JCB spends £2 million on Heller manufacturing technology for axle production
1 min read
JCB is investing £2 million in Heller manufacturing technology at its Wrexham, North Wales, plant.
The installation, due for commissioning in January 2013, will deliver a fully automated axle manufacturing unit capable of producing a maximum of 130 axles a day.
JCB director and general manager Stuart Hughes said: "This is a massive vote of confidence in the Wrexham site by the JCB Group. This is one of the biggest single investments in new machine tools in JCB Transmissions' history. It will not only help us keep pace with increased demand but also help improve productivity and ensure we remain competitive in the world market."
Able to produce an axle every 11 minutes, the new axle beam manufacturing cell is 21% more efficient than the existing production set-up.
JCB Transmissions was set up in 1978 with less than a dozen employees in a single factory on the Wrexham Industrial Estate and now employs more than 450 people at two plants covering a total area of 450,000 sq ft: one manufacturing gear boxes and the other axles.
