The off-highway equipment giant says that Germany is one of its most important European businesses. It adds that the new 12 acre site in Colgone cost £50mn and is one of the biggest investments in its history.
The facility is triple the size of JCB Germany’s former HQ in Cologne and is situated at the heart of Germany’s largest industrial area, the Rhine-Ruhr zone.
The new base includes offices for 75 employees and a training centre for use by customers and JCB Germany’s network of dealers which employ a further 2,000 people.
JCB says it has excellent transport links, with the A4 Autobahn connecting the new HQ to the Netherlands and Belgium and the A1 Autobahn linking it to northern and southern Germany.
Lord Bamford unveiled a plaque to mark the opening during a conference at the new HQ attended by JCB’s largest 50 dealers from around the world.
He commented: “Europe has been a very significant market for JCB since the 1950s and this facility is a great example of our investment in future growth. JCB has operated in Germany for more than 50 years and it is a crucial market for JCB because it is Europe’s second largest construction equipment market and the fifth largest in the world. This investment will help JCB deliver sales growth in the years ahead.”
The new HQ - which includes a showroom for JCB’s latest machines - will host 3,000 delegates a year for sales and technical training as well as holding operator training courses in a specially constructed demonstration area for construction and agricultural dealers.
JCB now has 22 factories around the world: 12 in the UK and others in India, North America, Brazil, China and Russia. The company employs around 15,000 people.
