GAINESVILLE, Ga. (April 10, 2017) – Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) unveiled its newly-completed manufacturing facility in Gainesville-Hall County today in a special ceremony with Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, Masatoshi Kimata, President and Representative Director of the Kubota Group, along with State and local officials and supporters from the Gainesville community.
“It’s an exciting day for Kubota as we continue to grow to meet the demands of Kubota dealers and customers for our sub-compact tractors, turf products, and utility vehicles, all while improving operational efficiencies and realizing manufacturing excellence here in the state of Georgia,” said Mr. Hironobu Kubota, President of KMA.
KMA broke ground on this new facility in September 2015 and construction began in January 2016 on a 180-acre site in Gateway Industrial Centre located in Gainesville-Hall County, just three miles from KMA’s existing operations. The 502,000 sq. ft utility vehicle manufacturing facility is up and running, starting full-operation of its utility vehicle manufacturing lines in February 2017, with the capacity to now produce up to 75,000 units annually. The existing KMA facilities, which have been in operation since 1988 and employ approximately 1,500 people, are also undergoing enhancements to increase production capacity to support Kubota’s growing turf business. KMA, together with Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation, employ nearly 2,400 team members in the Gainesville and Jefferson, Georgia, facilities.
The news comes just as Georgia was once again named the number one state for doing business, leading in workforce training, global access and infrastructure, according to Site Selection magazine. “Kubota’s recent expansion is a testament to why Georgia has been named the top state in the nation in which to do business four years running,” said Governor Nathan Deal. “We take a collaborative approach to doing business here and we’re proud to work with companies like Kubota who value our skilled workforce and the state and local incentives offered to build and expand in our great state. We look forward to continuing to grow together with Kubota well into the future.”
The company’s celebration of its new manufacturing facility comes just days after Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC) announced its North American headquarters grand opening in Grapevine, Texas. KTC and KMA are U.S. subsidiaries of Kubota Corporation, based in Osaka, Japan, and have been actively pushing an aggressive growth strategy due to increased customer demand in the U.S.
Kubota has been operating in the state of Georgia for more than 40 years, with its first operations in Norcross. In the mid-1980s, Kubota purchased its first office building in the state at the current KTC Southeast Division headquarters in Suwanee. Since that time, Kubota has further expanded its operations in Georgia to include KMA in Gainesville; its National Distribution Center (NDC) in Jefferson, which is also undergoing an expansion project; and Kubota Industrial Equipment (KIE) in Jefferson, which produces Kubota implements, including loaders and backhoes.