Kobelco to build new US headquarters

Kobelco Construction Machinery USA has announced plans to break ground on its new U.S. headquarters in Katy, Texas, in December 2013.

The decision to start construction on the headquarters follows what the company calls the successful relaunch of its crawler excavator line as an independent brand earlier in 2013. The r-launch has been accomplished in part by the company signing more than 50 dealers during the first six months of 2013.

Kobelco has signed a nine-year lease with plans to occupy the headquarters building by September 2014. The 101,300-square-foot facility will serve as Kobelco’s North American headquarters as well as a training center and parts distribution location for the company’s business in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the early results of our brand re-launch,” says Pete Morita, president and CEO of Kobelco Construction Machinery USA. “In just a short time period we’ve hired some of the industry’s most qualified personnel, opened our temporary headquarters and parts warehouse and partnered with our dealers to provide quality, competitively priced products. All of these initiatives are just the beginning of what we have planned for the North American marketplace.”

According to Ron Hargrave, vice president of sales and marketing for Kobelco Construction Machinery USA, “The new facility being built will allow us to continue our rapid growth. We are pleased to once again be offering our products as an independent brand and are working diligently to ensure Kobelco positions itself to gain continued market share moving forward.”