JCB: History

The JCB Pedigree

Joseph Cyril Bamford launched the construction and agricultural equipment manufacturing company that bears his initials, in 1945. He began his business in a garage that measured 12 feet by 15 feet.

Today, JCB’s world headquarters is one of the finest engineering factories in Europe. The company that began as a ‘one man band’ now employs over 8,000 people and produces over 300 products – with bases in the UK, the USA, India, Germany and South America.

It also sells a full range of equipment in over 150 countries, but JCB’s remarkable success story cannot be fully appreciated by studying a litany of statistics. JCB has an ethos, a spirit and an identity that cannot be conveyed by facts and figures. Perhaps one question and one dictionary definition might go some way to explaining why JCB is a very special company.

Company Information

The question: ‘How many global brands are still run as a family business?’ The dictionary definition: JCB n. Trademark. A type of construction machine with a hydraulically operated shovel on the front and an excavator arm on the back (named from the initials of Joseph Cyril Bamford, its English manufacturer).

JCB is a unique company where unique people produce unique products, but it shares one vitally important characteristic with many other successful global brands. It never stands still. JCB may have an exciting future because of its illustrious past but it never takes anything for granted. It is constantly seeking new horizons.

Today’s successful businesses satisfy the needs of their customers. Tomorrow’s successful brands have to exceed their customers’ expectations. JCB is always looking for a better way. It is always prepared to go that extra mile, always determined to do whatever it can to help its customers to do a better job.

The real JCB difference is that it is a global operation that is run like a family business. It retains a sense of family and continuity within a highly sophisticated corporate structure. It is still family owned with no outside shareholders.

In the final analysis, JCB isn’t about machines. It’s about people. People who believe in the business, and in the product. People who consider themselves to be part of the JCB family.

JCB is a company with a basic belief in the merits of hard work. At the core of this modern manufacturing giant is an old-fashioned work ethic. Nobody works harder on behalf of their customers. Nobody tries harder to improve their products and their service. JCB people believe their products are the best but they still want them to be better. That’s why JCB is unique.