JCB set to recruit 80 new engineers to meet global orders

STAFFORDSHIRE excavator manufacturer JCB is to recruit 80 new engineers to help it cope with the global demand for its iconic machines.

The vacancies are across all the company’s sites in Staffordshire plus neighbouring Derbyshire and Wales.

The firm, which has recently enjoyed a spate of strong orders , said it wanted to capitalise on a return to growth in global markets.

The company was forced to lay off hundreds of workers as the economic decline set in and demand for its products fell across the globe.

JCB chief executive Alan Blake said: “JCB’s success over the past 65 years has been built on having the very best engineering talent. This year has started very strongly and all the signs at this stage are that growth will continue throughout 2011.

“We need to respond to that growth and strengthen our excellent team of engineers with new talent as demand for our machines increases and as we develop a range of exciting new products for the future.”

The vacancies include mechanical, electronic and electrical design engineers, development engineers, research and development engineers, engine design and development engineers, technicians, apprentice engineers, undergraduate engineers and graduate engineers.

JCB has a strong track record of engineering innovation, which it said had been achieved by recruiting the very best talent in the sector.

It is now using the experience it gained from the development of its Dieselmax engine – two of which powered the JCB Dieselmax car to a world diesel landspeed record of 350.092mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats – to develop the off-highway sector’s cleanest engine in readiness for incoming emissions legislation.

The company has invested around £80m in researching and developing a new combustion system for the new JCB Ecomax T4 4.4 litre engine – the latest generation of JCB Dieselmax engine.

The investment has delivered an engine which eliminates the need for any exhaust after-treatment and delivers cost savings for users in terms of reduced fuel consumption, reduced cost of ownership, better reliability and better packaging.