With high-rise buildings successively being constructed in its historic towns, France in the 1960s underwent rapid urban development. It was around this time that the Malraux law—one which kickstarted landscape conservation efforts—was established, and initiatives to protect the country’s historic buildings and stunning landscapes began.

France and other European countries are home to many stunning streetscapes with delicate stone pavements and unspoiled medieval buildings. In general, however, these structures are vulnerable to vibrations, and so use of large construction machinery in landscape conservation work is no easy task. Landscape conservation and urban infrastructure development work in Europe thus required safe, operator and environmentally friendly compact construction machinery that would cause no damage to the streetscapes and buildings.

Kubota’s high-level response to these requirements was the development of the MBKH10. It was first shipped to the UK in 1978, before instantly becoming a hit throughout the rest of Europe. In 1974, Kubota set up its first tractor, construction machinery, and engine sales company in Europe—Kubota Europe S.A.S. (KE)—before establishing Kubota Baumaschinen GmbH (KBM) as a production and sales hub in Germany in 1988. It was these sales companies that supported the strong sales of Kubota’s construction machinery across the continent. In this way, Kubota sought to expand its areas of business in the active European construction machinery market.

In Europe, environmental pollution from exhaust emissions had been a pressing issue, and so alongside landscape conservation and urban infrastructure development, environmental conservation efforts were paramount. The European Union, including the environmentally advanced France, had for a long time imposed strict emissions regulations. Moving further forward with its response to global requirements for environmental conservation, in 1993 Kubota became the first engine manufacturer in the world to comply with emissions regulations. Kubota’s compact construction machinery has since been equipped with clean engines that meet the strict emissions regulations of each country. In addition to the machines’ outstanding operability, they have also been picked out for excellent noise control and eco-friendliness, both of which are becoming increasingly important on a global scale. In 2002, Kubota became the world’s leading seller of six-ton mini excavators. Kubota will continue to be frontrunner in the compact construction machinery industry by responding to increasingly stringent environmental regulations and high-level environmental performance requirements through electrification and automation.