Kubota Tractor Corporation and Kubota Credit Corporation announced May 14 that the companies will relocate their corporate headquarters from California to Grapevine.

Both companies are United States subsidiaries of Kubota Corporation, based in Osaka, Japan, and have been planning for increased efficiencies on the heels of recent expansions and an aggressive growth strategy. The move will affect about 180 employees and is expected to happen within the next 18 months.

“This restructuring and relocation to Texas aligns with our strategic business objectives to strengthen Kubota’s brand in the U.S. marketplace, enter new industry segments and to position our company for long-term, sustainable growth in North America,” Masato Yoshikawa, President and CEO of KTC, said in a press release. “This is the most significant change we have undertaken during our long and successful history in the U.S., and there was much thought, deliberation and consideration that went into our decision. California has been good to us, but it makes better business sense for us to be centrally located, and we look forward to achieving added operational efficiencies with this move."

Construction on the Texas facility will begin this year and is scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2017.

The new headquarters will be an environmentally-friendly, state-of-the-art building large enough to initially accommodate 400 employees with room to expand.