Japanese farm machinery maker Kubota has announced it will be building its first European tractor factory in northern France, according to a report in the British publication Farmers Weekly.

Work on the site near Dunkerque is due to start in December 2014, with mass production scheduled to begin by April 2015.

Production capacity at the site is planned to be about 3,000 units/year, and it will be the main base for the production of 130-170 horsepower tractors.

The €40m investment is yet another indication of Kubota’s intent to make a big dent in the higher horsepower tractor market. Since purchasing Norwegian implement manufacturer Kverneland in May last year, the company has publicly toyed with the idea of purchasing another mainstream tractor manufacturer and also revealed plans for its own 200 horsepower machine.

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