Makita U.S.A. Breaks Ground on Major Atlanta Expansion, Continues to Gain Market Share in Cordless OPE
Makita U.S.A., Inc. held a ceremonial groundbreaking in April to launch construction of a new 600,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility northeast of Atlanta in Hall County, Georgia. The new facility will be constructed on 80 acres of land and is part of Makita’s planned future development to address continuing growth in the United States.
“Today Makita begins a new phase of expansion with the construction of another new facility,” said Joe Blackwell, senior vice president operations, Makita U.S.A. “This is part of our continuing growth here in the U.S.A., and this new facility will further increase our operations, service and training capabilities. This means expanded service and support for our customers, while creating more jobs in the region.”
The new state-of-the-art facility will serve as a distribution center, and will also include a sales and training center, customer service resources, and a factory service center. The location has adjacent space for future expansion up to 800,000 square feet.
Attendees at the Atlanta-area groundbreaking included: Ian MacDonald, Scannell Properties; Liz O’Connor, Evans General Contractors; Mike Dimond, Evans General Contractors; Mike Miller, Mayor; Sandra Silva, Makita U.S.A.; Joe Blackwell, Makita U.S.A. Jeff Couch, Makita U.S.A.; Don Tuttle, Scannell Properties; Chris Hilgeman, Evans General Contractors; Jason Dooley, Ware Malcomb.
The groundbreaking marks another significant Makita investment in the United States. Construction of the Atlanta-area facility follows the August 2020 opening of a new distribution, training and service facility in Reno, Nevada, and the 2017 opening of a similar facility in Wilmer, Texas.
Gaining Market Share in Cordless OPE
Makita U.S.A. also announced in April that it continues to gain market share in the cordless outdoor power equipment (OPE) category. Makita’s OPE share has increased year-over-year due to its expanding product range and the success of its “Rule the Outdoors” campaign, the company says.
Makita reports it now has the world’s largest professional cordless outdoor power equipment system with nearly 50 products. The system continues to expand with a wide range of cordless lawn mowers, string trimmers, blowers, chain saws, hedge trimmers, pole saws and more.
“Professionals are able to get the power and performance of gas with battery technology today,” asserts Romique Talton, senior product manager, Makita U.S.A. “No one else in this space has this legacy in both gas outdoor power equipment and cordless technology. We have taken our gas ‘know-how’ and applied it to our cordless outdoor power equipment, resulting in equipment with power equivalent to that of gas equipment and making it possible for landscapers and tree-care workers to make the switch.”
The “Rule the Outdoors” marketing campaign promotes Makita LXT Cordless Outdoor Power Equipment and the benefits of battery-powered over gas-powered. Makita commercials will air during prime-time spots on 20 networks, generating awareness to the targeted audience. The television commercial can also be viewed at www.youtube.com/makitatoolsusa. The campaign also includes a digital component that is designed to generate 30-million commercial views this spring and increase web traffic to www.makitatools.com/RTO.
