SAKAI America, Inc., a subsidiary of SAKAI Heavy Industries, is marking two milestones in 2026: 50 years of operations in North America and 25 years of manufacturing in the United States.
SAKAI Heavy Industries has manufactured road construction machinery in Japan since 1918. SAKAI America was established in 1976 as the company entered the North American market.
That entry initially centered not on SAKAI’s primary compaction equipment line, but on its rubber-tired milling machine. The company established SAKAI America to provide local support for the equipment, with domestic manufacturing envisioned as a future possibility as business conditions allowed.
In 1977, SAKAI America signed its first dealer, Arkansas-based Clark Machinery. The companies continue to work together today. SAKAI America’s dealer network has since expanded to 41 dealers representing 199 locations across the United States and Canada.
The company began domestic production in 2001 with the opening of its manufacturing facility in Adairsville, Georgia. The first machine assembled at the facility was an SV510D 84-inch smooth drum soil compactor purchased by local contractor Fox & Brindle.
According to SAKAI America, Fox & Brindle still owns and operates that machine, which has required minimal maintenance during the past 25 years. Today, more than half of the SAKAI machines sold in the North American market are manufactured at the Adairsville facility.
“Reaching half a century in North America is first and foremost a testament to the hard work and dedication of our incredible employees, as well as the enduring trust our dealer network and contractors have placed in SAKAI equipment,” said Yasunori Azumi, president of SAKAI America. “We are incredibly proud of our long history in this market and remain fully dedicated to supporting the infrastructure and development of this region for many decades to come.”
SAKAI America commemorated the two anniversaries with an event Sept. 1 at its Adairsville headquarters. Attendees included company employees; SAKAI Heavy Industries President Ichiro Sakai; Chris Takara, executive office and general manager of corporate strategy; local and state leaders; presidents of other Japanese manufacturing companies in the region; suppliers; and SAKAI dealers.
The event recognized the company’s history in North America and its 25 years of manufacturing in Georgia.
“For the last 25 years, we have taken immense pride in building machines right here in Adairsville,” said Wes Shepherd, vice president of operations at SAKAI America. “Manufacturing in the USA allows us to provide excellent jobs for our local workforce and generate significant economic benefits for our local and American component suppliers. It also enables us to respond swiftly and flexibly to the dynamic needs of the North American asphalt paving and site work markets. The dedication of our assembly team ensures the legendary SAKAI standard of reliability is built into every unit, ultimately making our rollers the most dependable machines on the job site.”
Looking ahead, SAKAI America plans to continue developing its product lines, expanding its dealer network and shifting additional production from Japan to the United States.