First Takeuchi track loaders roll off line at new U.S. facility

Takeuchi celebrates production of its first track loaders at its new South Carolina facility. (Photo: Takeuchi)

Takeuchi announced that compact track loaders (CTLs) have begun rolling off the assembly line at its first production facility in North America. The facility, located in Moore, S.C., will eventually produce all the company’s CTLs, allowing it to reduce production lead times for North American customers as well as better meet global market needs.

Historically, Takeuchi has produced CTLs at one of its factories in the Nagano province of Japan. However, the North American market has led demand for CTLs, said Jeff Stewart, president of Takeuchi-US, and is expected to grow.

“Manufacturing these popular machines here is a sound business decision because it eliminates the need to ship them from an overseas facility to supply our North American dealers and customers,” he said. “However, Takeuchi’s global markets are also expanding, and we expect to export more compact track loaders from our new facility as production levels increase.”

Takeuchi’s first North American manufacturing site includes a 156,000-sq.-ft. production facility and standalone office building. (Photo: Takeuchi)

The new facility includes a 156000-sq.-ft. production facility and standalone office building. Currently, it employs 40 workers, with plans for additional staff to come on board as Takeuchi ramps up production over the coming months. Ultimately, the site will employ around 150.

After most CTL production has moved from Japan to the South Carolina facility, the company plans to retool the factory in Nagano to produce compact excavators.

“All in all, our new production facility will help us continue growing our compact track loader business by reducing lead times and helping us get the right units to market faster,” Stewart said. “It will also allow us to increase our compact excavator business by allowing our facility in Japan to focus on producing these very popular machines.”