2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Kubota’s arrival in Europe with the opening of the first subsidiary in France in 1974. Since then, the company has been showcasing its expertise and reliability, following its For Earth, For Life philosophy. Throughout this year, Kubota will celebrate this event of particular relevance to the Group.
Kubota is now one of the leading players in the European agricultural and construction machinery market, where it stands out not only for its innovative and advanced products, but also as a global solution provider.
Since its arrival in Europe, one of its three strategic regions, along with Asia and North-America, Kubota has strived to establish a commercial network in which mutual trust with its partners and distributors has been the key to growing in an environment as competitive as the European one. This, together with its offer of highly competitive and reliable products, has made Kubota one of the leading brands in the areas of Construction, Groundcare and Agriculture. Kubota, founded by Gonshiro Kubota in 1890 in the Japanese city of Osaka, stands out not only for its innovative and advanced products, but also as a solution provider. Moreover, Kubota engines have become a trusted power source for many OEM customers in Europe.
Thus, after the establishment of its first European subsidiary in France, Kubota has evolved with the firm will to support and solve the problems of food, water and the environment on the continent, drawing on its experience as a global manufacturer and provider of solutions. In this sense, the company has focused on providing services that increase customer satisfaction, becoming their trusted ally, giving continuity to the company’s motto: ‘Kubota, On Your Side.’
The creation of Kubota Holding Europe (KHE) in 2017 reinforced the company’s corporate identity in Europe, thanks to the teamwork of employees from all its divisions, who combine synergies to provide the best services and products to both distributors and end users.
A continent structure in continuous growth
Kubota’s commitment to a market as demanding as the European one has been firm from the outset. Throughout this half century and since the establishment of its first European subsidiary in France in 1974, Kubota has continued to expand in Europe with numerous subsidiaries in Germany, UK, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland and Turkey to support the growth of these markets. Today, the company has a workforce of approximately 5,000 employees and more than 1,300 dealers and distributors in the Europe region.
To better serve its customers and guarantee them greater proximity and responsiveness, Kubota Europe has set up structures that are closer to its European customers: The Innovation Centre Europe (ICE) advances Open Innovation, and accelerates the development of new business in the Netherlands; KRDE Research Centre, a R&D hub based in France in tune with the main markets to develop new, efficient and effective tractor models that respond to the specific needs of crops, field conditions and work processes of European farmers; Two European Distribution Centres – NEDC in
Alblasserdam (the Netherlands) and SEDC in Cavaillon (France) – with the goal of developing a larger assembly capacity and logistics system for Europe, enabling Kubota to deliver products in a faster time frame. And a 22,000 m2 European logistics centre based in the north east of France for the distribution of spare parts in Europe to guarantee better availability, responsiveness and quicker delivery. This is complemented by Kubota’s factories in Europe: Kubota Farm Machinery, a tractor production plant established in the north of France in 2015, and Kubota Baumaschinen GmbH, a construction machinery plant in Zweibrücken, Germany, established in 1989.
Further to this in 2012 Kubota acquired the Kverneland Group, a leading company in agricultural implements and efficient farming solutions, which allowed Kubota to develop and leave a strong footprint in the agricultural sector in Europe. In recent years there have been other acquisitions of major players in Europe such as Pulverizadores Fede or Gianni Ferrari, giving Kubota the opportunity to offer more comprehensive and complete solutions to customers.
“Celebrating 50 years of Kubota in Europe, I am honoured to acknowledge the resilience and innovation that have defined our journey. As President of Kubota Holding Europe, I extend my deepest gratitude to our dedicated team and loyal customers, dealers, distributors and partners in the region. This milestone marks not only our past achievements but also the exciting chapters we’ll script together in the years ahead. Cheers to 50 years of excellence and anticipation for what lies ahead.” said Yasukazu Kamada, President of Kubota Holding Europe.
