British construction-equipment maker JCB is gearing up for a big San Antonio push, telling local leaders Monday it plans to hire about 600 workers in 2027 and is considering a company-operated dealership on the South Side near its new factory. The plant, now under construction, is expected to start rolling equipment by late 2026 and ramp up hiring into the following year. At the same time, the company’s local dealer, Boss JCB, says it will open a larger Converse service center before the end of the year and add staff at that location.
Dealership plans and hiring goal
Lord Anthony Bamford laid out the hiring target and the potential South Side dealership during a tour of the construction site, according to the San Antonio Report. The outlet reports that JCB plans to bring on roughly 600 workers in 2027 and that Boss JCB, the company’s local distributor, is expected to run a dealership near the Palo Alto Road factory. David Carver, JCB’s operations director, told the same outlet the company expects to be “close to about 800 jobs” by the time telehandler production begins.
Factory scale and production timeline
JCB has bulked up its planned South Side footprint and now pegs the facility at roughly 1 million square feet, a scale that gives it extra capacity for telehandlers and aerial lifts, according to JCB. Company updates indicate that production activities will begin as the site moves into the final phases of construction in late 2026, with hiring focused on welding, assembly and technical roles. In company materials, the San Antonio project is described as one of JCB’s largest-ever U.S. investments.
Incentives, jobs and legal terms
The project is backed by local and state incentives tied to job creation and capital investment. According to Bexar County, JCB committed to creating about 1,580 new full-time jobs overall, with roughly 995 of those expected by 2027. The city and county agreements include wage thresholds and a sliding recapture provision that can reduce or claw back incentives if employment commitments are not met. County and city officials have said they will track those milestones as the factory moves toward full production.
What company leaders said
During the site visit, Lord Bamford cast the San Antonio buildout as part of a strategy to manufacture more machines closer to U.S. customers and to limit exposure to import costs. “We’ll be buying a lot more,” Bamford told the San Antonio Report, adding that tariff changes played a role in the decision to expand manufacturing capacity in America.
Local impact and next steps
Economic-development officials and workforce partners say JCB’s hiring timeline could help drive new training programs and supplier activity on the South Side as the plant and related projects take shape. Local reporting earlier this year highlighted JCB’s outreach to schools and nonprofits to build a hiring pipeline, and KSAT reported that the company was coordinating with area training programs ahead of production. City and county documents show that public incentives are tied to clear hiring benchmarks, and JCB and its dealer say they will release detailed hiring schedules and job-fair plans as specific openings are posted.
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