Having re-entered the American market successfully in 2013, having a North American production site will allow the Japanese firm to reduce the production lead-time of machineries for its US customers, and improve its capabilities for meeting market needs.
Site preparation for the US production facility will begin in April 2015 and is expected to be completed in December 2015. Kobelco’s multi-million dollar investment will involve the development of a 14,492m² production site , 1,579m² office building, machinery parking and a testing area. The state-of-the-art facility will have space for future production capacity expansion and boast excellent access to major domestic ports, including Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia.
With an estimated annual capacity of 1,800 units, the US factory will begin mass production in January 2016. Kobelco aims to begin its production with standard machines weighing 20tonnes and larger and increase the product line offerings and capacity in accordance with market development. Future production plans at the US facility are expected to include most of Kobelco’s excavator models.
