Georgia Sows Great Relationships for Kubota’s Success
Seamless intergovernmental cooperation. It’s this intangible quality that helps Georgia companies grow and thrive. It helped convince industrial giant Kubota to establish its North American manufacturing base in the state of Georgia and then expand to multiple locations in the state over the last 32 years. Over that time, the company’s workforce has grown from 38 people to almost 3,000.
Since 1988, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) has been headquartered in Hall County, Georgia. The 180-acre Gainesville campus manufactures and assembles turf equipment: zero-turn mowers, sub-compact tractors and utility vehicles, distributed in the U.S. and abroad by Kubota Tractor Corporation and its 1,100-strong U.S.-dealer network. The company also runs a research and development facility in Hall County, and its Kubota Industrial Equipment subsidiary has operated large manufacturing and distribution facilities in neighboring Jackson County since 2005.
“You can’t put a price tag on good relationships,” says Phil Sutton, vice president of KMA. “Georgia is extremely well-rounded in terms of access to government. We partner with many state and local entities, from the Governor’s Office, to the Department of Economic Development, to the local economic development authorities, and they all work very well together. It’s a very business-friendly environment. They make it easy for us to operate on a daily basis, and that’s what’s important in the long term.”
As an example, Sutton points to workforce assistance provided by the state. The company draws employees from a dozen counties in the region.
“A big challenge is competition for workforce, and Georgia has a lot of those resources, even when unemployment was so low until recently,” he notes. “We don’t have problems recruiting talent, because the state established programs to engage students in high school and college. We partner with up to 15 high schools that have instituted work-based learning, as well as with four universities and the area’s technical colleges, especially Lanier Tech, with whom we have a very active apprenticeship program.”
In fact, Kubota recently invested in its relationship with Lanier Technical College, an arm of the state-run Technical College System of Georgia, by donating a million dollars for state-of-the-art equipment in the college’s technical and industrial building.
Sutton also praises Georgia Quick Start, the state’s customized workforce development program, for helping prepare workers for the company’s expansions with training services, videos and hands-on guidance.
Kubota has expanded several times in Georgia, including four expansions since 2003 alone. Its latest is an $85 million investment to establish a new engineering and design center on 300 acres of land near its current manufacturing facilities in Gainesville.
“This project is another great milestone for Kubota, and it emphasizes our commitment to expand our presence in Georgia as a major hub of our North American operations,” said Haruyuki (Harry) Yoshida, president and CEO of Kubota Tractor Corp. and Kubota North America Corp.
“Kubota’s renewed commitment demonstrates that Georgia’s pro-business environment not only attracts new businesses, but also allows existing industry to continue investing to grow and thrive in Georgia,” said Gov. Brian Kemp.
Gov. Kemp visited Kubota to thank the company in person during his recent statewide tour to promote Georgia Made™ , a program through the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) that provides additional support in logistics, manufacturing and marketing of products produced in Georgia.
Sutton looks forward to marketing Kubota’s products as Georgia Made™.
“Being able to label our products as ‘Georgia Made’ instills a sense of pride in our employees,” he says. “Lots of people don’t know what Georgia brings to the table and this program gives us a reason and a platform to tell them. Our marketing arm can leverage it to our benefit and to the state’s.”
Representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce and Trade divisions provide ongoing support to Kubota and other companies in the region to help maximize their success. Most recently, GDEcD has helped Kubota and other companies with guidance relating to COVID-19 safety.
Companies in Northeast Georgia easily access markets in the U.S. and around the globe, thanks to interstates that connect them to the Georgia Ports in Savannah and the planned inland port, streamlining inbound freight as well as exports. This efficient supply chain, together with support from the Georgia Ports Authority, helps Kubota export up to $120 million of Georgia-made equipment annually to markets in Canada, Europe, Australia and even to its home country of Japan. Overall exports from this region totaled $3.8 billion in 2019, and 58 percent of these exports went to markets in which Georgia has international representatives helping to locate customers.
Consistently ranked the “#1 State for Business” for seven years running, Georgia’s skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, low taxes, high state credit ratings and development resources are here to help you start and grow your business. Visit Georgia Made™ to take the next step in expanding your success.
About Kubota Manufacturing of America
Established in 1988, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) is headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia. Kubota employs nearly 3,000 Georgia residents in the manufacture and assembly of Kubota-branded zero-turn mowers, sub-compact tractors, and Kubota utility vehicles, distributed and marketed by Kubota Tractor Corporation and its 1,100-strong U.S.-dealer network. For more information on KMA, visit Kubota-KMA.com.