About Komatsu
Komatsu is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and sellers of construction and mining machines. The company also produces machinery for the compact construction, forklift, utilities, forestry, and industrial markets. Named after the city where it was founded in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, Komatsu is now headquartered in Tokyo.
2024 Komatsu PC360 LC-11 Crawler Excavator
Komatsu History
Meitaro Takeuchi founded Komatsu Ltd in May 1921, when the Komatsu Iron Works split from the Takeuchi Mining Company. The new company built Japan’s first track-equipped tractor for farming in October 1931, foreshadowing the many dozers, crawler excavators, and other heavy plant in its future. Komatsu considers its Model 1 Ground Leveling Machine (1943) as the prototype for subsequent Japanese bulldozers, including the D50 model in 1947.
The company began manufacturing its own diesel engines in 1948 and relocated its headquarters to Tokyo in 1951. In 1961, Komatsu inked a technology tie-up agreement with Cummins, signalling the beginning of a long-term partnership that has lasted for more than six decades.
Komatsu Diversification & Expansion
Komatsu entered new markets with motor graders (1952); forklift trucks, off-highway trucks, and special-purpose vehicles (1953); shovel loaders (1956); wheel loaders (1965); and hydraulic excavators (1968). The Japanese manufacturer has been exporting machinery since 1955.
In 1970, Komatsu began a significant expansion effort into the United States that resulted in the establishment of Komatsu America Corporation. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the U.S. subsidiary is one of roughly 250 Komatsu operations worldwide, including production, sales, parts, training, and remanufacturing bases.
In the 1980s, Komatsu partnered with plant manufacturer Dresser to form Komatsu Dresser. The joint company made tractors and other plant equipment for the mining industry until 1994 when Komatsu bought out its partner's share. In 2017, Komatsu acquired mining machinery maker Joy Global.
Komatsu Technological Milestones
Komtrax, the Komatsu Machine Tracking System, first appeared in 1998. The telematics and fleet management system became a standard feature on new Komatsu machinery in July 2001.
In 2008, Komatsu developed the first hybrid hydraulic excavator and the world's first Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) mining truck, deployed to a copper mine in Chile. According to the manufacturer, Midsize Komatsu intelligent Machine Control dozers (2013) came with the industry's first automatic blade control system. In 2020, the company launched its PC30E-5 electric mini excavator for rental usage in Japan.
The Right Komatsu Equipment For Sale
Explore MachineryTrader.eu to find new and used Komatsu plant equipment for sale from sellers in Europe and around the globe. You’ll have access to crawler excavators, mini excavators, wheel loaders, dozers, motor graders, forklifts, off-highway trucks, scrap-processing and demolition equipment, loader backhoes, skid steers, and more.
