Kubota Expansion in the Works Near LPKC

Score one more for logistics-sector growth in the Kansas City region: The Edgerton City Council has signed off on an annexation proposal that clears the way for Kubota Tractor Corp. to dramatically expand its footprint here.

The council approved brining into the city limits 17 parcels on the southeast side of the city, near Logistics Park Kansas City, the nation’s fastest-growing industrial park in recent years. The annexations cover roughly 575 acres, including 203 acres that Kubota is eyeing for its North American Distribution Center.

The heavy-equipment maker announced in October its intent to purchase that land, where it plans to build two distribution buildings, each of them covering 1 million square feet, to expand distribution capacity and streamline logistics processes across the nation.

“After more than two years of operating in Kansas with such positive results, we are now confident about building more infrastructure here,” Masato Yoshikawa, president and CEO of Kubota Tractor, said in a news release announcing the purchase proposal. “We’ve had access to an excellent work force in the area and we’ve built a quality team; together, we’ve achieved operational efficiencies to better serve our dealers and customers and we remain committed to growing and expanding to ensure we are equipped to support Kubota’s continued Midwest growth and overall North American expansion.”

Kubota already has a significant presence in this region; October’s announcement included plans to open a fifth operational division and sales office at LPKC, where the company currently has a 765,000-square-foot distribution facility that it opened in 2015.

Company officials say the push into this market was driven primarily by its central location within the U.S., allowing Kubota to manage its stream of parts more effectively and improve parts delivery time, including an expanded geographical area for delivery within 24 hours.