The 6000-square-foot facility in the North Mount Business Center will test and analyze oils, fuels, coolants and other industrial fluids for equipment reliability.

Polaris chief executive officer Bryan Debshaw said the Duluth location would provide a local presence for the company’s expanding southeast US customer base.

"We've provided technical sales support in the southeast for several years," he said.

"But locating a laboratory in the Atlanta area will improve sample transit time for our customers and increase our production capacity considerably."

The company announced the Georgia location last November.

Polaris began operations at its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1999 then opened laboratories in Houston, Texas, in 2003; Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2006; and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 2008.

The Indianapolis, Houston, Salt Lake City and Edmonton labs are ISO 17025 A2LA-accredited facilities, the highest quality level for a testing laboratory. The Atlanta facility will seek the accreditation this year.

Polaris serves more than 15 countries worldwide and has more than 80,000 customers.