SCOTT TWP. – A South Korean corporation that recently bought the Northeast Mahindra tractor assembly plant here will keep the 30 employees as it begins to move its products through the facility. 

“We were lucky enough to come into a turn-key operation,” said Wes Freeman, director of sales and development for TYM North America, during an open house Thursday.

“This facility represents the best of TYM. It will serve our dealers in the northeast, eastern Canada and upper midwest,” Freeman said.

Founded in 1951, TYM is a global producer of small-scale farm equipment based out of Seoul, South Korean. The company has been selling its equipment in North America since 1999.

The company bought the Mahindra site for $4.35 million.  

Showcase for community leaders

Sixty-five people, including local tractor dealers, chamber of commerce members, commissioners and state representatives were invited to 2605 Columbia Blvd., Bloomsburg to hear from TYM executives from across the world and tour the factory.

Kurt Jeon, head of oversees sales for TYM who traveled from Korea for the event, said the company will assemble 30-40% of its tractors at the Bloomsburg location to supply the Northeast region. Jeon said roughly 10% of the American market for tractors is TYM brand.

He said the employees at the Mahindra site work hard, assembling roughly 8,000 tractors every year.

Jeon said that the location will not make the tractors from scratch, but rather reassemble them from parts shipped over from TYM manufacturers in South Korea, where the company is based.

According to Paul Surratt, director of facility manufacturing for TYM, the Seoul factory makes, assembles, tests, and partially disassembles the tractors before they are sent to the Bloomsburg plant. From there, the Bloomsburg TYM workers will reassemble the tractors and put them through a 62-point inspection before shipping them through third-party transportation companies to various dealers across America.

Peter Kim, TYM’s executive vice president of global sales said the company currently makes roughly $150 million yearly from tractor sales.

The 97,800 square-foot facility will increase TYM capacity for manufacturing by 50%, according to Kim.

“I’m sure we will work together to make this community stronger. . .God bless TYM and God bless Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania,” Kim said to the crowd.

Bloomsburg Chamber of Commerce Vice President Chris Berleth said that “excellence is very obviously a core value” for TYM.

Roger and Marylin Broadt started a tractor parts store at the site in 1965 calledTPC Power Center. In 2012 their sons went into business with Mahindra, based in India, and became the Northeast Mahindra assembly and distribution plant, assembling about 6,000 tractors a year.

The contract with Mahindra expired this year.

Isabella Bridy covers Southern Columbia County. She can be reached at 570-387-1234 Ext 1312 or at isabella.bridy@pressenterprise.net.