KOBELCO USA welcomed the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Manufacturing Express tour to The KOBELCO Ranch in Hockley, Texas, a 15-acre facility that serves as a training ground, demo center and gathering place for customers and dealers.
The event was the 21st stop in Texas for the nationwide initiative, which recognizes the 2.3 million men and women working in the equipment industry.
Among those in attendance was Masayuki (Gus) Kimura, president and CEO of KOBELCO, highlighting the company's commitment to its U.S. workforce and dealer network. His presence showed the importance KOBELCO places not only on its equipment, but also on the people and communities who rely on it.
The KOBELCO Ranch offers an environment where operators test machines and dealers expand their product knowledge, making it an ideal location for the Manufacturing Express visit. By opening the doors to this facility, KOBELCO highlighted its investment in Texas and its ongoing effort to connect contractors with the latest equipment innovations.
"They've invested in Katy, Texas. They've created jobs in Katy, Texas. They've created opportunity for people around the country who are using their equipment," said Kip Eideberg, AEM senior vice president of government and industry relations. "That's what it's all about: opportunity and prosperity and supporting towns and communities with good-paying jobs."
Speakers, including Eideberg, reflected on how far the industry has come. The equipment of today is not the equipment of our fathers and grandfathers, he said. Modern KOBELCO excavators and cranes represent decades of evolution. They are precision-driven and technologically advanced tools that allow contractors to do more with less.
According to Eideberg, that progress translates to safer work sites, more efficient operations and benefits that extend far beyond job sites to neighborhoods, highways and the environment.
The event also celebrated the people behind KOBELCO's success. Employees at the Hockley facility are part of a national workforce that, as AEM emphasizes, "make the equipment that powers, builds and feeds our world." These men and women not only assemble machines used internationally, but also contribute to the local community as neighbors, parents and volunteers.
For the AEM Manufacturing Express, the visit to The KOBELCO Ranch represented more than another stop on the itinerary. It stood as an example of how a global manufacturer chooses to invest directly in Texas, building infrastructure, offering training opportunities and supporting workforce development. The KOBELCO Ranch stop reflected the tour's central message: Equipment manufacturing creates opportunity and growth in the communities it calls home. AEM leaders emphasized that the stories shared on tour only scratch the surface of what remains to be told.
"The tour must end. But we've only scratched the surface of the stories that I believe it's our responsibility and also our great honor to tell, and that's the stories of those 2.3 million men and women who make up our industry," Eideberg said. "That has been absolutely the highlight of the tour."
The stop also provided a platform to highlight AEM's I Make America campaign. The campaign has grown to more than 30,000 supporters, many of whom work directly in the industry. Its mission is straightforward: to provide one united voice for member companies and their employees in support of pro-manufacturing policies.
As AEM leaders explained, the campaign is not about Republicans or Democrats, nor is it about partisan divides. Instead, it is unapologetically pro-manufacturing. When participants join, they are not asked to back a party or a candidate, but to stand together for policies that allow manufacturers to invest in communities, create jobs and grow their businesses.
"We're not Republican or Democrat. We're not red or blue. We're red, white and blue. It's all about manufacturing," Eideberg said.
By combining the symbolism of its grassroots campaign with the on-the-ground impact of events like the Hockley tour stop, AEM's Manufacturing Express continues to reinforce a simple but powerful message: Manufacturing remains central to America's prosperity, and the people who make it possible are worth celebrating.
