On weekends, people enjoy tending their gardens and growing vegetables at their homes in the suburbs. Some are semi-retired and living the country lives they have always dreamed of. A contented life where you can immerse yourself in nature, with ample land, plants, and trees. Many people choose Kubota’s compact tractors as partners supporting this lifestyle.
Kubota began exporting agricultural machinery to the USA in 1969, and in 1972 established a local sales company, Kubota Tractor Corporation, in California, marking its full-scale entry into the US market. Initially, we struggled in a market dominated by large-scale dry-field farming, but changed our approach and proposed a product that combined a compact tractor with a lawn mower implement* for individual customers such as gardeners and weekend farmers. This quickly found favor among many people. There was a hidden need for a compact, easy-to-use, tough and multifunctional tractor that would help enrich people’s lives. This discovery was significant. Since then, Kubota has established a solid position in the compact diesel tractor market in the USA.
In the 1990s, IT and other new industries emerged in the USA, and the economy continued to enjoy a protracted period of expansion. People wanted to be more self-reliant, and the desire to live a life where “we take care of everything ourselves” spread to the younger generation. In response to this desire for more fulfillment, more enrichment, we promoted business expansion and brand establishment through a strategy of combining production at Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation, a local plant established in 1988, with implements tailored specifically to the US market. In doing so, partnerships with dealers played an important role. When doing business in the USA, relationships of trust with dealers are important. Dealers not only purchase products from manufacturers and sell them to users, but also perform repairs and provide Kubota with feedback from users. We set about cultivating our own network of dealers in various parts of the USA. As part of this, we held regular dealer meetings nationwide and visited dealers who handled our products, to listen to what they have to say and build trust. In the USA, we have signed contracts with around 1,100 companies as of 20XX, many of which are specialized dealers that handle only Kubota products. In the USA, too, Kubota works to be a partner that enriches people’s lives through products that meet their expectations, listening carefully to their wishes and helping them achieve their ideal lifestyles.