JCB’s new German HQ officially opened

UK-based JCB has developed a new £50 million (€56.2 million) headquarters for its German arm of the business in Cologne.

The new centre, which 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, was opened by JCB chairman Lord Bamford.

Bamford said, “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 company says that the new headquarters, situated at the heart of Germany’s largest industrial area – the Rhine-Ruhr zone, is triple the size of JCB Germany’s former facility.

The company said that it will benefit from well-connected transport links, with the A4 Autobahn linking the new centre to the Netherlands and Belgium and the A1 Autobahn linking it to northern and southern Germany.

The new headquarters - 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.