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

  • Democratisation of technology: an interview with Ivan Di Federico
    June 20, 2025
    A very different global future is emerging where a successful business must have a large amount of the right data and access to the best technology. But for long-term success a business must create value for its customers, says Ivan Di Federico, formerly chief strategy officer and now president and chief executive officer of Topcon Positioning Systems. He talks to Anthony Oliver, host of the Infrastructure podcast.
    Read More
  • Chinese firm XCMG is developing its US presence
    March 5, 2014
    XCMG is increasing its presence in the North American market, emphasised by the fact that the machines on its stand at Conexpo 2014 are already sold. Yansong Wang is vice president and chairman for XCMG and said, “All the machines have been ordered by customers.” The nine machines included three excavators, a soil compactor, a wheeled loader and various cranes. The units meet North American Tier 4 emissions requirements and Wang said, “All the machines are powered by Cummins diesels. The machines are simil
    Read More
  • LiuGong embraces Industry 4.0
    November 27, 2018
    LiuGong chairman Zeng Guang’an says that the firm is fully embracing Industry 4.0 technology. Coupled with ongoing machine development, an expanding global sales and manufacturing network and long-established strong relationships with customers and suppliers, this is enabling the Chinese construction equipment giant to target RMB 50 billion (US$7.18bn) operating revenue by 2025. Chairman Zeng outlined the impressive scale of LiuGong’s future ambitions during an impassioned speech in front of an audi
    Read More
  • Construction machine market starting to recover
    March 19, 2012
    Sandvik’s Thomas Schulz talks to Claire Symes about market recovery in construction. In the three years since the last CONEXPO-CON/AGG exhibition, the construction industry has been through a tremendous change triggered by the global economic downturn. “At the time of the last exhibition in 2008, it was already clear that there was a levelling out occurring in the market,” said Sandvik president of construction Thomas Schulz. “But it was in October that year that the economy went into freefall after the col
    Read More

Highlighted Content