Williamsburg, Iowa (May 20, 2013)
Q: Why did Kinze choose to open a factory in Eastern Europe?
A: Kinze is rapidly growing market share both domestically and globally. As the business grows, Kinze has experienced the following challenges: production capacity in Williamsburg, availability of skilled labor in Williamsburg, high global shipping costs for ocean containers, and long shipping transit times across the ocean. This also includes service and parts support. Bringing a facility online in Eastern Europe addresses these various challenges and supports Kinze’s market share growth plan.
Q: Why did Kinze select Lithuania?
A: After extensive analysis and consideration of several countries, Lithuania best met all of Kinze’s specified criteria including work ethic, availability of skilled labor, proximity to dealers, availability of a building to lease and proximity to a sea port for specific components that will be shipped from America.
Q: Will this negatively impact jobs in Williamsburg?
A: No, this facility will not have a negative impact on jobs in Williamsburg, Iowa. In fact, Kinze is in the process of adding over 200 jobs in the next 2-3 months to support their growth initiatives in North America. All North American planters will continue to be built in Williamsburg, Iowa.
Q: What products will be built in Lithuania?
A: Once the new factory is fully online, Kinze will eventually build all planters for their European markets in Lithuania, manufacturing them to the same Kinze quality standards used in America. Certain components, such as meters, will continue to be manufactured in Williamsburg and shipped to Lithuania. All Kinze planters for the North American market will continue to be built in Williamsburg, Iowa, to support American jobs and the “Made in America” philosophy.
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