Investment programme follows resilient performance
JCB is stepping up investment in manufacturing capacity and new technology after reporting a resilient performance in 2025 despite mixed market conditions across its major markets.
Turnover for the year was £5.7 billion, compared with £5.8 billion in 2024, while profit before tax fell from £687.3 million to £642 million. Machine sales totalled 113,498 units, down from 119,848 the previous year.
The company remained debt-free with no net borrowings and reported an increase in global market share despite flat demand in North America and a 12% contraction in the Indian construction equipment market.
JCB is investing £100 million in transforming its Staffordshire headquarters, including a £60 million fully automated powder paint plant and a modernised production shop floor. The investment is intended to support more than 8,000 UK jobs.
In the USA, a new $1 billion factory in San Antonio, Texas, is scheduled to open next month. At one million square feet, it will be JCB’s largest manufacturing facility and is expected to create 1,500 jobs over the next five years.
The plant will manufacture Loadall telescopic handlers and access equipment for the North American market.
Investment is also continuing in alternative powertrains. Following a £100 million development programme, hydrogen-powered combustion engines are now in production.
The technology recently powered the JCB Hydromax to a recorded 406.320mph (653.909km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The vehicle used two production-based hydrogen engines manufactured at JCB’s Foston, Derbyshire, facility.
JCB also continues to invest in engineering skills. This year, 116 apprentices, undergraduates and graduates joined the company after being selected from more than 6,300 applicants.
CEO Graeme Macdonald said the company expected moderate market growth in 2026 despite continued geopolitical uncertainty.
He said new production capacity in Texas and Staffordshire would position the business to respond to that growth.
The company’s 2025 results underline a relatively stable financial performance while the current investment programme represents a significant expansion of both UK and North American manufacturing capacity.
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