Kubota is a multinational corporation that manufactures and sells a wide range of agricultural and construction machinery, heavy-duty engines, and industrial equipment, and provides vital infrastructure solutions for water purification and environmental systems. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Kubota General Manager of the Urban Agriculture Marketing Office, Harutoshi Niki, to learn more.
Harutoshi Niki’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Niki said:
I have been working in the PFAL (Plant Factory with Artificial Lighting) industry, also known as vertical farming, since 2018. I started my career in this field at Japan’s largest PFAL operator, where I worked as a senior manager overseeing business partnerships and planning specialized packaging processes for PFAL-grown vegetables.
In 2023, I joined Kubota and shifted my focus to exploring new opportunities and value creation for PFAL business in the United States. KUAMO (Kubota Urban Agriculture Marketing Office), that we established at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is one of the core initiatives supporting that mission.
(Harutoshi (HT) Niki, General Manager, KUAMO)
Role
What are your primary responsibilities at KUAMO? Niki shared:
Our overarching goal is to introduce and deliver an integrated PFAL solution in the United States. By combining hardware and software, this solution enables hyper-local production of fresh, high-quality vegetables. To achieve this, we focus on understanding market needs by actively communicating with potential customers—such as supermarkets, restaurant chains and consumers. Because installing a PFAL requires significant initial capital expenditure, success depends on producing high-value vegetables that meaningfully solve market problems and meet customer needs. My work centers on identifying these opportunities and building solutions that align PFAL’s technological strengths with real-world demand.
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Niki explained:
We aim to deliver an integrated PFAL solution in the U.S., and one of the core components of our offering is the PFAL system currently implemented at our KUAMO.
This system is supplied by our partner, PLANTX, a Japanese startup recognized for its proprietary fully closed vertical farming technology. Their proprietary algorithms and environmental control technology allow us to maintain growing conditions with exceptional precision and consistency.
This enables:
– Stable and efficient plant growth
– High-quality, high-yield vegetable production
– Weather/climate-independent and year-round production
– Supply of clean and safe vegetables produced within a closed environment
KUAMO aims to integrate the PLANTX system with ancillary equipment and post-harvest processes to deliver a reliable, operations-ready solution for customers.
(Small-sized PLANTX’s system for prototyping and demo operations at KUAMO in Brooklyn, NY)
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates KUAMO from its competition? Niki affirmed:
The main differentiators are crop variety, efficiency and data-driven optimization.
Thanks to PLANTX’s technological foundation, we can support a wider range of crop varieties than many PFAL solutions on the market. Moreover, our solution enables facilities to immediately implement optimized “Recipes”—data-based growing parameters developed and continually improved in PLANTX’s lab in Japan.
This means our customers can always utilize the most efficient and up-to-date growing conditions from day one, reducing trial-and-error and accelerating operational success.
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Niki emphasized:
Our vision is to build a resilient, hyper-local, and vibrant food production ecosystem using PFAL technology.
As part of this strategy, we are expanding to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a hub known for its innovative and collaborative environment. By leveraging the Navy Yard ecosystem—and the larger New York City market—we aim to bring together partners who are eager to explore new ways of supplying fresh, high-quality vegetables within the region.
This location will enable us to demonstrate PFAL’s potential at scale and co-create new models of urban food production.
Next-generation PLANTX Culture Machine unveiled July 2026 (PLANTX HQ in Tokyo, Japan)
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Niki concluded:
PFAL has the potential to transform how city residents access fresh, high-quality produce by addressing many of the challenges faced by conventional agriculture—such as inconsistent supply, weather dependency and long-distance transportation.
We welcome anyone interested in joining our ecosystem. Together, we can build a future where cities enjoy reliable access to exceptional vegetables produced right in their communities.
