Kubota To Build First European Tractor Factory

Japanese farm machinery maker Kubota has announced it will be building its first European tractor factory in northern France. Work on the site near Dunkerque is due to start in December 2014, with mass production scheduled to begin by April 2015. Production capacity at the site is planned to be about 3,000 units/year, and it will be the main base for the production of 130-170hp tractors.

The $55 million investment is yet another indication of Kubota’s intent to make a big dent in the higher horsepower tractor market. Since purchasing Norwegian implement manufacturer Kverneland in May last year, the company has publicly toyed with the idea of purchasing another mainstream tractor manufacturer and also revealed plans for its own 200hp machine.

The Canadian arm of Japanese ag equipment maker Kubota has announced it will launch a new line of Kubota-branded hay tools in Canada in 2014.

Kverneland, which Kubota bought last year, will build the new tools.

The first phase of the new product line is to be available through Kubota’s dealership network early next year, including disc mowers and a rotary rake.

The new tools will be “the first in a series of product developments underway that will allow us to realize our agriculture growth strategy in Canada,” Kubota Canada’s president Bob Hickey said in a release.