When it comes to growing its market share in North America, UK original equipment manufacturer (OEM) JCB is leaning into its history of telehandlers rather than rushing out digital products just because the competition is doing so, Bruce Mustard, product manager at JCB North America, told AgNavigator at the 2026 Farm Progress Show.
For over 20 years, JCB has been making machinery in the U.S., opening a manufacturing site in Savannah, Georgia, in 2002, where it makes its compact track loaders and side-door-entry skid-steer loaders. Then, in 2024, the company doubled down on its U.S. footprint, investing $500 million in a San Antonio plant.
At this year’s Farm Progress Show, JCB showcased its Fastrac 6300 335-horsepower tractor and its range of ag material-handling equipment. JCB commercialized telehandler technology in the 1970s in the UK and has since identified an opportunity to expand its presence.
“We’re trying to position ourselves as the number one in ag material handling. So, a lot of farms today, whether it’s row crop or livestock operations, move significant amounts of material every day, including manure, feed, cereals, and more. And that’s really where we are positioning ourselves to be the leader with our range of equipment,” Mustard noted.
JCB is working on its product pipeline for next year and is navigating the challenges currently facing the ag machinery market, including strained farmer economics and tariffs that have “a huge impact” on ag machinery manufacturing, Mustard noted.
“From a JCB side of things, there’s a lot of planning going on this year for what product we want coming to us for next year, for next spring. We have to give the factories advance warning of that, and then really to close out this year, the recent increase in commodity prices will hopefully help with year-end purchases. Hopefully, [farmers] are going to make a little bit more money than they thought they were going to in the cash-crop world,” Mustard elaborated.
Striking a balance with tech innovation
While the ag machinery market is embracing precision ag and developing AI solutions, JCB is being prudent about which digital offerings it brings to market, focusing on its core value proposition, Mustard explained. However, like many OEMs, JCB is exploring the use of AI to solve engineering and manufacturing problems, he said.
“You’ve got to embrace [technology]. You have to keep up with the market, but you’ve also got to be careful that you’re only coming to market with something that offers value to a customer,” Mustard said.
He added, “There’s so much work to do to get a good outcome. So, it’s a balance between whether you put your resources into making a great AI platform for whatever it would do or use your resources to just be better at what you do.”
