Kubota Corporation has established a marketing office in Building 77 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to promote the sales of its Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting (PFAL). The new office, named KUAMO (Kubota Urban Agriculture Marketing Office), is equipped with artificial-light cultivation systems developed by PLANTX Corporation, a company in which Kubota holds an equity interest.
KUAMO will utilize the PLANTX Closed-type plant cultivation system to conduct local market research, identify potential customers and partners, and carry out essential marketing activities, including identifying potential customers and partners for Kubota’s plant factory business in the United States.
“We are truly excited to explore new opportunities for PFAL from the heart of Brooklyn Navy Yard — an innovation hub that represents the future of sustainable urban development. By leveraging advanced PFAL technology, we aim to build a resilient, hyper-local and vibrant food production ecosystem across the East Coast,” said Harutoshi Niki, General Manager of KUAMO.
“With a wide range of innovative companies operating across the Navy Yard, the campus functions as a true innovation ecosystem – one built on collaboration, connectivity and shared growth,” said Lindsay Greene, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC). “We’re thrilled to officially welcome a well-established, multi-national industrial company like Kubota to Building 77 and look forward to providing a supportive environment as it builds on its current success.”
In the United States, major fruit and vegetable production areas are concentrated on the West Coast, while large population centers with strong consumer demand are located on the East Coast. This geographic separation creates several challenges, including reduced freshness during long-distance transportation, higher logistics costsca and increased greenhouse gas emissions.
Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting (PFAL) systems grow crops indoors using LED lighting and precisely controlled environments. This approach enables stable, year-round production regardless of climate conditions and achieves high yields even on limited urban land, making it an increasingly attractive. In particular, the PLANTX cultivation system employs proprietary technology to tightly control the environment within small, sealed compartments, delivering more consistent product quality and higher productivity compared with conventional PFAL methods.
In response to these challenges and opportunities, Kubota has established KUAMO in New York City to support stable and efficient food production in the United States. The office is equipped with the PLANTX cultivation systems and, in collaboration with PLANTX, is prepared to conduct crop production for local trials. Kubota will leverage KUAMO as a base to advance marketing and business development activities for PFAL in the U.S. market.
