George Bamford, announced yesterday as JCB’s Joint Chairman, has “no intention of slowing down” pointing to the company’s hydrogen-powered world land speed record and major transatlantic factory investments as evidence of its ambitions.
George said he was honoured to take on the role alongside his father, Lord Bamford, who will remain Chairman for life.
He put British engineering and the manufacturer’s Staffordshire roots at the centre of its next chapter, despite its growing international footprint, typified by its Hydromax speed record on the salt flats at Utah, USA, last month.
“JCB Hydromax showed the world what British engineering can achieve,” he said. “That same spirit is in every machine we build.”
The record-breaking vehicle reached 406.320mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah last month, becoming the fastest hydrogen-powered vehicle ever recorded, using the same engines powering JCB’s hydrogen powered fleet.
Driven by Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, Hydromax more than doubled the previous hydrogen combustion record and surpassed the speed achieved by JCB’s Dieselmax 20 years earlier.
Its two production-based hydrogen engines were manufactured at JCB’s Foston factory in Derbyshire, with the project progressing from initial idea to world record in just 18 months.
George linked that achievement to investment in the company’s manufacturing capacity on both sides of the Atlantic.
A £100 million transformation of JCB’s Rocester headquarters includes a £60 million automated powder paint plant and extensive shop floor improvements, helping secure more than 8,000 UK jobs.
Meanwhile, its new $1 billion factory in San Antonio, Texas, is due to be commissioned next month. At one million square feet, it will be JCB’s largest factory.
George also paid tribute to his father’s five decades of leadership, during which the business expanded from a single Staffordshire factory to 23 factories and more than 20,000 employees worldwide.
“From the day my grandfather founded JCB in 1945, innovation and investment in Great Britain has been at the heart of everything we do,” he said.
“While JCB has expanded globally over the years, our home has always been here, and the record investment we are making in our facilities and in new products is good news for Britain and good news for JCB.”
