Kubota celebrates 70 years in Europe

An important milestone for Kubota, which this year celebrates its 50th year in Europe. In fact, it was in 1974 that the Japanese group opened its first subsidiary in France, specialising in the production of tractors, agricultural equipment, construction machinery, lawnmowers and industrial engines. Founded in 1890 in Osaka - where its headquarters are still located today - the Kubota Group now has offices in 120 countries with over 50,000 employees and a turnover of $20.4 billion in 2022.

Since its first opening in France, Kubota has continued to expand in Europe by creating subsidiaries in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Turkey - creating Kubota Holding Europe in 2017 - to support its growth in the Old Continent, where it now employs 5,000 people and has more than 1,300 dealers and distributors. Several structures have been created over the years by Kubota for closer proximity to European customers.  The Innovation Centre Europe (ICE) in Wageningen (PB), for Open Innovation and the development of new businesses on the continent; the KRDE Research Centre in Crépy-en-Valois (F), an experimentation and development centre for the creation of new tractors, designed to respond effectively to the various and specific cultivation needs; two European distribution centres - NEDC in Alblasserdam (Netherlands) and SEDC in Cavaillon (France) - for greater assembly capacity and a European logistics system capable of delivering Kubota products quickly. Two production plants have been set up over the years in the European area: tractors with Kubota Farm Machinery in Bierne in Northern France (operational since 2015), and construction machinery with Kubota Baumaschinen GmbH in Zweibrücken, Germany (operational since 1989).  Also in the European context, Kubota acquired the Kverneland Group, a company specialising in the production of agricultural equipment, in 2012, and over the years also other manufacturers such as Pulverizadores Fede and Gianni Ferrari so as to offer its customers an increasingly complete range of technological solutions. 'Earth, For Life' remains the official claim of Kubota products, also in Europe, as an expression of the group's commitment to environmental conservation and the production of food and water.

Yasukazu Kamada, President of Kubota Holding Europe, said on the occasion of this important anniversary: "As we celebrate 50 years of Kubota in Europe, I am honoured to recognise the resilience and innovation that have defined our journey. My deepest gratitude to our dedicated team and our loyal customers, dealers, distributors and partners in the region. This milestone marks not only our past successes, but also the exciting chapters we will write together in the years to come.”