ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — Yanmar America, a global manufacturer of advanced performance industrial and marine diesel engines and generators; compact construction, agricultural and utility task vehicle equipment and gas-engine based energy systems, announces that it has invested $20 million and acquired 50-plus acres of land in Acworth, Ga., to build a new training and customer experience facility. The new facility is slated to open in August 2017 with an official groundbreaking ceremony at the site on Nov. 16, 2016.

“Yanmar is proud to continue our investment in the North American market. We believe this new property will help us support our growing dealer network and end user customers, while also broadening our company’s initiatives related to our mission of creating a more sustainable future,” says Takehito Yamaoka, president of Yanmar Co. Ltd.

Located within the 75 Corridor at the corner of Highway 92 and Old Alabama Road in Cherokee County, the almost 50,000 square foot facility will feature classrooms with dedicated space for each of the business’ product lines: industrial diesel engines and generators, commercial marine diesel engines, agriculture equipment, construction equipment, utility task vehicles and energy systems; an auditorium; museum; gift shop; cantina; office space and meeting space. Outdoor amenities will include a customer experience area for product demonstrations.

“We are delighted to have Yanmar’s state-of-the-art training facility in Cherokee. They are among several new and expanding international corporations choosing Cherokee because of our superb location and access to talent. We look forward to Yanmar’s success as they help to build our sustainable vision for Cherokee,” says Buzz Ahrens, Cherokee County Commission chairman.

“Cherokee County was a desirable location for our new facility for many reasons. The area itself offers natural beauty, and the Cherokee County officials were very welcoming and share our vision for promoting sustainability and agriculture. The site’s proximity to our current headquarters in Adairsville and the Atlanta airport is also ideal for bringing in our customers from all over the globe,” commented Yanmar America President Tim Fernandez on selecting a location.

“We want to better equip our customers to make them successful in their businesses and with the Yanmar product,” continued Fernandez. “This new facility will allow us to offer proper training for all aspects of our business, while also providing premium experiences through partnerships with the local communities and industry partners such as farmer’s markets, civic group meetings and consumer educational opportunities.”

Croft Architects Engineers based in Kennesaw, Ga., will design and engineer the facility. In addition, Carroll Daniel Construction from Gainesville, Ga., has been selected as the general contractor.