POOLER, Ga. — Earthmoving manufacturer JCB has announced the acquisition of German compaction equipment manufacturer Vibromax for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is only the second in JCB's 60-year history and its first since 1968. The company and its products will be branded as JCB Vibromax and all 170 employees, predominantly based at Vibromax' Leipzig, Germany, facility will be retained, the company said.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by early September, subject to regulatory approvals. Vibromax is based in Dusseldorf, Germany. Its Vibromax America subsidiary is based in Racine, Wis. JCB is based in Rocester, Staffordshire, England, with U.S. headquarters in Pooler, Ga.

John Patterson, JCB managing director and CEO, said Vibromax products are extremely complementary to the company's existing product lineup.

Vibromax has been manufacturing compaction equipment for more than 60 years. The full product range consists of single-drum soil compactors, vibratory tandem rollers, trench rollers and light equipment such as tampers and plates.

Vibromax is estimated to have about 4 percent of the worldwide compaction equipment market. Patterson said JCB hopes to get this up to 10 percent quickly.

JCB has also acquired the Vibromax dealer network, which will enhance JCB's distribution network in Germany.