Plant contractor blames lack of available credit among customers

JCB is to make 685 more people redundant in the UK, including 400 at the company’s Rocester headquarters.

The Staffordshire-based firm cut 1,000 jobs last year. It blamed a lack of available credit among customers for the redundancies.

The company said that orders at the start of 2009 are down 75% on the previous year. In October, staff passed a resolution reducing work hours to 34 hours a week to save jobs.

Plants affected by the cuts include the company’s Rocester headquarters, JCB Cab Systems in Rugeley and JCB Heavy Products in Uttoexeter.

JCB Transmissions, based in Wrexham, north Wales, and JCB Power Systems, in Derbyshire, will also be affected, the firm said.