SAN ANTONIO – Driving along Palo Alto Road, you cannot help but see years of planning taking shape.
The new JCB Texas on the city’s South Side is currently under construction and is taking shape. Lord Bamford, JCB’s global chairman, toured the new facility and said he is pleased with what he saw.
“I feel very proud having come to see the plant, Bamford said. “(JCB Texas) was a little, not even a baby, but a gem of an idea about two years ago.”
JCB is the world’s largest privately-owned manufacturer of construction equipment.
The massive facility looks noticeably different from what it did just five months ago.
In October 2025, concrete slabs had been poured, and the framework for several buildings was up. Now, the buildings and their sections have more definition.
According to Bamford, the one-million-square-foot plant is still on target to open this fall, in October, and will produce three of JCB’s popular products.
Company leadership could have chosen anywhere in the world to build another plant. Bamford said two key assets helped San Antonio seal the deal — logistics and hospitality.
“It’s near to Mexico, where we already buy components, and it’s also, I think, a good base for us to export to Central America and South America too, as well,” Bamford said. “I’ve enjoyed very much so far, dealing with Texans and particularly the San Antonio people on coming here, who made us feel very welcome and are very genuine.”
Over the next five years, JCB Texas is expected to have a workforce of 1,000 employees.
When the plant broke ground in 2024, officials with Greater SATX said the impact on the local economy would be about 30 billion dollars over the next decade.
JCB company officials said they are currently interviewing applicants to fill positions needed when the plant opens later this fall.
“The market for construction machinery in the U.S. is a big market,” Bamford said.
Bamford said the San Antonio facility will help meet the demand going forward by being JCB’s largest single plant worldwide.
“It’s a long-term, real commitment,” Bamford said.
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