130 Years of Kubota
Our History
PROGRESS
Our History
Today, Kubota's consolidated companies comprise 180 companies across 120 countries and roughly 52,000 employees. With revenue of 3.20 trillion yen, Kubota has flourished as a global company, with approximately 80% of its operations based outside of Japan. Here, we introduce the history that made Kubota what it is today.
1890s
1890
Established as a foundry
The company was founded at 23, Okurato-machi, Minami-ku, Osaka City and started production of castings for weighing equipment and daily commodities.
Gonshiro Ohde, who had left his home for Osaka at the age of 14, served apprenticeships at casting works as he saved funds. In February of 1890, when he was still only 19 years old, he rented one corner of an old tenement house and started up Ohde Casting. This was the start of the company’s 130-year history to date.
At the start of the business the main products were fittings and weights for balances. However, the quality and accuracy of the casting gradually began to be rated highly, and orders were received for technically more complicated items such as machinery parts and the casting of daily necessities such as pans and kettles.
1893
Started manufacturing cast iron pipes for waterworks
As the influence of Western civilization arrived in Japan at the start of the Meiji period, it also brought epidemics of infectious diseases such as cholera, it was decided that waterworks must be introduced in the various regions. Japan relied on imports for the waterworks pipes at that time, and many attempts were made to manufacture them domestically, but a lack of technology meant that they all failed.
Gonshiro Ohde also set out to manufacture iron pipes for the sake of the country, but it was more difficult than he had imagined
1897
Developed the joint-type casting method, and began mass production of iron pipes
It was not until 1897 that his efforts were rewarded with the development of the joint-type casting method. Later on, he developed the vertical round-blow casting method in 1900, and vertical-blow rotary-type casting equipment in 1904, with which the mass production of iron pipes was started.
Renamed as the Kubota Iron Works
brother Mohei
Iron Works
One of the customers of Ohde Casting had been the Kubota Match Machine Manufacturers. The master, Toshiro Kubota, had taken hints from German match-carving equipment and developed high-precision domestic equipment. He had contributed to the export of matches.
After seeing how Gonshiro Ohde was devoting all his efforts to the domestic production of iron pipes for waterworks, Toshiro possibly saw something of his former self in Gonshiro, as he started to take care of him, and one day, Toshiro begged Gonshiro to become his adopted son. Gonshiro accepted after consulting his siblings and also on the condition that he would be able to continue the iron pipe work. He therefore changed his surname to Kubota, and the Ohde Casting Iron Works was renamed the Kubota Iron Works.
1910s
1917
Opened the Amagasaki and Okajima plants, moved manufacturing departments, and clarified the bases for the casting, iron pipe, and machinery departments
first established
first established
and English
To respond to the unprecedented positive economic environment in the latter half of the 1910s, the main plant was made into a plant for machinery and the iron pipe department was moved to the newly opened Amagasaki plant (currently: Hanshin plant). In addition, the casting departments that had been dispersed in various places were concentrated at the newly built Okajima plant in Minamiokajima-cho, Nishi-ku, Osaka (currently: Taisho-ku, Osaka City). This clarified the bases for the three departments: casting, iron pipes and machinery.
The war had meant imports of pipes from Europe to the Asian market had stopped, so Kubota sent employees to Asian countries to break into those markets. The efforts were rewarded, and that year the first exports were made, of 2,000 tons of iron pipe to Java (currently: Indonesia).
1920s
1920
Established Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd.
(right: William R. Gorham)
a catalog for the Datson (right)
Automobiles started to replace rickshaws around 1920, but the imported vehicles were expensive to buy and maintain and they were also unsuitable for Japan’s narrow roads. For this reason, the Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. was established, with the aim of manufacturing practical vehicles suitable for Japan.
Kubota purchased a patent from an American visiting Japan and started production of the Gorham three-wheeled car. However, the business began to struggle when large numbers of American cars began to be imported after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, so the company merged with the Dat Motorcar Company in Tokyo. In 1931, a prototype was made of a small, water-cooled, 4-cylinder 500 cc vehicle, and a non-stop driving test from Osaka to Tokyo was performed. The car was put on sale under the name Datson. However, they could not overcome the competition from foreign vehicles, and shares in the company were transferred to Tobata Casting Co., Ltd. This was the roots of the present Nissan Motors Company, Ltd.
1922
Started production of oil-based engines for agro-industrial purposes, settanki (fuel economizer: energy-saving equipment utilizing waste gas), and heat-resistant cast iron
agro-industrial use
Kubota started to manufacture oil engines for agriculture and industry after being approached about the manufacturing of Japanese engines by Sugiyama Shoten, a pump seller which was also an agent for imported engines. This came just at the time that Kubota was looking for new business that would replace the machinery business, in the midst of the recession after the First World War.
Trial manufacturing and research continued in a corner of the warehouse of the main plant and in April 1923, the agriculture and industry engine Type A, with 3 horsepower, went on sale through Sugiyama Shoten. The product line was expanded from there, and in 1927 the company developed an engine for fishing boats using magneto and plugs from the German company Bosch.
The Kubota engines were highly evaluated at expositions and comparative judging, and the company’s position in the industry rose steadily.
1924
Entered the weighing instrument business
a platform weighing machine (right)
the Funade-cho Plant
A revision of the Weights and Measures Act to standardize to the metric system was announced in April 1921 and enacted in July 1924. The first casting job Kubota’s founder had when he arrived in Osaka, and also the first job he did when he opened his own company, was the casting of parts for balances. The company’s connection to weighing instruments was therefore strong, and so at the opportunity of the law revision, it was decided to enter the weighing machine business.
Kubota obtained a license to produce weighing instruments and started producing platform weighing machines and steelyard balances with upper pans. Kubota bought a limited partnership company, Sagawa Seikojo, and opened the Ichioka plant at Ichioka-cho, Nishi-ku, Osaka City (currently: Minato-ku, Osaka City). Based on the results of prototype products that met weighing instrument standards, which were produced at the request of the Central Weights and Measures Inspectors (currently: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology’s National Metrology Institute of Japan), the company was registered as a supplier of weighing instrument parts, and its share in the products grew to more than half of the national market.
1927
Purchased the Sumidagawa Iron Works
and expanded the iron pipe department
Ltd. before the take-over
at a ceremony to commemorate
the 10th anniversary of the grouping
In 1927, Kubota had the biggest share in the Japanese domestic iron pipe market, at 42%. However, in order to obtain bases in the Kanto region, and therefore to gain an absolute advantage, Kubota decided to purchase the company with the third-biggest share of the market, Sumidagawa Iron Works Co., Ltd., which had a share of 16%.
However, the failure rate of products at the purchased plant was about 30 to 40%, and the job motivation of the employees was very low. For business reasons, the company was not merged into Kubota, but rather it remained as a separate company. Daizo Odawara (who later became president of Kubota) was sent in as an executive director and he went into the plant and retaught the workers from the basics of iron pipe manufacturing.
He also captured the hearts of the workers, improved morale and developed the company so that in profit terms it became one of the company’s top-class model plants just three years later.
1930s
1930
Received recognition for the Kubota Oil Engine as an Excellent Domestic Product by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Kubota’s oil-based engine for agro-industrial purposes, for which production had started in 1922, was entered into a September 1925 competition for small, agricultural-use engines organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (currently: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries). Of the 76 engines entered (42 domestically produced and 34 from overseas), 19 were designated as excellent products, including Kubota’s entry. In 1930, the Kubota Oil Engine was selected as an Excellent Domestic Product by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (currently: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).
Reorganized as a limited company in 1930
Ltd. share certificate
their difficult situation
The Kubota Iron Works reorganized as a limited company in the middle of the deep recession which continued after the financial crisis in Japan in 1927, and the Great Depression which started after the New York stock market collapse of October 1929. Two companies were established. The first was Kubota Iron Works Co., Ltd. (capital: 4.5 million yen), which manufactured cast iron pipes and cast metal items.
The other was Kubota Iron Works Machinery Co., Ltd. (capital: 1.5 million yen), which manufactured engines for industry and agriculture, machine tools, balances, etc. The method for splitting the company could be said to be the start of the autonomous divisions.
However, due to the strong influence of the recession, the total sales for the first business year for both of the companies after reorganization was 5.28 million yen, less than half of the 11.74 million the company had achieved in 1928. Results only began to improve in 1933.
1932
Received repeated orders from Holland for iron pipes
The export of gold from Japan was permitted in January 1930, but was prohibited again at the end of the following year. This made the exchange rate for the yen fall sharply, which made it a favorable environment for exports. The company’s first exports to Europe were achieved when an order was received from the Rotterdam Gas Company in Holland in August 1932, for 3,000 tons of gas pipe.
An order for 2,500 tons of iron pipe for waterworks was also received from Groningen City in Holland in the following year. Later, the company went on to export iron pipes to Norway, Mexico, Egypt, etc. However, when the world began to move toward economic blocks from 1935, the position of Japan was again worsened, and in the end these exports were halted.
1937
Opened the Sakai Plant
exclusively for the production of engines
The company had increased its production of engines after purchasing Tobata Engines in 1933, and as demand was further increasing, a plant solely for the production of engines for agriculture and industry was planned. 41,860 m2 of land was purchased in 1936 in Kamishizu, Jinsekimura, Senbokugun, Osaka Prefecture (currently: Ishizu-cho, Sakai City) and the plant was constructed. It started production in November 1937.
With the construction of the new plant, Kubota aimed to be the biggest production base in the East. Over half of the new machinery was imported from Europe and America. It introduced a conveyer belt system, which came from experience in automobile manufacturing, and a centralized process management system. As a result, the production capacity for engines doubled to 15,000 per year, accounting for 55% of total Japanese domestic engine production.
1939
Floated on the stock exchange
In 1939, Kubota decided to double its capital, up to 24 million yen, to expand the business in line with national policy. Under the Temporary Fund Adjustment Act of the time, companies required permission from the government before they could increase capital and increases that more than doubled the amount of capital were not authorized. Thus, when Kubota applied to increase its capital, it included a request to be allowed to do so again in the near future. Permission was granted, with the suggestion that Kubota float the company on the public stock market, and the decision was made to do so. Among those who bought up the new shares in the company were several major companies, including those connected to the Sumitomo and Nomura conglomerates.
So, in August 1939, Kubota floated on the Osaka Stock Exchange in the category reserved for the iron and machinery industries. The shares, which had a face value of 50 yen, were sold in two types: the older shares were sold for 80 yen, while the new shares (a quarter of which were fully paid shares) were sold for 35 yen apiece. At the time, the Osaka Stock Exchange included 343 companies and one month after Kubota floated, the price of its new shares had leapt to 77 yen.
Set up a technical vocational institute in each plant
Entry into the public stock market also prompted further changes to Kubota’s internal systems, and progress was made on improving employee training.
In mid-1938, there were 5,400 employees, while by July the following year that number had shot up to 7,000 with expansion of the business, and technical training for new employees was made part of the system. As such, the private Kubota Youth School, which had been created at the Funade-cho plant as a technical vocational institute in 1936, was adapted to this purpose.
The five-year curriculum taught at the school was based on the provisions of the Youth School Act (repealed in 1947). The curriculum aimed to employees who would go on to be at the center of the plant’s operations, with 30 to 40 students in each academic year. By 1942, schools had been opened in the Sakai, Sumidagawa, Okajima, Amagasaki, and Mukogawa plants. From 1939, the school offered two different courses, a five-year course and a three-year one. The three-year course corresponded to the apprentice system in line with the Factory and Workplace Technician Training Ordinance issued in the same year.
Produced segments for the KanmonChannel Tunnel at the Okajima plant
the Okajima Plant
The Okajima plant had been opened in 1917 to concentrate all the company’s casting departments in one place, and the company later bought up surrounding land and expanded the plant when the casting business had an upturn from 1933. It had a hard blow when the Muroto Typhoon of September 1934 caused complete flooding of the plant, but in 1937 the main construction work was concluded, and production had reached 10 times what it had been formerly.
The Okajima plant produced 13,000 cast iron segments between 1939 and 1943 for the construction of the Kanmon Channel Tunnel, which was a national undertaking that had started in 1937. The segments were a first for a Japanese manufacturer. They were used as structural supports for the cylindrical structure of the tunnel, and marked the start of Kubota-made segments being used in many other tunnel construction projects.
1940s
1940
Marked 50 years since foundation, and completed construction of the Mukogawa plant (currently: Hanshin plant)
and memorial postcards
and a lathe catalog (right)
Over the 50 years since the foundation of the company, the casting works that had been started with 100 yen in 1890 had developed into a limited company capitalized at 24 million yen. In October 1940, over 500 people from the industrial, government, and academic worlds were invited to the Sakai plant and a ceremony was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
Mukogawa plant (currently: Hanshin plant) was completed, which was built to increase the production of machine tools. The plant began to produce products such as air compressors and hoist machinery for mines, and the facilities were expanded many times. It was completed in 1943, as a plant exclusively for industrial machinery.
1945
Took damage in air raids
land reclamation using
manufacturing technology
air raid damage
In 1945, due to repeated air raids, the company’s Funade-cho plant was destroyed, plants in Ichioka and Tsurumachi and the branch office in Tokyo suffered extensive damage, and all the other plants suffered damage to some extent or another.
This damage to plant equipment, the difficulties in materials procurement, and also the destruction of the distribution organization meant that the country’s mining and manufacturing industry output in August 1945 was just a tenth what it had been before World War II (1934-36 average). The company’s production for the latter half of the 1945 business year also fell to about 44% of what it had been at its peak, and the number of employees was reduced to about 2,000, a dramatic fall to about a tenth of previous numbers.
1947
Developed the cultivator and initiated production and sales
the Sakai Plant
(Model K1 rotary cultivator)
Power Cultivators
the Mukogawa Plant
After World War II, the securing of foodstuffs was an urgent issue for national government. Agrarian reforms led to the birth of many new owner-farmers and the demand for engines increased dramatically for many new uses, for example for irrigation, threshing and rice hulling. The Sakai plant restarted production of engines in September 1945 in response.
This also led to the restarting of development work for cultivators, which had started in around 1935 but had not progressed during the war. In 1947, the company established Asahi Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently: Kubota Precision Machinery Co., Ltd.), and in May of that year the first prototype machine was completed. The machine was shown at the First National Agricultural Mechanization Exhibition and went on sale as the K1 Type Kubota Rotary Cultivator in September, 1947. However, this was still long before the use of cultivators became widespread, and the company had to wait until around 1960 for the business to get established.
- Business acitivities in Japan
- Overseas development
1950s
1952
Started the production of pumps and centrifugal cast iron pipes
Kansai Electric Power Company,
Inc.’s Shikama Power Plant
cast-iron pipes
The company seriously entered the pump business and completed its first pump at the end of 1952, a turbine pump for the boiler water supply at Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc.’s Shikama power plant. However, the existing manufacturers had a firm grip on the pump market, for both public and private demand, and Kubota’s pump business did not really get on track until the early 1960s, when the concentration of the population in the cities lead to an increased demand for large pumps.
In addition, it was also in 1952 that the company overcame various difficulties and succeeded in the first Japanese production of centrifugal cast-iron pipes. The first products were delivered to the Kyushu Electric Power Company, Ltd., for use as ash flow pipes for a thermal electric power plant.
1953
Changed Japanese name to Kubota Tekko K.K. and entered the construction machinery business
Taisho-ku, Osaka City
Machinery Plant
Ltd.’s Asahi Power Plant
Sales increased rapidly from 3.7 billion yen in the 1950 business year to 13.8 billion yen in the 1955 business year, due to booms in the textiles and metal industries around 1950. At the same time, repeated capital increases and corporate bond issues meant that the company’s capital stock rose from 280 million yen in May 1949 to 2.52 billion yen in May 1955.
In June 1953, the Japanese name of the company was changed from K.K. Kubota Tekko-jo to Kubota Tekko K.K. In that same year, 1953, Kubota Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. was established and the company entered the construction machinery industry. In 1955, policy was shifted toward own-company development.
From that time, there were numerous large-scale construction projects undertaken in the country, and the company gained the top share in the Japanese mobile crane market.
1954
Started the production of vinyl pipes
Vinyl Pipe Plant
Osaka’s Joto Line
(currently the Osaka Loop Line)
vinyl pipe joints
the first pipe machine
Although iron pipes had been the company’s central product, the increase in demand for copper and PVC pipes meant that the relative share of iron pipes had started to fall. The company therefore decided to become an all-round pipe manufacturer, and began research and prototype production for PVC pipes from July 1953.
Extrusion equipment made in the United Kingdom was installed at the Sakai plant and trial and error was repeated until the first shipment was made in February the following year (1954), 4 tons of 13-40 mm diameter pipes. The original plan for the plant was for 3 extruders and a monthly production of 20 tons, but this was increased to 5 extruders in October 1954. In 1955, the plant got approval as a JIS-specified plant for general industrial use, the same as the three other companies that had come first.
1955
Created a corporate slogan, "From country building to rice making"
at the Sugita Power Plant
in Kochi Prefecture
To further promote Kubota as a company engaged in multifaceted activities, the corporate slogan “From country building to rice building” was coined in 1955. The phrase publicized the company’s contributions to a range of industries, including waterworks and the mechanization of agriculture.
In 1956, the advertising division was split off from the sales and planning division, and the advertising department was launched. The corporate slogan was advertised as a sort of catchphrase for the company. It was at this time that televisions were starting to become more common, and through this and other mediums, the slogan become synonymous with the company.
Opened farm machinery sales and service bases throughout Japan
in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
which opened at the Sakai Plant
which opened at the Sakai Plant
the headquarters building
from overseas
As Japan entered the late 1950s, the agriculture business in Japan entered a period of full-blown expansion, and the company’s agricultural machinery department also grew rapidly, surpassing the iron pipe department in sales volumes in 1958.
The company viewed the expansion of a sales and service network as a key policy, and in 1955 it opened the Asahikawa Service Center. With this as a start, the service network was extended to Kumamoto, Tokyo Akabane, Kanazawa, Takamatsu, Okayama and Niigata.
From early on, the company worked hard at the spread of agricultural machinery, with technical training for users being offered from 1949, and the opening of facilities to accept overseas trainees in 1957.
1957
Advanced into the arena of housing-related materials and started production of Colorbest housing material
The issues of fireproofing of housing and of building material shortages caused by excessive deforestation were much discussed issues at the time in Japan, and in response to these, the company decided on a technical tie-up with the Johns Manville company from the United States. Kubota Building Materials Industrial Co., Ltd. was founded in November 1957 with the aim of manufacturing and selling the nonflammable building material, Colorbest.
Production began from November 1960 in a newly established plant in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. At first, Colorbest Single (for walls) and Colorbest Colonial (for roofs) were sold in a ratio of about 9:1. However, sales of Colonial began to rise when the prefab housing industry in the country prospered as Japan entered the late 1960s, and the design and operability of Colonial began to be appreciated.
1957
Opened the first overseas agricultural equipment production base in Brazil
Limited Company
The first overseas expansion for the company after World War II was in Brazil, and where there had been many imports of Japanese engines since before the war, including from Kubota.
As the Brazilian government had announced import restrictions in the late 1950s in order to develop domestic industries, Kubota established Marukyu Agricultural Machinery Limited Company (currently: Kubota Brasil Pesquisa De Mercado Limitada) in 1957. The plant started assembling KF Type cultivators from April 1960.
This was followed by the establishment of Shin Taiwan Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd., a joint corporation, in Taiwan in December 1960. Rotary Type K3B cultivators had been imported into Taiwan since 1951, and were highly evaluated, but imports were later prohibited for the same reason as in Brazil, so the production of cultivators and engines in the country began from the end of 1960.
1959
Created spiral steel pipe prototypes and started their production
the Tokyo Electric Power Co.,
Ltd.’s Kawasaki Thermal Power Station
wharf construction for
the Chubu Electric Power Co.,
Ltd.’s Chita Thermal Power Station
Kobe City
Kubota had started the manufacture of rolled-sheet welded steel pipes in 1954, and in 1957 it purchased spiral steel pipe production techniques from Armco Inc. in the United States. The Ohama plant was newly built on reclaimed land in Chikko, Sakai City, and trial production started from October 1959. Full production started in February 1960 with waterworks pipes for Osaka City.
Nearly 20 percent of Armco’s production was of foundation piles, so Kubota also extended the sales routes. There was a lot of work going on in Japan at the time to reclaim the land around the coast, and an increasing number of sites were using spiral steel pipes instead of the conventional concrete piles as foundation piles on the soft land.
1960s
1960
Developed and commercialized a farm tractor
the type T15
Japan went through a period of great growth from the late 1950s and the mechanization of agriculture accelerated as much of the rural population moved to the cities. This was also the period in which the use of cultivators spread rapidly—in 1955 there were 89,000 cultivators in use in the country. By 1960 that number had risen to 746,000. The country had entered the so-called age of the cultivator and the KR Type hand-pushed compact cultivator released in 1960 was a massive hit.
Rider-driven tractors started to be used around 1956, particularly in Hokkaido, but gained little popularity due to their large size and high price which made them harder and less economical to use. Noticing this, Kubota put its efforts into identifying farmers’ needs one by one, looking at tractor structure, capabilities, uses, and other factors. Following repeated tests, in 1960, the 100% Japanese-made T15 rider-driven tractor for dry-field farming was developed and commercialized.
Established the Funabashi plant
To this point, as Kubota’s only plant in the Kanto region, the Sumidagawa plant had been responsible for manufacturing iron pipes, molds, and cast metals, among other things. The company began introducing the latest equipment, particularly for iron pipes, such as centrifugal casting equipment in 1951 and large-diameter ductile iron pipe equipment in 1955. This switch proved problematic, however, due to the plant’s location in a residential area as well as other factors.
The company had wanted to strengthen its manufacturing in the region for a while, and so opened the Funabashi plant on reclaimed coastal land in Chiba Prefecture’s Funabashi City to switch to new, improved equipment and expand its manufacturing capabilities. In 1961, the plant started manufacturing hume pipes, a new product. Later, the Sumidagawa plant’s manufacturing operations for deformed pipes and molds for steel ingots were moved to the Funabashi plant, where full-scale operations began. Construction also began on resin-bonded sand casting equipment to allow the manufacture of ductile pipes, one of Kubota’s main products. While the plant was operationally a branch of the Sumidagawa plant, it later became independent.
1960
Received and completed an order for an overseas water supply project (Phnom Penh) for the first time in Japan
a public hydrant
Kubota was the first to construct a waterworks system with Japanese standards outside of Japan, in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Faced with severe water shortages, the Cambodian government reached out to the Japanese government for assistance in designing a new, expanded waterworks system in 1957. After competing with a French company to win the bid, the fully owned Kubota subsidiary Kubota Waterworks Co., Ltd. (currently: Kubota Construction Co., Ltd.) was awarded the project. In 1959, Kubota received permission from the Japanese government and construction work began.
Just seven months was allocated for construction. In addition to producing the main materials needed, such as iron pipes and pumps, 400 staff worked hard and at flat-out speed to complete the work on time. In June 1960, the Japanese embassy and Kubota Waterworks held a ceremony to mark the project’s completion, at which the mayor of Phnom Penh and many others commended the Japanese work ethic and technological excellence that had allowed such a large project to be completed in such a short space of time.
1960
1960
Marked 70 years since foundation
The ceremony to mark 70 years of the company was held on October 1, 1960, in the new headquarters building, which had been planned as part of the commemoration project. A project to double the income of the country’s population was decided by the Japanese Cabinet at the end of this year and the Japanese economy was starting out in a period of astounding economic growth. Kubota’s sales also jumped from 45.6 billion yen in the 1960 business year to 81.2 billion yen in the 1965 business year, and the company’s capital stock rose from 8.8 billion yen in April 1960 to 27.9 billion yen in April 1965.
1961
Opened the first domestic sales company for agricultural machinery in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
the Fukuoka Service Center
sales company
As agricultural machinery spread rapidly in Japan, Kubota continued to strengthen communication with agents and dealers, but also set out to reconstruct the sales network.
The agricultural machinery industry had traditionally been split into two major groups: the manufacturers of engines for agricultural machinery, and the manufacturers of implements such as threshers and hullers. Sales outlets for agricultural machinery sold products from each of the groups, so it was usual for traders to be dealers for two different manufacturers.
The company proceeded to advance the lineup of implements, as well as develop exclusive Kubota dealers. Additionally, in order to create an even more powerful sales network, the company aimed to establish group dealerships with the principle that there should be one large dealership in each prefecture, by combining existing dealerships and by injecting company capital. As a result, Asahikawa Kubota Agricultural Machinery Sales Co., Ltd. and three other companies were established in 1961, and a total of 47 companies were created throughout the country by 1965.
1962
Established a water treatment division and entered the environmental business in earnest
Nakanoshima, Osaka
at the laboratory
an atomic absorption spectrometer
In order to repay a favor to the waterworks world, which the company had held a close relationship with since shortly after its foundation, in 1961 the company established a waterworks research laboratory within the central research laboratory, with a water supply department and a sewerage department.
Based on the results the laboratory had, the company entered the water and environment business, dealing in water supply and sewerage, in December of the next year, 1962. It was a software-based division without a plant, which undertook the design and operation of processing facilities for human waste and sewage. It later also advanced into the processing of municipal refuse.
Started production of paddy field tractors
the Sakai Plant
After commercializing rider-driven tractors for dry-field farming in 1960, Kubota took on the challenge of producing rider-driven tractors that could work paddy fields. The resulting machines were fitted with vertical diesel engines and the cultivator part was developed using the expertise Kubota had accrued in its history of producing cultivators. Prototypes were taken to Niigata Prefecture and repeated testing took place. Finally, in 1962, the L15R rider-driven paddy field tractor was completed.
Opened the Hirakata machinery plant and steel casting plant
Machinery Plant
the Hirakata Casting Plant
the start of operations
The company opened the Hirakata machinery plant and steel casting plant (currently: Hirakata plant) in Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture. The facilities were constructed on grounds extending over 330,000 m², the largest area for the company to that date. Business was transferred from the Mukogawa machinery plant and the casting works in Taisho-ku, Osaka City, which had both become cramped.
1963
Started the production of automatic vending machines
The origins of the company’s automatic vending machines can be said to be the “health recorder” automatic weighing machine that was developed at the Funade-cho plant in 1958. When the customer stood on the scales and inserted a 10-yen coin, a card with the weight recorded on it was dispensed. It was even exhibited at an international trade fair.
Using that experience, and automatic control technologies from weighing machines, the company set about the development of automatic milk vending machines from the beginning of 1962. Research continued on equipment to distinguish between coins and on thermal insulation technology, etc., until a prototype was completed for bottles in January 1963, the first automatic vending machine for the milk industry.
The company went on to develop a sales and service network for the product, and also began sales of automatic vending machines for milk cartons and machines with the bottles descending in a spiral. An automatic tobacco vending machine (selling five types) was put on sale in May 1967, a machine which was later to become a major product for the company.
1964
Initiated production of municipal incineration plants
With an improvement in lifestyles, the types and amount of refuse started to increase. In 1963, the Japanese government formulated the first stage of a five-year plan that advocated the organized construction of waste treatment facilities.
In 1964, Kubota, which had been involved in stoker technology since the 1910s, developed a mechanized batch incinerator and supplied its first order to the city of Aomori.
1968
Started the production of rice transplanters
the Type SPS2 rice transplanter
The mechanization of rice planting work had long been a dream of Japanese rice farmers. Kubota had started development work for this in around 1957, but major research work did not begin until 1963. At the same time, competitors were also proceeding with research into various different methods.
The company believed that the best method for mechanization would be a transplanter for placing seedlings in soil, using seedling trays and the “scattered seedlings” method. The SP Type was developed in 1968 and in the following year, 1969, the SPS Type went on sale, a single wheel, 2-row planter that formed the basis for the later walking-type rice transplanters. Mass production of the SPS Type started in 1970.
There were many merits to the method, for example the space needed for the seedlings was reduced to about a twentieth of that needed for the seedling nursery cultivation method, because the seedlings were grown in high concentrations in the seedling trays. For this reason, most of the rice transplanters that followed from other companies also adopted this method.
1969
Opened the Utsunomiya plant; started agricultural implement (combine harvester) manufacturing; and completed an integrated system for agricultural mechanization
the Utsunomiya Plant
harvester being tested
The first in the industry to do so, Kubota put the HC75 Type 3-row reaper-binder on sale in 1965, and the HC50 Type 2-row reaper-binder for small-scale farmers on sale in 1967. It was a time when the rice harvest in Japan had been at a record high for three consecutive years, and the popularity of the binders rose sharply. In order to respond to demand, the Utsunomiya plant was opened in the Hirade Industrial Park in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture.
The production of binders began when the initial construction for the plant was completed in May 1969, and mass-production equipment for rice transplanters was completed in April 1970. In addition, the HX Type full-width combine harvesters with a front driving seat which went on sale in 1971 were extremely popular and demand grew sharply, so a combine harvester plant was newly opened in February 1974.
1969
1969
Launched a new corporate slogan, "Create an environment affluent to human beings"
In the latter half of the 1960s, pollution, a negative side effect of Japan’s rapid economic growth, became a major social issue, and the government responded with the Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control in 1967. Pollution control was strengthened further in 1970, when other pollution-related laws were enacted, and the following year in 1971, when the Environmental Agency (currently: Ministry of the Environment) was established. As a result, not only industry in Japan but also regional governments were increasingly affected by environmental policies.
Kubota was quick off the mark and, in 1969, came up with a new corporate slogan, “Create an environment affluent to human beings.” It also started to expand its environmental infrastructure business.
1970s
1970
Established the environmental equipment division
With public awareness of environmental issues growing in Japan, Kubota looked to expand its environmental infrastructure business in line with the slogan it had chosen in 1969—“Create an environment affluent to human beings.” To achieve this, the company launched the environmental equipment division in 1970, which became the environmental equipment consolidated division the following year. In addition to expanding its conventional software-based business, Kubota moved forward with the development of original wastewater treatment equipment and devices. As well as the water treatment industry, and its treatment of human waste and sewage, Kubota also entered the municipal waste incineration business in earnest.
Established Kubota Trane Co., Ltd
the Kubota Trane Co.,
Ltd.’s Tochigi Plant
Kubota Trane Co., Ltd. (currently: Kubota Air Conditioner, Ltd.) was also established this year, in a joint venture with the specialized air conditioning manufacturer Trane Inc. from the United States.
Opened a vinyl pipe plant as the Shiga branch plant
in production
In April 1970, in order to produce products such as fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) bathtubs and septic tanks, Kubota opened a 166,000 m2 vinyl pipe plant as a branch of its Shiga branch plant. The plant was located on a site in the Konan Industrial Estate, close to the southern part of Lake Biwa. In line with the plant’s opening, Kubota also moved its plastics research department there from Sakai City, and built a research building and a plant to produce prototypes.
At this Shiga branch plant, Kubota installed a 3,000-ton hydraulic press for FRP, Japan’s largest, and started making FRP bathtubs and septic tanks using the sheet molding compound (SMC) process. Two more presses were later added, a 2,000-ton press and a 1,500-ton one, and in 1972 a Colonial assembly line was established. In 1973, the plant was made independent as the Shiga plant, and, between this and other measures, was able to help meet production demand during the residential building boom in Japan.
Exhibited at a dedicated Kubota Pavilion at the Japan World Exposition
the Japan World Exposition
In 1970, the year that Kubota reached its 80th anniversary, the Japan World Exposition was held for 6 months starting in March in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture. The company’s theme for its dedicated Kubota Pavilion was “Abundant Crops.” The “Dream Tractor” which was exhibited in the pavilion was a concentration of the most sophisticated technologies, and the excellent functionality, comfort and easy usability that it offered are still being put to use in products today.
1972
Entered into the field of incinerators in earnest
After developing a mechanized batch incinerator in 1964, Kubota further propagated its waste treatment technology and in 1968 installed a fully continuous combustion incinerator in the city of Gotemba, in Shizuoka Prefecture, which could manage 24-hour operation and treat 90 tons of waste a day. In 1970, Kubota partnered with Sankyo Donechi Co., Ltd., which changed its name to Kubota Environmental Facilities Co., Ltd. the following year, and accumulated expertise in municipal waste incinerator technologies. In 1972, Kubota incorporated a proprietary beak grate system (multiple-stage sectoral grate system) into its incinerators to enable highly efficient waste treatment. This advance meant that continuous combustion incinerators could handle much larger amounts of waste, in some cases 150 or 210 tons, a day. As a result, Kubota received a number of orders for comparatively large incinerators. In 1973, Kubota developed a new type of incineration plant that could treat 360 tons of waste a day while minimizing secondary pollution.
1972
Established Kubota Tractor Corporation in the US to fully enter the US tractor market
As Kubota had been approached by the American company Ford about the OEM supply of small tractors in 1967, it had decided to enter the North American market with its own brand. The demand there was overwhelmingly for petrol engines, but Kubota had completed a multi-cylinder, lightweight and compact engine that overcame the problems with diesel engines, so it decided to limit exports to these diesel products.
The company’s compact diesel tractors were highly rated as having a performance and usability in line with larger models, and they became established in the American market, with over 2,000 sold in 1972. The company therefore created its first overseas tractor sales base, Kubota Tractor Corporation (KTC), in Compton City, California, as a joint operation with the Marubeni Corporation, an export partner. KTC acted as a sales base and greatly expanded the market for the products.
1973
Established the Kyuhoji plant
Kubota’s industrial-use scales were widely adopted in labor saving and automation equipment during the period of rapid economic growth in Japan, and the business greatly expanded. In addition to the main products for industrial use, the development and sales of household use, commercial use and automatic vending machine products were also successful, and diversification continued. However, business results started to stagnate from around 1971, due to a decline in investment in equipment and the intensification of competition. In order to strengthen the business, a move from the cramped Funade-cho plant became an urgent task. This was the reason for the construction of the Kyuhoji plant (currently: Kyuhoji Business Center), which was built where a Japan Steel Works plant had formerly stood in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture. As this new venture was started on land roughly three times the size of the Funade-cho plant, this meant an end to the Funade-cho plant, a name which had existed since 1908.
1974
Started production of compact construction machinery, the mini back-hoe excavator
loading a boat
Although a renovation boom spread through Japan in 1972 based on the government’s plan for remodeling the Japanese archipelago, Kubota struggled because it was behind in the development of large cranes and pneumatic shovels. In order to rebuild the company’s construction machinery business, a decision was made to focus on compact vehicles, and the organization, production bases and sales system were all renewed. The KH1 fully-rotating mini back-hoe (compact pneumatic shovel) was completed in 1974, and would become the base machine for the company.
In the latter half of the 1970s, the opportunities for the use of the mini back-hoe increased as there was an increase in small-scale construction work ordered by local authorities and urban-style construction for the improvement of the living environment. As Kubota had been first in the market, the sales volumes rose steadily. In 1979, a new construction machinery division was created to bring together the technology, sales and manufacturing of the products.
1974
Established a sales base for agricultural and construction equipment in France
The low economic growth in Japan meant that no large expansion of the domestic market could be expected. Kubota turned to the overseas market as a means for survival, and put efforts into the expansion of bases. Kubota Europe S.A.S. was established as a joint venture with the Marubeni Corporation in France in 1974.
That company went on to become a base for tractor exports to other European countries as well as France, including West Germany, Holland and Switzerland. In addition, Kubota (U.K.) Ltd. was established in 1979 and Kubota (Deutschland) GmbH was established in 1983. Tractor sales bases were also opened in Australia and Canada.
In addition, manufacturing and sales companies were also opened up in various Asian countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, in order to cooperate with the move to the domestic production of agricultural machinery at that time.
Established manufacturing and sales bases in a number of countries
Canada Ltd.
After a drop in Japanese domestic growth, Kubota looked at becoming active in overseas markets as a way out of the predicament.
From the 1950s, Kubota had set up local subsidiaries in Brazil and Taiwan to manufacture agricultural machinery. From the 1970s onwards, however, it started establishing joint ventures and building networks, particularly in its agricultural machinery business. To expand tractor sales, Kubota established sales companies in the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada, while to support increased domestic production of agricultural machinery in Asia, it opened manufacturing and sales companies in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and other locations.
Kubota had already established offices in Taipei and Bangkok to undertake technological surveys overseas and improve its collation of order information. To add to these, Kubota set up similar offices in New York and Dusseldorf in 1975; Jakarta and Athens in 1976 (although the Athens office was closed in 1981); London in 1977; and Mexico in 1982.
As a result of this expansion work, by April 1982, Kubota had 7 overseas offices, 15 local subsidiaries, and an overseas workforce of 2,100 people.
1975
Established the sewerage division
From 1963 onwards, the Japanese government started organized investment in sewage systems, key environmental facilities for preventing flooding during heavy rain, preserving water quality in rivers, and providing the clean water needed for better lifestyles. Despite this, at the end of the 1975 business year, only 23% of the country was connected to such a system, which was well behind the 70% or more found in advanced nations in Europe and the Americas. Realizing this disparity, the government established a fourth five-year plan to improve the country’s sewage in 1976.
Kubota was already one step ahead, having split off its sewerage division from the water treatment division in April 1975 with an eye to expanding its sewage treatment business. In line with the launch of this new independent division, the company had also focused its attention on developing the equipment and devices needed in every step of the sewage treatment process. Simultaneously, it had placed part of its Kanzaki plant under the control of the new sewerage division in October 1975 in order to establish a system for manufacturing and inspection.
Established the Tsukuba plant
when it was first built
the Tsukuba Plant
the Tsukuba Plant
technical training
700,000 tractors
As the Japanese market moved rapidly toward “ride-on” agriculture in the 1970s, the company reinstated a plan to build a new plant, which had been put on hold due to the first oil crisis. The Tsukuba plant was completed in August 1975.
The plant was built on grounds covering 337,000 m², and was equipped with all the latest automation systems, in the pursuit of high-quality and low-cost production. It was a very modern plant, with a training center specifically for tractors and consideration of environmental protection and tree-planting in its design. It produced its 100,000th tractor in just its second year of production. A ceremony in October 1979 to commemorate the production of 700,000 Kubota tractors was held here.
1976
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange
the New York Stock Exchange
(Mr. Hiro, Company President (center),
NYSE Chairman (left))
One necessary condition for management in a period of low growth is the strengthening of the company in financial terms. In February 1976, Kubota issued 7.5 million dollars of convertible bonds in a public offering in the United States. The company received an A rating from the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s at the time, and also passed the strict examination by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Based on these results, in November of the same year Kubota became the third Japanese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the biggest exchange in the world’s capital market.
Introduced TQC, and became the first in the agricultural machinery industry to receive the Deming Prize
To successfully extend a business internationally, it is essential to pass strict quality and PL (product liability) evaluations in the United States and Europe. For that reason, the company introduced TQC (Total Quality Control) in February 1974. In November 1976, the Sakai production plant and the internal combustion machinery research headquarters were awarded the Deming Prize, the first such achievement in the agricultural machinery industry.
1977
Completed the new headquarters building
the first floor
When the Osaka Headquarters Building was completed in 1960, the number of employees there was 730. This number had continued to rise, and in 1975 the number reached 1,600 employees, and the company started the construction of a new building. A 16-story building was completed in October 1977, containing many of Kubota’s own products such as G-columns, cast aluminum sidings, air-conditioning equipment, a water reclamation system and fountain machines. A display of new products was set up on the first floor of the new building in 1979, to introduce the company’s new products and technology to people inside and outside the company. In 1980, past products of particular importance that described the company’s history were also added, and the display became a permanent feature.
1980s
1980
Received an order for an irrigation system from the state of Sharkia, Egypt, and worked on desert greening
a submersible pump
farm development
To green the desert and become self-sufficient in food had long been a desire of populations living in the dry regions of the world. In 1976, the company decided to set the development of systems for desert greening as a business theme, by utilizing the technologies that had been developed in the company’s agriculture and water-related businesses. Kubota agreed a technical tie-up with the Rain Bird Corporation in the United States, which had an established reputation in irrigation technology, and started sales activities. In 1980, a Kubota system was adopted by a project of the Sharkia State government in Egypt, to develop an area of desert roughly 400 times the size of the Koshien Baseball Stadium in Japan, and to mechanize agricultural work. The optimal irrigation method for each type of crop was introduced as the greening proceeded, and the project was completed in 1983, two years after the construction work had started. The farm area had been reborn as a green expanse of land, and today many different vegetables and fruits are grown there.
1980
1980
Launched a new slogan, "Pursuing a promised future with our technological strength"
In the latter half of the 1979 business year, the idea of being a technology-driven company had been added to Kubota’s management policy, and in the following year, with the company’s 90th anniversary, it changed the corporate slogan it had used for 11 years to “Pursuing a promised future with our technological strength.” In line with this slogan, Kubota reorganized the technology promotion headquarters and information center into a research and development headquarters to act as a central body for the entire company’s research activities. Kubota’s research made progress and focused on long-term, large-scale themes and overarching themes that related to all the divisions. In order to promote technology transfers between the company’s departments, Kubota set up the Technology Transfer Committee, to provide a place where young engineers from each department could meet and freely discuss technology. Then, in 1983, Kubota held the first Kubota Group R&D Conference, which served to help engineers share their knowledge and interact with one another.
1984
1984
Created the Hu-Tech technology concept
In October 1984, in order to give the general public a clear image of its philosophy regarding technology, Kubota created the theme “Hu-Tech,” combining the words “humanity” and “technology.” This term expressed how Kubota’s technology was not technology for technology’s sake, but a worthwhile venture for the sake of humans. The Hu-Tech series of advertisements featured on televisions and newspapers. The dual themes of the series, of technology with warmth and a love of a humane, interesting way of thinking, appealed to people’s empathy, and spread an image of Kubota as being synonymous with technology and the Hu-Tech concept.
1985
Established the Sakai-Rinkai (coastal) plant
when it was first constructed
air-cooled gasoline engines
the processing of crankcases
At a time when agricultural machinery demand in Japan was depressed due to the second policy to reduce rice cultivation acreage, etc., the company decided to strengthen and expand the external sales of compact engines, which had previously mostly been used in Kubota’s own products. In order to increase production capacity and improve cost competitiveness, a new plant was built in Chikko-shinmachi, Sakai City. A highly efficient plant was created which could produce a total of 500,000 engines per year, both air-cooled gasoline engines and water-cooled diesel engines, with just 180 employees.
Awarded for its “excellent information processing system” and with a Nikkei Superior Trend-Setting Office Award
the Electronic Technology Center
Kubota was also first in the manufacturing industry in Japan to introduce a VAN (value added network) between the company and affiliated companies. Many other advanced technologies were also introduced, for example with the construction of an original procurement and logistics system. The company received an award from a private advisory body to the Minister of International Trade and Industry (currently: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry) in 1985 for its “excellent information processing system.” It was also awarded the 1985 Nikkei Superior Trend-Setting Office Award.
1986
Started production of electronic circuit boards, hard discs, and radio-controlled lawnmowers
In the 1980s, the competition to develop mechatronic products, which combine mechanical systems with electronic/informational systems, intensified. In 1981, Kubota established an electronics promotion office and became active in training efforts to improve engineers’ understanding about mechatronics and to raise their interest in the subject. In 1986, Kubota started internal production of electronic circuit boards to be used in lightweight devices and automatic vending machines as part of its electrical components and devices business. In October that year, Kubota launched a hard disk division as one of its computer-related businesses. This led to Kubota establishing the Itami Hard Disk Center, on the site of the Amagasaki plant as the Itami branch plant, and beginning production of hard disks. In fields related to agricultural machinery, this year also saw the development of the AMX3 radio-controlled lawnmower, which was advertised with the slogan, “From ridden tractors to riderless.” The AMX3 was exhibited at the French horticultural trade show SIMAVAR ’86 and took a silver medal as a superbly engineered foreign product.
Entered the computer business
Yamanashi Plant
and adjustments
In 1986, focusing on the computer business, the company began to collect information on fields such as electronics, new materials, biotechnology, regional development, etc., with an aim of newly advancing into a growth market. In addition to investing in the Ardent Computer Corporation (previously called Dana Computer), which was an American company developing graphics supercomputers, Kubota also obtained exclusive marketing rights for them for the Far East region. In April 1987, Kubota Computer Inc. was established as a mother company with 100% investment from Kubota. However, the results were disappointing and Kubota began to withdraw from the computer business in 1994.
1989
Established the Ryugasaki plant
The market for automatic vending machines in Japan expanded from 182.7 billion yen in 1986 to 232.6 billion in 1987 and 290 billion in 1988, and the 3,000 units per month production capability at the Kyuhoji plant could no longer keep up with demand. A new plant was therefore opened in 1989, the Ryugasaki plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. The new plant was in grounds of 48,000 m² and could produce 5,000 units per month. The plant achieved the mixed production of multiple devices by using a computer-controlled POP (point of production) system, and also an in-house painting process and labor-saving and rationalization using automatic guided vehicles and welding robots. A new automatic vending machine which dispensed the cans at a high position, so that the customer could retrieve them without bending down, was put on sale in 1989.
1989
Participated in desert greening projects, the Sahel Greenbelt Plan and the Green Earth Plan
Desertification is an environmental issue on a global scale. To tackle it, Kubota took part in desert greening projects in extremely harsh natural environments. For the Sahel region, located to the south of the Sahara Desert, preventing desertification is an urgent matter. The Sahel Greenbelt Plan, a desert greening project in which Kubota participated, utilized underground dams and solar power generation. Kubota also joined another project, the Green Earth Plan, in the Bustan area of Egypt as a major corporate partner, responsible for every process from design to construction. This project used highly absorbent resin (a water-retaining medium), and involved the practical application of water-saving agricultural technologies.
Started producing compact construction machinery in Germany
Since Kubota’s compact construction machinery was first exported to the United Kingdom in 1978, the products had spread throughout Europe. Over 2,800 units were sold to Europe in 1988, taking the top share in the European market.
The problem of imports of completed Japanese-made compact pneumatic shovels was discussed by the EC Committee and Kubota established Kubota Baumaschinen GmbH (KBM) in Rheinland-Pfalz in West Germany. The local production of compact construction machinery began in 1989.
Started producing tractor implements in North America
Similar trade friction also occurred between Japan and the United States, and it was also becoming important to develop products tailored to the local market, so a plant to produce tractor implements, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA), was established in 1988 in Georgia, United States. Production began in April 1989.
1990s
1990
1990
Marked 100 years since foundation; changed company name to Kubota Corporation; and introduced a new corporate symbol and visual identity system
100th anniversary
At the anniversary of 100 years since foundation, the company was renamed the Kubota Corporation. Since starting out as a casting works, the company’s business had spread to iron pipes, various types of machinery, and many other new businesses and the Kubota Casting Works was changed to reflect the much broader nature of the company’s fields of business.
At the same time as the name change, a V.I. (visual identity) system was introduced and a new company logo was adopted. There was a renewal of the design of the employee badges and uniforms, company cars, signboards and advertisements, etc., as the company expressed to people both inside and outside the company that it intended to add flexibility to the company culture and streamline it, which had been said to be just steady and dignified.
1992
Launched a new slogan, "Let's make our habitat more beautiful"
1990 marked the 100th anniversary of Kubota’s founding, and around that time there was a movement to fundamentally change Japan from being an economic powerhouse to a country with the highest levels of quality of life. To adapt this kind of new age and increase its presence, Kubota formulated the Vision for the Second Century of Kubota as it passed the 100-year mark. The company gathered together expertise and opinions and considered how best to contribute to the new national and lifestyle developments that the 21st century would bring. As a phrase that encapsulated the direction Kubota would aim for in its vision for its second century, “Let’s make our habitat more beautiful” was chosen as the corporate slogan in 1992.
Established the International Environment Planning Center as a Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo; and initiated the research and development of incineration plants with high-efficiency waste-generated power facility
at Tokyo University
As environmental problems began to be perceived on a global scale, other issues arose such as the differences in opinion between the developed and developing countries. For this reason, the University of Tokyo planned academic research on the best form for international environment planning, to develop human personnel who could be active in the field internationally. Kubota agreed with this idea, and offered to sponsor a facility at the university, which, after receiving approval from the Ministry of Education, it did. The new facility, the International Environment Planning Center, formed the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering, and was set up with a donation from Kubota and ran for three years from October 1992 to September 1995. It was highly evaluated for forming part of Kubota’s activities to contribute to society, alongside its many proven results in desert greening and in its environmental facilities business.
1993
Obtained exhaust emission regulation approval from the state of California, United States, the first diesel engine in the world to do so
In the same way as regulations were introduced from the 1970s for passenger vehicle engines, exhaust emission regulations were also considered for industrial-use diesel engines. In January 1995, the CARB ULG exhaust emission regulations were decided in California, United States, for general-use engines below 25 horsepower. The company had already been working to develop a clean diesel engine from both the design and manufacturing sides, and was able to be the first in the world to clear these regulations through the development of the company’s original E-TVCS combustion chamber, and with improvements to parts in the fuel injection system. Ever since, Kubota has continued to achieve early approval for the ever-stricter new regulations that are introduced.
1993
1993
Announced the “Vision for the second century,”
the management policy for the 21st century
After starting in 1890, the company has contributed to the formation of a modern nation state, the reconstruction after World War II, and the advancement of livelihoods and society in the period of rapid economic growth. As global society was about to change dramatically after the end of the bubble economy, Kubota entered its second century after foundation and announced its “vision for the second century,” with the aim of becoming an even more prominent company in the new era. The vision expressed the major policies for key business fields and management. It was embodied through the businesses, etc., that each division developed.
1995
Started an Environmental Audit System
In 1973, the company launched its Central Pollution Patrol system and began environmental auditing. In 1994, the company aimed to improve its auditing and shifted to the ISO 14001 standardized auditing system. In 1995, it started the Environmental Audit System for environmental protection in accordance with standards stricter than existing laws and regulations and toward continuous environmental improvement.
Suffered damage at plants and offices in the Hanshin region during the Great Hanshin Earthquake
A great deal of damage was suffered by the company’s employees, their families and their houses in the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which struck before dawn on January 17th. There was also a lot of damage to buildings and equipment at many plants and offices. The company worked with the Kubota Labor Union to confirm the extent of the damage and implement relief activities. The company’s training facilities and recreational facilities and the gymnasium of the headquarters building were opened up to reconstruction workers, etc., and 10 mini back-hoes and 10 load carriers were donated to the Hyogo Prefecture disaster management HQ. The relief supplies, which arrived from plants and offices around the country, were distributed not only to the affected employees, but also to various emergency evacuation centers. The special characteristics of the compact construction machinery were put to use in the cramped working spaces and the machines made a great contribution to the recovery work.
1998
Started the production of cast steel products for
the petrochemical market in China
colorful flags
In order to respond to the various requirements for low cost, high quality, and quick-delivery products, the company took one step further from its previous procurement of products overseas and established Jiangsu Biaoxin Kubota Industrial Co., Ltd., the first joint venture for the company in China As the internationalization of the market continued, the company aimed to expand exports to Japan and South East Asia in addition to the shipments within China, and started the production and sales of reaction tubes for the petrochemical industry and tubes and rolls for heat treat furnaces for steel casting.
Extended the combine harvester business to China
A joint venture, Kubota Agricultural Machinery (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was established in Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu Province, China, and started the production, sales and servicing of head-feed combine harvesters. In addition to production, which was of 1,200 units per year in the first stage, work also proceeded to expand the procurement of parts from within China and to develop a new model suitable for the Chinese market. The company is also proceeding with the supply of Chinese-made parts to Japan, for cost reductions. In addition, a flood said to be the worst since 1954 caused extensive damage in China in this year, so Kubota donated flood disaster relief funds through Suzhou City.
1999
Won a prize for its underwater dioxin decomposition unit
The underwater dioxin decomposition unit developed by the company won a 1998 Nikkei Outstanding Product/Service Prize. The equipment decomposes and detoxifies harmful substances such as dioxins and fertilizers which are found in leachate from waste disposal plants, etc. The first machine had been put into operation in Japan in 1998, and the dioxin level in the water had fallen to below the detectable level. The prize is awarded to products and services chosen from those discussed in the Nikkei Newspaper, etc., with the final prizes being decided by recommendations from the reporters responsible and also by a final judgment by prominent figures. In this year, 56 winners were chosen from approximately 15,000 candidates.
2000s
2001
Achieved ISO 14001 accreditation for all plants and offices in Japan
The Tsukuba plant in Ibaraki Prefecture was the first Kubota base to achieve accreditation for ISO 14001 (an international standard for environmental management systems), in November 1997, and was followed by other bases around the country. When the Kashima plant in Ibaraki Prefecture and the Ohama plant in Osaka Prefecture received accreditation in March 2001, this marked the completion for all the plants and offices in Japan. Efforts continue at overseas manufacturing bases, etc., to achieve the accreditation, in addition to various environmental protection activities being developed by the whole Kubota Group, including reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and the recycling of industrial waste.
2001
Expanded the overseas business for submerged membranes actively
Kubota has actively expanded overseas sales of submerged membranes, which process sewage and wastewater, for example with the establishment of Kubota Membrane Europe Ltd. (KME) in London in 2001. The market early on was mainly in Europe and the United States, but it has spread to the Middle East and Asia as economies develop, and demand is growing dramatically. However, as the market grows, the number of rival manufacturers also increases. Kubota is beating the competition because of favorable evaluations of the company’s plentiful results and superior engineering strength, which come from more than twenty years of experience in the business, and the company’s business is being rapidly extended in many countries around the world.
2002
2002
Exceeded 20 million units in total production for our industrial engine
Since Kubota started manufacturing engines in 1922, the company’s industrial engines had been developed to be used in the company’s own products, such as in its agricultural or construction machinery. In 1976, Kubota started outside sales. In 1987, 65 years after engine manufacturing began at the company, it achieved a cumulative production total of ten million units. By the 80th anniversary of the start of manufacturing in 2002, the cumulative total had reached twenty million units and Kubota also gained praise as a leading company in diesel engines with 100 or less horsepower for industrial use.
2003
Established Kubota Works, the company’s first special subsidiary
Mail Department
(Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture)
The company is aware that the employment of persons with disabilities is a social responsibility, and has developed many measures, in addition to ensuring that the Japanese legal minimum employment rates are met. However, as suitable workplaces were limited, Kubota was faced with the problem of not being able to employ some people, no matter how much they wanted to work. This is why the company established a special subsidiary, Kubota Works. A special subsidiary is a subsidiary which is recognized as giving special consideration to the employment of persons with disabilities. The company promotes participation in society and social independence through work such as cleaning, printing and mail sorting.
Integrated the housing materials business with Matsushita Electric Works
Japan’s mature economy and aging population have meant that the number of new houses being built is continually falling. To deal with this situation, Kubota integrated its roofing and siding business with Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (currently: Panasonic Corporation) and established a new company, called Kubota Matsushitadenko Exterior Works Ltd. (currently: KMEW Co., Ltd.) This enabled the company to achieve the top share in roofing materials in Japan, and the second largest share for siding. In addition to improving management efficiency, for example through joint purchasing and joint deliveries, the company will exploit the strengths of each of the partners’ human resources, technological skills and equipment, etc., as it continues to take measures to create a strong company that can survive the difficult business environment.
2003
Extended the construction machinery business in China
The demand for large pneumatic shovels in China rose sharply due to the preparations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Shanghai Expo in 2010, and the demand for mini back-hoe excavators also rose with it. The company set an objective of developing business in China to be the next pillar for the company, along with Europe and America, and established Kubota Construction Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. as a sales base for mini excavators. In addition to preparing a dealer network to meet the requirements of the customers, the Shanghai company is working to develop uses for the products which exploit the strengths of compact construction machinery, for example water and gas pipe construction work and landscape gardening, and is working hard to establish the Kubota brand in China.d
2004
Great success with the multi-purpose 4-wheel drive UV (utility vehicle), a new product in North America
in the North American market
The RTV900 UV went on sale in the United States and Canada with an original sales plan of 5,000 vehicles for the first year. However, it proved immensely popular and greatly exceeded its target, actually selling nearly 15,000 vehicles in the year. It developed into a major item for sales in the North American market and was later also introduced in Europe and Australia. Although Kubota had been late entering this market, it was successful with the UV because it was able to utilize technologies from tractors, its main field of expertise, to create a strong and easily controllable product. The use of the compact diesel engine, which is highly evaluated overseas, and the full use of the tractor sales network were also factors contributing to its success.
2005
Integrated composite pipe business with C.I. Kasei
Kubota’s composite pipe division and C.I. Kasei Co., Ltd. (currently: C.I. TAKIRON Corporation)’s synthetic resin department were integrated to create Kubota C.I. Co., Ltd. (currently: Kubota ChemiX Co., Ltd.) The move gave the company a yearly production of 220,000 tons and a 31% share of the market, making it the largest such company in Japan.
Furthermore, it became possible to improve the efficiency of production and logistics as bases were now located evenly throughout the country, and also rationalization was achieved through centralized purchasing, overall making it a very effective move.
Contributed to waste disposal at Teshima, Kagawa Prefecture
Trade and Industry Prize
In 1997, Kagawa Prefecture advertised for processing technologies from waste disposal plant makers throughout Japan to respond to the incident of unlawful dumping of industrial waste at Teshima, which had become a social problem in Japan. Over 70 companies responded, but Kubota’s rotary melting furnace was selected, and the processing business began from September 2003. The company’s processing system was able to safely and steadily process and recover raw materials from roughly 600,000 tons of illegally dumped waste, and was highly evaluated as a pointer for the next generation of large-scale waste processing systems. In June 2005, it was awarded the top Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize in the 31st Excellent Environmental Equipment Awards.
2005
2005
Started manufacturing training under the “5-gen” principle
The “5-gen principle,” from the five Japanese words “genba” (location), “genbutsu” (actual object), “genjitsu” (reality), “genri” (principle) and “gensoku” (rule), is a principle that says improvements should be made by going to the “location” of the trouble, looking at the “actual object” to see the “reality” (the current capability) and then comparing it with the yardsticks of “principles” and “rules” about what should really be the case, and making improvements to close any gap found. The company introduced 5-gen improvement activities based on this principle, in order to eliminate waste and improve the manufacturing workplace. The activities originally started from assembly-related plants, for example in agricultural machinery manufacturing, but later spread to process-related plants such as casting manufacturing, and to plants overseas. The improvement activities have now become company-wide, and are making a great contribution to management efficiency improvements.
2005
Total tractor production reached 3 million units
Ever since the firstrider-driven, dry-field tractor, the T15, went on sale in 1960, Kubota has continued to advance the tractor in response to farmers’ requests, for example by introducing original technologies such as the “monroematic” system (an automatic leveling system for the implement), double speed turning (a rotation method using 4-wheel drive), driver cabs with air conditioning, and “power crawler” tracks for increased stability and reduced soil compaction. As a result, they are favored by customers not just in Japan, but throughout the world, and at the end of December 2005, Kubota achieved a total of 3 million tractors produced, at 45 years since their initial introduction.
2006
Completed a new factory for implements in the United States
Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation (KIE) was established in Jackson County, Georgia. This formed the second manufacturing base in the United States, after Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA). In addition to producing 70,000 tractor “implements” per year, such as loaders to scrape and carry earth and back-hoes to dig holes and trenches, KIE also performs the final assembly for tractors sent from Japan. KMA transferred all its implement production to KIE and concentrated on compact tractors, lawn mowers and UV.
2006
2006
Formulated Corporate Mission Statement, Management Principles, Charter for Action, and Code of Conduct of the Kubota Group.
Created new corporate slogans: “Building foundations” (main slogan), “For Water, Soil, Air, and People's lives” (sub slogan), and, “Let's make our habitat more beautiful” (sub slogan).
In April 2006, the Kubota Group established a new corporate philosophy, and as a system to codify how it should behave, the Corporate Mission Statement, Management Principles, Charter for Action and Code of Conduct. The new Management Principles drew on and protected Kubota’s heritage, passed down since the time of the company’s founding, and clarified the Kubota Group’s social mission. This mission was to contribute to the development of society and the preservation of the global environment by means of products and services that supported the basis of people’s lifestyles and enhancement of quality of life. At the same time, the company formulated the new main corporate slogan, “Building foundations,” and the sub-slogans “For water, soil, air, and people’s lives” and “Let’s make our habitat more beautiful.”
2008
Started the Kubota e-Project social contribution activities
Japan’s agriculture is facing many serious problems, such as a reduced and aging workforce and depopulation of agricultural areas. Kubota has long developed its business in agricultu re, and wanted to do something to help. This is why the Kubota e-Project was started. It aims to revitalize agriculture and farmers, for example by recovering abandoned farmland, supporting farming experiences for children and promoting local brands and goods sold directly from farms. Since its beginnings, the scope of activities tackled by the project has been repeatedly expanded, for example to global environmental protection and support for disabled persons.
2009
Completed the first tractor production plant for a Japanese company in Thailand
The main plant of Siam Kubota Tractor Co., Ltd. was completed in Chonburi Province, Thailand, as a joint venture between Kubota and the Siam Cement Group, a company of the Thai royal family. It started the mass-production of new model 30-horsepower and 36-horsepower tractors for the Thai domestic market. In addition to meeting the rapidly growing demand for tractors in Thailand, it also hopes to export to the surrounding countries in the future.
Completed a ductile iron pipe plant in India
Tata Metaliks Kubota Pipes Limited (TMKPL) was established in 2007 as a joint venture between Kubota, Tata Metaliks Limited from India and the Metal One Corporation from Japan. The company’s Kharagpur plant was completed in March. It began the production of ductile iron pipes for the Indian market, where rapid economic growth has made the construction of water and sewer services an urgent issue. In addition, Kubota received OEM supplies of products from TMKPL, which were used to meet the vigorous demand for water infrastructure construction in various countries in the Middle East and South East Asia (in 2013 the joint venture was dissolved and Kubota withdrew).
2010s
2010
Established a specific subsidiary company to operate a hydroponics business
With the goal of activating agriculture in Japan by supporting self-reliance of disabled people, getting along with local communities, and using abandoned farmland, we established the hydroponics company Kubota Sun-Vege Farm. The company was started with 12 employees as the second specific subsidiary company of Kubota. It supplies produce to the Kubota Group’s employee cafeterias and sells to employees, in addition to shipping lettuce, potherb mustard, Japanese mustard spinach, and other products to local supermarkets and retail stores.
Kanan Farm, which the company operates, uses abandoned crop fields, while adopting photovoltaic power systems, cooling systems using evaporated water, and other means to reduce environmental loads.
Certified as an Eco First Corporation by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment
Eco First System certification awarded by the Japanese Minister of the Environment recognizes corporate entities for their innovative spirit as industry leaders in taking environmental conservation measures. Kubota was certified as an Eco First Company this year for investing in activities to prevent global warming, create a sustainable society, appropriately manage chemicals, and preserve biodiversity as a corporate group that contributes to society in the fields of food, water, and the environment.
2010
Launched combine harvester production in Thailand
Ltd.’s production line
To further promote the expansion of production bases centering on Asia, we launched production of conventional-type combine harvesters at Siam Kubota Tractor Co., Ltd. (SKT) (currently: Siam Kubota Corporation Co., Ltd.).
In addition to addressing the needs of the domestic market in Thailand, where mechanization of agriculture is rapidly advancing due to increases in farmers’ incomes and shortages of labor, we are expanding the supply system to increase sales to neighboring countries such as India and Vietnam.
Established a pump manufacture and sales company in China
Kubota Sanlian Pump (Anhui) Co., Ltd. (currently: Kubota Pump (Anhui) Co., Ltd.) was established in China, where water shortages and water pollution have become serious problems in parallel with rapid population growth concentrated on cities. The company manufactures and distributes pumps in a joint venture with a local manufacturer using our technologies accumulated constructing social infrastructure in Japan.
Kubota also expands business in Southeast Asia where infrastructure networks are expanding from large cities to provincial cities. It provides submersible pump manufacturing technology to the new company, which manufactures and distributes pumps for use in sewerage and rainwater drainage systems in China.
2010
2010
Established a global corporate principle, Kubota global identity, brand statement, and logo
In parallel with the globalization of our business, we established the Kubota Global Identity for Kubota Group employees around the world. The aim is to share a basic philosophy and concepts, and to promote business activities under common values that transcend national boundaries, generations, and class divisions.
It comprises “spirits” (our spirits and attitudes), “brand statement” (our promise), and “mission” (our mission). The logo type was redesigned to actively communicate our brand statement: “For Earth, For Life.” As our mission, we announced a commitment to contribute to solving problems in the fields of food, water, and the environment, which is required for the survival of humankind.
2011
Met CARB Tier 4 Interim Emission regulations in the U.S., the first in the world to do so
With rising awareness of the need to conserve the global environment, we worked to meet Tier 4 off-road diesel vehicle emissions regulations of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) with an output range of 56 to 130 kW. We obtained certification for meeting regulations for the first time in the areas of industrial diesel engines with capacities of up to 4 liters.
We adopted the common rail system to control fuel injection with a computer and the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to suppress emissions of NOx by reintroducing part of the exhaust gas in response to strict regulations for reducing PM (particulate matter, such as soot) contained in exhaust gases to 1/10 or less of the current level. While also achieving a compact design, we improved output and reduced noise.
Completed a plant for cast-steel products in Saudi Arabia
Kubota Saudi Arabia Company, LLC was established to manufacture and distribute heat-resistant, cast-steel reaction tubes for ethane/naphtha decomposition in petrochemical plants.
In the Middle East, demand for reaction tubes is expected to grow due to large reserves of crude oil, and there is strong demand for competitive costs, faster delivery, and improved services. In addition, Saudi Arabia has a leading ethylene company with a global business, and is geographically close to Europe and North Africa.
Therefore, we established a local production system to be a foothold for global expansion, in addition to meeting demand in Saudi Arabia.
Completed a production plant for small construction machinery in China
In China, where rapid economic growth continues and rising demand for construction machinery is forecast, we established a company to distribute small construction machinery in 2003, and began partial assembly of locally procured parts in 2009. To reinforce cost competitiveness, avoid risks of foreign exchange fluctuations, and further reinforce supply capacity to meet increasing demand, we established Kubota Construction Machinery (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. as a local production base.
This creates a three-pole system with small construction machinery production bases in Japan, Germany, and China, and addresses dramatic advances in our global system by responding instantly to demand fluctuations.
Established a company specialized in the import, milling, and sales of Japanese rice in Hong Kong
Industry (H.K.) Co., Ltd.
To support expansion of overseas demand, which is a big issue for agriculture in Japan, we established Kubota Rice Industry (H.K.) Co., Ltd. to import, mill, and distribute Japanese rice in Hong Kong.
The company stores unpolished rice in a refrigerated warehouse, and cleans it at its own rice-cleaning facilities for shipment freshness. By supplying high-quality Japanese rice in the best possible condition, we are contributing to the expansion of overseas demand.
Established two water treatment companies and a regional management company in China
engineering companies
In response to population increases and economic development in China, and following the establishment of a pump manufacturing and distribution company in 2010, we set up joint-venture and wholly-owned water treatment engineering companies. The joint-venture, Kubota Guozhen Environmental Engineering (ANHUI) Co., Ltd., produces membrane systems, a core product that uses our advanced water treatment technology, and engages in the water treatment business by applying our engineering expertise. Kubota Environmental Engineering (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. recycles industrial effluent and engages in environmental activities in agricultural areas.
In addition, Kubota China Holdings Co., Ltd., our first regional headquarters, manages six existing companies in China and carries out comprehensive marketing activities. It was established to achieve strategic business expansion in the rapidly growing Chinese market.
2011
2011
Launched Eco Products Certification System
As a company that positions conserving the global environment as a goal with the highest priority, we launched the Eco-Products Certification System to certify our own products that satisfy internal requirements covering three criteria: saving energy (CO2 reduction), saving resources and recycling, and reducing substances that impose an environmental load.
A score is calculated using the three criteria for each product distributed by the Kubota Group in Japan. Products with scores higher than a certain level are certified into two tiers depending on their environmentally friendly performance. An original logo and information on our environmental activities are indicated on certified products to promote the expansion of eco products.
2012
Established Kubota Kasui to reinforce our water treatment business
Ever since it was established, Kubota has been involved in businesses related to water, and has had the mission of offering solutions to problems related to water. To further accelerate these activities, we acquired Fujikasui Engineering Co., Ltd., a water treatment engineering company, made it the wholly-owned subsidiary Kubota Kasui Corporation, and launched operations.
In Japan, the technology and expertise of the company in the private industrial effluent field is combined with expertise we have accumulated in public water and sewerage services. In Asian countries, the advanced water treatment products and technology of Kubota and the engineering bases of this company have been consolidated. As a result, we have further expanded activities in the Japanese domestic and international water and environment business.
2012
Acquired a tractor implement manufacturing subsidiary in Norway
Production for the global dry field farming market will inevitably increase in the future, and it is said to be four times as large as the rice cultivation market. To actively enter this new market with its great potential in the future, we acquired Kverneland AS, a Norwegian manufacturer of implements for tractors, and made it a subsidiary.
By combining the distribution network of this company, which has a substantial product lineup, excellent technologies, and high brand recognition in Europe, with our expertise accumulated in Japan, we are improving the lineup of large machinery and dry field machinery, and developing new markets.
Set up an engine production base in China to meet increasing demand in Asia
in China
The market for agricultural machinery, construction machinery, and industrial machinery is forecast to expand in Asia, including China, and demand for engines is expected to increase dramatically. As a result, we established Kubota Engine (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. to produce vertical diesel engines in China. Besides reinforcing supply capacity for growing markets, we intend to bolster our cost competitiveness and improve our overseas production ratio, while reducing foreign exchange fluctuation risks and further expanding and developing our engine business.
2013
Established a company to procure and supply parts in Thailand
in Thailand
We established Kubota Procurement & Trading (Thailand) Co., Ltd. in Thailand where we produce tractors, combine harvesters, and engines. It was a response to increased global business competition, which made it necessary to set up a system to stably procure high-quality and reasonably priced parts from various parts of the world.
This company is responsible for forming a global procurement system to supply parts from suppliers in Thailand to production bases not only in Thailand but also in Japan and other parts of the world. It leads to improved competitiveness in markets of various countries using economies of scale in price negotiations and quality improvements to unify parts procurement, which had been carried out by individual bases.
Established a new production facility for compact tractors in the US
in North America
To reinforce the business system in North America, which is the largest market for our tractor business and where competition with companies from emerging countries such as South Korea, China, and India is expected to intensify in the future, we set up a new base to produce 40-horsepower class tractors.
Since we established our first overseas tractor distribution company in the United States in 1972, we have cultivated the North American market by setting up two plants to produce sub-compact tractors and implements for tractors. At this plant for compact tractors, we reinforce our cost competitiveness and address further business expansion with globally optimized procurement including parts from Thailand.
Established a company specialized in the import, milling, and sales of Japanese rice in Singapore
In Japan, the environment surrounding agriculture is becoming tougher as rice consumption decreases due to diversification of diets and a decreasing population. To activate agriculture in Japan by supporting rice exports, Kubota established Kubota Rice Industry (Singapore) PTE. Ltd., a company that imports, cleans, and distributes rice in Singapore as the next base for exports of Japanese rice following one in Hong Kong.
Importing unpolished rice from Japan and locally cleaning in the newly constructed milling plant in Singapore, the company supplies delicious rice to consumers in Singapore. We support the expansion of exports by increasing the number of fans of Japanese rice.
Established new companies for distributing agricultural machinery in Cambodia and Laos
Siam Kubota Corporation Co., Ltd. (SKC), a joint-venture subsidiary of Kubota, and a Thai corporation established Kubota (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. in Cambodia and Kubota Laos Sole Co., Ltd. in Laos with 100% investments in each. Both Cambodia and Laos are agricultural countries, whose major products are rice and sugarcane, where mechanization of agriculture is rapidly advancing due to labor shortages in rural agricultural areas. Leveraging our experience distributing tractors, combine harvesters, and small diesel engines to dealers in both countries, we expand dealer networks by establishing new companies and reinforcing after-sales services, in order to promote business expansion.
2014
Developed an agriculture support system using ICT and agricultural machinery applying the system
In the future, farmers in Japan will need to produce safe and delicious crops very efficiently by promoting economies of scale, improved cost competitiveness, and high value-added crops. To facilitate these changes as soon as possible, Kubota developed Kubota Smart Agri System (KSAS), a farming/service support system using information and communication technology (ICT). At the same time, we released a tractor capable of communicating work records and machine operation data for individual areas of farmed land, a combine harvester with functions to measure the taste and yield of unhulled rice, and a rice transplanter capable of electrically adjusting the amount of fertilizer scattered as agricultural machinery applying KSAS.
Using information collected in KSAS through these machines in farming plans, we contribute to improving the quality of rice and yields.
2014
Established production center for upland farming tractors in France
As a step toward full entry into the dry field grain market, we established Kubota Farm Machinery Europe S.A.S. in the Dunkerque region of France.
France is at the center of demand in Europe, and the Dunkirk region is an ideal location for exporting to North America because it is close to a port. Using this location as a base for expanding our upland farming machinery business in Europe and America, we aim to become a globally active general agricultural machinery manufacturer in both the rice farming market and the dry field grain market.
2015
Launched high traction multi-purpose tractors on the Indian market
India is the world’s largest market for tractors, with an annual demand of around 600,000 units. In India, tractors aren’t only used for agricultural work, but are used year-round in a range of activities like pulling trailers to transport crops or engineering materials.
In order to expand its presence in the Indian market in earnest, Kubota developed a multi-purpose tractor that was tailored to specifically Indian needs. Heavier than conventional models, the tractor possessed greater pulling power, while being extremely robust. Not only could the tractor be used in direct agricultural work, it was also suitable for a wide variety of applications, such as transporting crops and engineering materials.
Reached a cumulative production total of 1 million for compact tractors and other four-wheeled products at our US production bases
Kubota’s American manufacturing company, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA), reached a cumulative production total of 1 million units for four-wheeled products, which it had started manufacturing 21 years previously. In October of this year, KMA held a ceremony to mark the occasion, to which it invited a number of people with connections to the company and honored guests, including the governor of Georgia, the former Japanese consul general to Atlanta, and the mayor of Gainesville.
KMA wanted to improve the competitiveness of its factory and provide the manufacturing support to expand the business. To these ends, not only did it work to strengthen its production capabilities, its manufacturing and R&D departments came together to drive down costs.
2016
Acquired Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc. and made it into a subsidiary
As part of its M&A activities, Kubota acquired Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., a company with which it had a cooperative sales agreement in the field of agricultural implements.
By adding Great Plains to the group, Kubota was able to develop its existing cooperation, and leverage various synergies to strengthen its hold on the tractor industry in North America. In 2012, Kubota had also acquired Kverneland, a comprehensive implement maker with excellent brand power in Europe. Between Kvernelend’s mowing implements, and Great Plains’ sowing and tilling implements, which were ideally adapted to North American farming methods, Kubota was able to expand and strengthen its product lineup in the North American market.
Established new R&D center dedicated to agricultural machinery in Thailand
In order to further expand its agricultural machinery business in the ASEAN region, Kubota established a research and development center in Thailand.
By that point, Kubota had already established an integrated system in Thailand that brought together manufacturing of engines and the manufacturing, sales and related services of agricultural machinery. This system had played a part in the mechanization of agriculture in Thailand and neighboring countries. By strengthening its R&D capabilities close to developing nations in Asia, Kubota planned to continue research into agricultural machinery that were optimized to the local crops, land conditions, and work systems; reinforce its product lineup; and quickly introduce new products to the local markets.
Established new R&D center dedicated to the fields of water and the environment in the US
As part of its strategy to globalize its research and development network, Kubota’s water and environment business constructed its first overseas R&D center in the American city of Canton, Ohio.
Since 1980, Kubota had been working on technological development related to membrane bioreactors (MBR), and by supplying submerged membranes to regions around the world had contributed to solving water and environmental problems. Kubota established an R&D center in North America to strengthen its research and development into the design and operation management of membrane systems adapted to the North American climate and water characteristics. Furthermore, to expand its MBR business on the continent, Kubota carried out local marketing activities, and collaborated with universities, research facilities and other organizations to develop new techniques and technologies for water treatment.
2017
Established a holding company in Europe
After setting up Kubota Europe S.A.S. in France in 1974, Kubota established manufacturing and sales companies for its agricultural and construction machinery and engines in each country and in doing so developed its business in Europe.
In order to shift administration of its operations from being country-specific to being industry-specific, and to optimize its management of each of these industries throughout Europe, Kubota established Kubota Holdings Europe B.V. in the Dutch city of Nieuw-Vennep, a holding company that would oversee its machinery businesses. By establishing this holding company, Kubota was being consistent with its policies of putting the customer, and the dealer, first. The company was also part of Kubota’s work to grow its businesses in Europe and become a major global brand.
2018
Participated in waste disposal efforts at Futaba-machi Volume Reduction Facility
The specific joint venture that the wholly owned subsidiary Kubota Environmental Service Co., Ltd. (currently: KUBOTA Environmental Engineering Corporation) is a participant in, was awarded an order from the Ministry of the Environment’s Fukushima Regional Environmental Office for work to dispose of waste at Futaba-machi Volume Reduction Facility. The Kubota Group will be responsible for constructing and operating melting facilities to reduce the volume of burned ash and particulate matter produced by temporary incinerators that dispose of burnable waste resulting from the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
2019
2019
Established Innovation Centers in Japan and Europe
Kubota established Innovation Centers as organs for the creation of new business ventures, products, and services in Kubota’s fields of business. The centers will be at the core of promoting partnerships (open innovations) with venture businesses, companies in other industries, universities, research institutes, and other external partners. The aim is for these centers to help proactive work on state-of-the-art technologies like ICT and AI to create new value that exceeds customers’ expectations. In order to respond attentively to regional needs, Innovation Centers were established in both Japan and Europe. The company will also consider establishing centers in other regions in the future.
2020
2020