JC Bamford (JCB) Excavators, the world’s largest manufacturer of backhoe loaders and telescopic handlers, is planning to export 45% of the construction equipment machines it produces in India. The Bamford family-owned company is also testing its recently developed hydrogen combustion engine in India, its largest market outside Europe.
JCB is also looking to produce electrolysers for capturing hydrogen for its zero-emission back-hoe loaders. The electrolysers will be initially produced in the UK and later in India.
Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB, stated that the company is investing more in India than in other parts of the world. He emphasized the need to find a solution for India’s high dependence on imported fossil fuel.
Various companies globally, including Reliance Industries and Adani Enterprises in India, have been working on green hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuel. However, mass-scale production and dispensation of the fuel are still a few years away.
JCB announced an investment of £100 million in a green field facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, last year. The company’s team of 150 engineers has been working on developing the hydrogen combustion engine with a £100 million investment.
According to Tim Burnhope, JCB’s chief innovation and growth officer, hydrogen has emerged as the most appropriate solution among multiple green technologies. The hydrogen engine delivers the same power, torque, and efficiency as the current engines but in a zero-carbon way.
Lord Bamford believes that India, as a country highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, could be one of the leaders in hydrogen technology. Hydrogen is a mobile fuel and perfect for the Indian market, according to Deepak Shetty, CEO and managing director of JCB India.
JCB expects 2023 to be a record year for revenue and profitability in India, driven by a strong domestic market in road and infrastructure projects. Currently, JCB exports 45% of its machinery manufactured in India, compared to 10% five years ago, and exports to over 110 countries.
In 2022, India sold a total of 69,400 units of construction equipment, and JCB expects the sale to exceed 80,000 units in 2023, according to the Indian Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association.
