recently developed the new JCB Ecomax T4 4.4 litre engine - the latest generation of the JCB Dieselmax engine. The investment has delivered an industry-first solution that eliminates the need for any exhaust after-treatment and delivers cost savings for customers. Indeed the 55kW (74hp) Ecomax engine requires no after-treatment for Tier 4 Final.
