GRAPEVINE, TX--Kubota Tractor Corp. (KTC) is relocating its headquarters to Grapevine.

Both KTC and Kubota Credit Corp. (KCC) are U.S. subsidiaries of Kubota Corp., based in Osaka, Japan; the move will affect about 180 employees and is expected to occur within the next 18 months.

According to a spokeswoman with the company, CBRE has been selected as a broker in the move. The Star-Telegram reports that a 25-acre site northeast of Grapevine Mills mall on city-owned property is the site where the company will build a 190,000-plus-square-foot research and development and corporate center.

The company says the move will put it closer to its major markets and its manufacturing, assembly, and distribution facilities in Georgia and Kansas: “By centrally locating more of its operations, Kubota will be able to respond more quickly to changes in markets and the industry, and streamline its operations for both dealer and customer benefit,” a news release said.

In addition, the move will be conducted in stages to avoid disrupting Kubota's daily operations. Kubota's finance business, KCC, will move from its current locations in Torrance, CA, and Fort Worth, to the new facility.

“This move does not affect the majority of our employees located at our divisional offices,” said Masato Yoshikawa, president and CEO of KTC, in a release.

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