Agriculture, Good for Business, Lithuania, Markets and Companies, Transport, USA

The facility will manufacture the company's agricultural machinery product line, planters/seeders, to support its growing market in neighbouring countries including Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Hungary. It will open in autumn 2013 and start with 10 employees. In a few years the manufacturer will eventually employ 250 welders, mechanics, CNC operators and other specialists in its Lithuanian operations, Invest Lithuania reports.

"This is our first plant abroad geared to increasing sales in Russia, Ukraine and the whole of the European Union," said Susanne Kinzenbaw Veatch, vice president and Chief Marketing Officer of Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. "We were looking to expand in Eastern Europe and were considering Slovakia, Poland or Lithuania. We chose Lithuania because the local workforce is undoubtedly productive and cost-effective. Also we were very impressed by the country's long-standing manufacturing traditions and the degree to which public institutions were attentive to our business needs."

Kinze Manufacturing Inc. will develop the production plant in three stages. The initial assembly line will open this year and use both imported and locally-sourced components. In 2015, the manufacturer will open a welding and color-coating unit that will be partially reliant on components manufactured in-house; while by 2017 the facility will become fully-fledged, ranging in its functions from steel-processing to end-product assembly lines, Invest Lithuania said.