GAINESVILLE, GA. — Farming and construction machinery producer Kubota North America Corp. has opened a 280-acre research and development (R&D) center in Gainesville, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta. The firm invested more than $85 million to build the new facility.
The center houses engineering offices, workshops and testing labs. Outside of the facility, there are tracks for testing turf, utility vehicles, tractors and construction equipment.
Kubota is opening the facility with 70 engineering and technical employees and plans to grow to nearly 200 employees over the next five years. According to Phil Sutton, vice president for Kubota Manufacturing of America, the firm already employs more than 3,000 team members in the state of Georgia across manufacturing, sales, distribution and engineering operations.
The new R&D center is fully powered by renewable energy and built on the sustainable principles. The center is powered in part by solar panels and the parking lot features a solar-powered roof to support electric vehicle charging stations.
Kubota North America Corp. is the parent company for Grapevine, Texas-based Kubota Tractor Corp. and Gainesville-based Kubota Manufacturing of America.
“This new R&D center here in Georgia is going to allow us to continue to innovate products and solution advancements with our U.S. and Canada customers’ needs in mind,” says Yuichi Kitao, president and representative director of Kubota Corp.
Kubota’s Georgia footprint also includes its Southeast division office, located in Suwanee, Ga. Additional divisional offices are located in Edgerton, Kan.; Fort Worth, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Lodi, Calif.; and KCL headquarters in Pickering, Ontario.
— Julia Sanders