25-08-2008 | JLG INDUSTRIES
How support from Invest Leicestershire has helped a world-leading manufacturer to establish a new European engineering and testing facility in Leicestershire
Company background
JLG Industries, Inc., is the world's leading producer of mobile aerial work platforms marketed under the JLG®, Toucan® and Liftlux® trademarks, and a leading producer of telescopic material handlers marketed under JLG, Lull® and SkyTrak® trademark.
Its diverse customer base includes users in the construction, industrial, agricultural, commercial, and institutional markets. JLG's manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, France, Belgium and Romania, with sales and service locations on six continents.
Focusing on R&D for new product range
In 2005, JLG began a 20-year strategic alliance with Caterpillar Inc. to provide exclusively to Caterpillar dealers a full line-up of CAT branded Telehandler products. The original Caterpillar operation was based in Desford, Leicestershire.
At the time, JLG believed a re-design process was required to develop a new range of products for the market. Although the company had a purpose-built R&D centre in Ohio in the US and European manufacturing facilities in Belgium, France and Romania, JLG decided that a new European engineering and testing centre was required to ensure a strategic focus was placed upon the European product R&D process.
UK is preferred base for new European facility
"We decided on Leicestershire as a pilot project because we considered that the availability of engineers was favourable to us in the UK," comments Rogerio dos Santos, director European Telehandlers Engineering at JLG Industries.
JLG initially rented space at the former Caterpillar facility in Desford and in the process, re-employed many of the original product engineers on the new re-design project.
Search for a suitable location
In 2006, JLG started looking for a dedicated facility in which it could establish its new UK technology centre. At this stage, the company decided to look for larger premises in Leicestershire with new equipment testing facilities.
The brief was clear - JLG needed sufficient office space to house up to 30 people, a workshop for product building and an open area - up to 2.5 acres in size - for testing. However, despite extending the search across the East Midlands, JLG was unable to find a suitable location. This was due to a variety of factors including price, location and business use permissions.
Invest Leicestershire identifies new site within two months
Rogerio dos Santos continues: "That's when we turned to Invest Leicestershire and the services that the team could offer for relocating businesses such as ours. Within two months, they had helped us to identify two potential locations - at MIRA and Bruntingthorpe, both in Leicestershire.
"Our favoured location was the Bruntingthorpe site, near Market Harborough. The premises at the Aerodrome were previously used to store high performance cars and although they had obtained an automotive license, we still required a new license for the change of use."
Two leases were required - for the building and the adjacent land. The applications were supported by Invest Leicestershire and JLG obtained the planning permissions it required and building of the new premises began in September 2008.
Local and international commitment to project
Rogerio dos Santos concludes: "Establishing the European Technology Centre is very exciting. We're delighted that Invest Leicestershire has honoured this commitment locally through its support. The Invest Leicestershire team has helped JLG with property searches and organising site visits. They also played a key role in our discussions with Harborough District Council."
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