Kobelco plans to increase US production

Having re-integrated its excavator and crawler crane businesses in the US, Kobelco is planning to ramp up production here, president and CEO Kazuhide Narake told a press conference at CONEXPO/CON-AGG. “We built our factory in Spartanburg and had our opening ceremony in July 2016,” Narake began.
March 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Kobelco's excavator models. Pictured: SK210LC-10

Having re-integrated its excavator and crawler crane businesses in the US, 2200 Kobelco is planning to ramp up production here, president and CEO Kazuhide Narake told a press conference at CONEXPO/CON-AGG.

“We built our factory in Spartanburg and had our opening ceremony in July 2016,” Narake began. “At the moment two models are being produced there, the SK210LC-10 and the SK350LC-10. This year two additional models will be added and we plan to add more production models in the future.” Only 30% of the land on the site in South Carolina has been used so far, so there is plenty of room for expansion.

Kobelco is also working on the design of a new 300 tonne crawler crane. “We are doing our best to bring it to the market early next year,” said Narake. “This is considered one of the main class sizes in North America.”

The Japanese-headquartered manufacturer also plans to extend its network of distributors in the US, added Narake, which at the end of 2016 stood at 57.

After the global alliance between Kobelco’s excavator business and Case/New Holland came to an end in 2012, Kobelco excavators re-entered the US market in 2013. Last April saw Kobelco merge the crane and excavator businesses with the following nine months spent restructuring. The HQ for the whole business is located in Katy, Texas.

“North America is our most important market outside Japan,” Narake concluded.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Caterpillar puts spotlight on technology
    March 8, 2017
    Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby explained at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 that the firm is focusing on delivering technology solutions for its customers that will improve their bottom line. This is intended to further develop the firm’s support for its clients. Umpleby said, “We don’t take our customers for granted. We listen to our all customers but they do have different requirements.”
    Read More
  • Wacker Neuson bullish with strong results
    May 8, 2019
    The Wacker Neuson Group reports a strong financial performance for the first quarter of 2019. The firm’s results reveal a double-digit rise in revenue to €434.6 million, a gain of 17%. The company saw even higher growth of profit before interest and tax (EBIT) growth to reach €30.2 million, a jump of 31%. Meanwhile the firm’s EBIT margin improved to 6.9%, a gain of 0.7%. “This strong start to the year sees us continue the dynamic pace of growth from the fourth quarter of 2018. Demand for our products and
    Read More
  • Powerful excavation with Kobelco
    April 25, 2024

    Increased performance is claimed for Kobelco’s SK520LC-11E excavator, which is now being offered in two variants.

    The standard model is the SK520LC-11E model, however there is also the new SK520LC-11E Mass Excavation variant, for specific application needs. Both models weigh from 52.9-57.2tonnes, depending on specification and have power from a six-cylinder Isuzu diesel rated at 348kW that meets Tier 4 Final/Stage V emissions requirements.

    Read More
  • Yanmar acquires 6.26% of Manitou capital and voting rights
    October 30, 2013
    Yanmar has acquired 6.26% of the capital and voting rights of Manitou. The move, through shares acquired from the French bank Société Générale, comes as the two construction equipment manufacturing groups are enhancing their strategic alliance by expanding cross distribution into Mexico and Latin America. Takehito Yamaoka, president of Yanmar, said, “Manitou is well-respected as the market leader in telescopic handlers, so it is exciting for Yanmar to have a closer relationship with them through this capi
    Read More

Highlighted Content