Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Komatsu Limited

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Native name
  
株式会社小松製作所

Revenue
  
17.8 billion USD (2015)

Founded
  
13 May 1921

Parent organization
  
KOMATSU LTD.

Type
  
Public (TYO: 6301)

Headquarters
  
Tokyo, Japan

Number of employees
  
47,017

Komatsu Limited wwwkomatsuamericacommediakomatsuimageslogo

Industry
  
Heavy equipment (construction and mining), Defense technology

Key people
  
Tetsuji Ohashi (President and CEO) Kunio Noji (Chairman of the Board)

Products
  
Construction equipment Mining equipment Industrial machinery Military vehicles

Operating income
  
US$2.0 billion (FY2015)

CEO
  
Tetsuji Ohashi (1 Apr 2013–)

Subsidiaries
  
Modular Mining Systems

Profiles

Komatsu ltd corporate introduction video komatsu today


Komatsu Ltd. (株式会社小松製作所, Kabushiki-gaisha Komatsu Seisakusho) or Komatsu (コマツ) (TYO: 6301) is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures construction, mining, and military equipment, as well as industrial equipment like press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The corporation was named after the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa, where the company was founded in 1921. Worldwide, the Komatsu Group consists of Komatsu Ltd. and 182 other companies (146 consolidated subsidiaries and 35 companies accounted for by the equity method).

Contents

Komatsu is the world's second largest manufacturer of construction equipment and mining equipment after Tata Hitachi.. However, in some areas (Japan, China), Komatsu has a larger share than Caterpillar. It has manufacturing operations in Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe.

Japanese 小松 ko matsu means "small pine tree", named after Komatsu city in Ishikawa prefecture.

Komatsu d61i 23 is world s first dozer with fully auto blade control komatsu limited 1921


History

Komatsu Iron Works was started by Takeuchi Mining Industry as a subsidiary to make industrial tools for the parent company. Komatsu eventually became large enough to sell to the public, and was spun off on May 13, 1921 as Komatsu Ltd.

Komatsu produced its first agricultural tractor prototype in 1931. Through the 1930s, Komatsu also produced military tractors for the Japanese military, as well as bulldozers, tanks and howitzers. After World War II, under its new president Yoshinari Kawai, Komatsu added non-military bulldozers and forklifts to its line of equipment. In 1949 it began production of its first diesel engine. Its growth as a company was aided by the strong demand for its bulldozers during Japan's post-war reconstruction in the 1950s. In August 1951 the corporate headquarters were moved to Tokyo. By 1957 the company had advanced technologically to the point that all its models were using Komatsu engines.

In 1964 Rioichi Kawai, son of Yoshinari Kawai, became president of Komatsu, and it began exporting its products, looking to counteract the postwar image of Japanese products as being cheap and poorly made. In July 1967, it entered the U.S. market, taking on Caterpillar, the largest bulldozer maker, in its home market. This was done under the company slogan of "Maru-C", translating into English as "encircle Caterpillar" (from the game of Go (board game), where encircling an opponent results in capture of his territory).

Komatsu and Dresser Industries established Komatsu Dresser to make mining tractors and related equipment. This 50-50 ownership lasted from September 1988 to August 1994, when Komatsu bought out Dresser's share. Komatsu's mining products were consolidated under the name Komatsu Mining Systems in 1997. To prevent brand-name confusion during these corporate changes, the name "Haulpak" was used for the product line Komatsu began with Dresser. The name "Haulpak" dates back to 1957 when LeTourneau-Westinghouse introduced a range of rear dump trucks known as "Haulpaks". LeTourneau-Westinghouse equipment later became known simply as WABCO equipment in 1967. The name Haulpak was an industry term that eventually became applied to any type of rear dump truck. A detailed history of the development of the Haulpak can be found in Wabco Australia.

Product range

  • Komatsu makes the largest bulldozer in the world, the D575.
  • In 2008 Komatsu launched the Komatsu PC200-8 Hybrid, a 360-degree excavator that stores the energy from slew-braking to boost power and cut fuel use.
  • References

    Komatsu Limited Wikipedia