Manufacturing News – September 2026

JCB is stepping up investment in its manufacturing operations in Britain and the US, with a £100m transformation of its Staffordshire headquarters and the opening of a $1bn factory in Texas.

The investments come as the British construction equipment manufacturer looks to position itself for its next phase of growth, following a resilient performance in 2025 and the appointment of George Bamford as Joint Chairman alongside his father, Lord Bamford.

The leadership change marks the first change at the top of JCB in more than 50 years. The family-owned business now operates 23 factories and employs more than 20,000 people worldwide.

JCB reported sales turnover of £5.7bn for 2025, alongside profit before tax of £642m and machine sales of 113,498 units. Despite challenging market conditions, the company said it increased its global market share while remaining debt-free.

Sourced from The Manufacturer

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Macclesfield-based heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services company Bodycote has unanimously recommended shareholders to accept a £1.6bn takeover deal for the group by private equity business, Veritas Capital Fund Management through its Vulcan Alpha Bidco vehicle.

Bodycote received two approaches early last month from Veritas and CVC Advisers, both priced at around £1,6bn.  Both offers included a 7.2p a share dividend for shareholders.

The Veritas cash consideration implies a valuation of Bodycote’s ordinary shares of approximately £1.64bn, and an enterprise value of approximately £1.84bn.

Sourced from TheBusinessDesk