Where Is Kobelco Made? Everything You Need to Know about the Brand

Kobelco is a brand of high-quality heavy machinery used mainly in construction, road building, lifting, agriculture, and forestry among many other applications. In this article, we shall discuss where Kobelco machines are made and explain all that you need to know about the Kobelco brand, especially about the construction machinery segment.

Where is Kobelco Made?

Kobelco machines are made in the state-of-the-art KOBELCO factory located in Itsukaichi, Tokyo, Japan. This factory manufactures the basic framework and machines of the Kobelco brand with several components being sourced from other factories and companies across the world. The Kobelco machines are all hand-built. There are other Kobelco factories in Hiroshima, Okubo (Akashi City), and Ogaki (Ogaki City) in Japan.

The Itsukaichi factory is the base factory for the Kobelco machines where highly skilled craftsmen work alongside robotics to assemble and hand-build all Kobelco brand machinery. The company believes in striking a balance between modern technology and the highly-skilled expertise provided by human power.

Kobelco is the brand name of Kobe Steel Group which was established in 1930. Apart from construction machinery, the company manufactures other products and provides technological services in a variety of fields including engineering, welding, electric power, and aluminum machinery.

About Kobelco

The Kobe Steel Company made the first construction machine in Japan in 1930. It was called the electric mining shovel. Since then, the Company founded the Kobelco Brand which has seen the evolution of excavators and other construction machinery. The construction machinery section manufactures excavators, environmental recycling machines, and cranes.

The Kobelco brand of construction machinery is geared towards meeting customer needs through the provision of outstanding products and innovative solutions that fully incorporate modern technology. Their brands adhere to the current emissions policies, fuel economy, low noise, and modern technology.

While Kobelco produces high-quality excavators and other machinery, some components are sourced from other factories and companies. However, the Company has established a global system that interconnects factories, local subsidiaries, and distributors across all regions of the world

Subsidiaries

The Kobelco Construction Machinery Company is responsible for the manufacture of construction machinery such as excavators, crawlers, and loaders. The Company has subsidiaries in Europe, the Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. based in Almere, Netherlands, and the Kobelco Construction Machinery America LLC headquartered in Texas. There are several other smaller factories spread across Asia, Europe, and America.

The Kobelco Brand

Kobelco is a global brand competing with other established brands in the manufacture of construction machinery. The following are some of its branded products.

1) Kobelco Excavators

Kobelco produces all types of excavators which are highly rated for their technical specs, superior fuel economy, power output, and a one-of-its-kind hybrid technology. The Kobelco excavators are powered by a variety of Mitsubishi diesel engines, especially the 6D Fuso series.

The Itsukaichi factory acts as the production base for all Kobelco excavators used globally. Since the production of the first crawler-type hydraulic excavator in 1967, Kobelco has continually produced hand-built innovative excavators. The main tasks completed by hand include:

• ·       Revolving electric motor assembly
• ·       Making and assembling the SK210HLC-10 Hybrid batteries, and
• ·       Frame welding

The Kobelco excavators have the following common features:

• ·       A powerful engine and powertrain
• ·       Superior fuel economy
• ·       Low emissions
• ·       Advanced mechatronics
• ·       Reduced operational costs
• ·       Increased working performance
• ·       High-level safety and operational comfort
• ·       low maintenance costs
• ·       Advanced hydraulics
• ·       The iNDr (innovative Noise and Dust reduction system) technology.

The Kobelco excavators are reputed to be enduring, durable, low-maintenance machines that are suited for performance regardless of the site conditions. The excavators have undergone constant refining in terms of design and performance over time. The excavators come in different sizes and dimensions that are made to meet value, demand, and current trends in construction.

Moreover, they can accommodate an array of attachments for different applications, making Kobelco excavators to be among the most versatile and productive excavators. The excavators are purpose-built and are applicable even in specialized operations.

The Kobelco range of excavators include:

• ·       Hydraulic Excavators
• ·       Mini hydraulic Excavators
• ·       Mini wheel loaders
• ·       Road machinery

The Kobelco excavators (both the hydraulic and the mini excavators) are equipped with the superior iNDr system which makes them the quietest excavators in this segment.

They have a short rear swing tail or ultra-short swing tail that is suitable to work even in smaller or squeezed places.

They have an outstanding fuel economy.

The Geoscan system scans, reports, and records the service schedule, fuel levels, and working hours of the excavator. 

Clog detectors for monitoring the hydraulic fluid and hydraulic system

They are highly durable

Kobelco has a wide range of standard and mini excavator models. Among the excavator models available globally include:

2) Kobelco Loaders

Kobelco offers a wide array of loaders ranging from wheel loaders and compact track loaders to mini loaders. Some of the loaders in the Kobelco stable include

• ·       LK850 (19.6 tons)
• ·       LK550 (8 tons)
• ·       WLK20 (11 tons)
• ·       WLK45 (22 tons)

3) Kobelco Environmental Recycling Machines

These machines are mainly used in demolitions at construction sites. They are made with specifications for demolitions with a specific focus on environmental protection and waste/metal recycling.

4) Demolition machines

Kobelco was the pioneer in the manufacture of the static hydraulic fracturing nibbler used in demolitions. Their demolition machine, the SK350D was awarded the Guinness record for being the tallest demolition machine in 2006. Their demolition machinery is powerful for the job and tough enough to withstand the severity of the demolition work sites.

Their current demolition machines are reputed to be the safest and easiest to use in the market. They include:

• ·       SK1300DLC
• ·       SK550DLC-11
• ·       SK400DLC-10E
• ·       SK350DLC-10E

5) Metal/Waste Recycling Machines

Kobelco manufactures metal and waste recycling machines which are put on site during constructions or demolitions. These specialized machines have contributed immensely to the reduction in construction costs as recycled materials offer a quick and cheap solution to material procurement and site clearance. The E-mag is one of Kobelco’s recycling machinery.

The recycling machinery involves a series of production steps in the scrap metal recycling production line machine. The line has the following machine sections:

• ·       Pre-shredder machine
• ·       Hammer machine
• ·       Magnetic machine
• ·       Dust collector
• ·       Eddy current separator

6) Forestry and Agriculture

Kobelco manufactures forestry specialized machinery like the Tower Yarder which can penetrate steep slopes and uneven surfaces to cut down trees with minimal destruction. These forestry machinery are equipped with carbon absorption credits for environmental protection.

7) Kobelco Cranes

Kobelco manufactures various types of hydraulic cranes which are famed for reliability, high mobility, performance, and functionality. Their cranes are applicable in a wide range of worksites including rough terrains and in harbors. The Kobelco brand of hydraulic cranes has both standard and mini cranes such as:

• ·       Rough-terrain cranes
• ·       Lattice boom wheel cranes
• ·       Mini rough-terrain cranes
• ·       Crawler cranes
• ·       Carry deck cranes

Kobelco cranes have superior build quality, are flexible, and are applicable in a variety of work sites while providing high utility, comfort, and safety. The brand of Kobelco cranes include:

• ·       Large-sized crawler cranes-the SL-G Series mainly for the European markets and includes SL4500G, SL600G, and the SL4400G light configuration
• ·       Heavy duty crawler cranes-the BME-G series for example the BME800g-2, TK750G with telescopic boom
• ·       Multi-purpose Crawler cranes-The CKE-G series for example the CKE800G, CKE900G-3, CKE1100G-3, CKE2500G-2
• ·       Conventional Model- hydraulic crawler cranes and wheel cranes.

Kobelco crawler cranes have applications in various fields including construction of extra-large structures (like long-span bridges), medium and small constructions, civil engineering, and foundation works at various work sites.

The cranes come in different series for various market segments that comply with various regional regulations. For instance, the Hydraulic crawler 7000Series (7035, 7055, 7080, and others) comply with Japanese regulations while the CKE series complies with EU regulations. Other crawlers include the CKs series, the BM series, the Telescopic Boom crawler series, and the SL Series.

However, it is worth noting that the Kobelco crawler cranes in the USA have been re-powered and re-engineered to meet the current EPA certification requirements. The entire range of crawlers from 85 Tonnes to 225 Tonnes are now EPA-compliant and have been equipped with a new Isuzu diesel engine with effect from February 2023.

The line-up of the Isuzu-powered crawlers includes:

• ·       CK 850G-3 (85 ton)
• ·       CK 1100G-3 (110 ton)
• ·       CK 2750G-3 (275 ton)
• ·       CK 800G-3 (80 ton)
• ·       CK 1600G-3 (160 ton)
• ·       CK 2000G-3 (200 ton)
• ·       CK 1200G-3 (120 ton)

Comparisons

All Kobelco machinery ranks among the best and competes fairly well with other established brands such as John Deere, Komatsu, Case, Volvo, Sany, and Caterpillar among others. However, the Kobelco brands tend to be a bit more expensive than the competition.

On fuel economy and efficiency, the Kobelco brands outscore the competition. On average, the 35-tonne Kobelco excavator consumes 18l/h while a majority of other excavators from other companies average 22l/h.

The Kobelco range of construction machinery is thus reliable, performance-oriented, fuel-efficient, and durable; competing fairly with the best in the market.