JCB to Invest $68.5 Million in Six-Cylinder Dieselmax 672 Engine Production

June 7, 2013

JCB last week announced plans to begin production of six-cylinder engines with the addition of the JCB Dieselmax 672 to its engine line-up. The introduction of the engine represents an investment of around $68.5 million. By the time the engine goes into full production later this year, its launch will have created more than 50 new jobs.

JCB first began engine manufacturing eight years ago. The first engine rolled off JCB’s U.K. production line in November 2004. In 2011, JCB began producing engines at its Indian headquarters in Ballabgarh. To date, JCB has produced more than 250,000 engines globally.

“In a relatively short space of time we have become a major producer of engines and today more than 70 percent of JCB’s machines are powered by the engines we manufacture,” said JCB chairman Sir Anthony Bamford. “The move into six-cylinder engine production is a historic moment for our business and a natural step to take. We look forward to setting new standards in performance and fuel efficiency.”

The JCB Dieselmax 672 is based on the company’s four-cylinder 4.8-liter Dieselmax engine, with a high degree of parts commonality across the two engine platforms.

Initially the Dieselmax 672 will be produced to meet Stage II emissions standards for growth markets including Russia, Brazil and China. The engine will be seen first in JCB’s JS360 crawler excavator for those territories, but will also be used in additional machines as time progresses.

The six-cylinder engine will be offered with ratings of 188hp, 221hp, 255hp and with a maximum output of 302hp. Maximum torque is 885 foot-pounds.

The six-cylinder engines will be built on a dedicated line at JCB Power Systems’ modern purpose-built facility in Derbyshire, U.K. In development for more than two years, the engines have already completed more than 50,000 hours of testing, 30,000 of which have been in machines working in the field.

The Dieselmax engines have 500-hour service intervals and will also be offered as part of the company’s OEM product line, for use in non-JCB machinery.

“The six-cylinder Dieselmax 672 is the ultimate expression of our Dieselmax engine design philosophy,” said Alan Tolley, director of engine programs at JCB Power Systems. “Through the use of innovative engine design and technological development we have produced a reliable, highly durable and incredibly fuel efficient engine, that will go on to power our larger equipment in many markets around the world.”

JCB has 22 plants on four continents: 11 in the U.K., six in India and others in Brazil, the USA, China, Germany, France and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide.

JCB manufactures more than 300 different machines including backhoe loaders; Loadall telescopic handlers; tracked and wheeled excavators; wheeled loading shovels; articulated dump trucks; rough-terrain forklifts; mini excavators; Robot skid-steer loaders and JCB Vibromax compaction equipment.