In just shy of two years, a global manufacturer valued in billions has made quick work of erecting one of its largest facilities in the world right here in San Antonio. With the promise of economic boom, how long will it be before the city’s Southside sees this job market growth? Turns out, it’s picking up pace but could take years.
JCB – a British heavy machinery manufacturer with massive plants all over the globe – is bringing its first foray into Texas manufacturing to the Alamo City, erecting a 1 million square foot long Palo Alto Road. What started as a 500,000-square-foot announcement back in June of 2024 doubled in size as controversial tariff costs crumpled import efforts, even on raw materials like steel.
In the wake of this massive investment, a whopping 1,500 jobs are being brought to San Antonio’s Southside. Though, it’ll be a slow ramp up through 2028 as JCB officials say they’ve already gotten 1,700 applications.
“We’re currently employing 45 people here at the moment and going up to 150 when we’re actually in production,” JCB Global Chairman Lord Anthony Bamford said during a visit to the upcoming site.
The first run of production is slated to kick off October 1, when 150 employees will fill the behemoth industrial building slated to increase JCB’s market share in the United States. Currently, Bamford says the company currently makes roughly $12 billion in sales, competing with U.S. giants like Caterpillar and John Deer.
Company heads hop building these machines the country they expect to sell to, with a big chunk of American steel to boot, will boost their foothold in the U.S. market. But it’s the jobs in San Antonio that piques the interest of locals. And while moving slowly, those opportunities are ramping up.
JCB Texas Operations Director David Carver said 150 to 200 employees should be onboarded by the end of 2026, when production has had a couple months in San Antonio. But it’s 2027 when hiring will skyrocket, as he’s hoping to see 800, or about half, of the company’s overall 1,500 job promise to the Alamo City.
Carver is a key example of how newcomers to JCB can climb the ranks in a company that prides itself on in-house training and career growth. In a sit down last year, Carver explained how he started at JCB as an unskilled laborer 20 years ago and worked his way to his executive role leading the new Texas leg of the company. It’s a future, as he describes it, entirely obtainable by any local looking to apply.
When asked about the dedication from JCB to invest in the growth of its employees, Bamford said, “Very much. And why not? If you can recruit from within, it’s the best way.”