The Staffordshire excavator manufacturer JCB (www.jcb.com) has announced that it is to create 50 jobs with the launch of a new product range for the construction industry.

The new seven-tonne Hi-Viz site dumper — unveiled at the recent Plantworx construction equipment exhibition in Leicestershire — will go into production at JCB’s Rocester site at the end of this year.

It will be manufactured alongside nine other site dumper models with capacities from one to nine tonnes. The biggest market for these machines is the UK and Ireland, followed by France.

JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “JCB has offered a range of site dumpers under a supply agreement with a third-party manufacturer since 2015.

“In deciding to begin manufacturing our own range, we have taken the opportunity to innovate, and we have developed a solution that directly addresses safety concerns. This is good news for everyone in the industry.”