Urbanization is rapidly progressing worldwide. As of 2018, urban populations had grown from 750 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion, accounting for 55% of the global population. Urban populations are expected to increase by a further 2.5 billion by 2050, with the majority of this number headed for cities in Asia and Africa.^* In countries that are seeing rapid population increases, citizens are moving out of rural areas into urban areas. Delays in infrastructure development in these urban areas can lead to concerns regarding poverty and health-related issues. This means that, in Asia, Africa, and other regions where urbanization is progressing, further social and environmental infrastructure development is a pressing issue.

Kubota has provided a wide range of compact construction machinery for global infrastructure development since the 1970s, expanding its reach from Europe to North America and then into Asia. In particular, Kubota’s mini excavators have earned high acclaim for their outstanding response to frontline demands in various regions since going on sale, with their lightweight, compact body, power, and operator-friendly functionality and useability contributing to their excellent reputation.

In China, however, where the entire nation is undergoing rapid urbanization and development, use environments for these mini excavators differ greatly to those in Europe and North America, and there were reports of faults and issues unique to China. Kubota engineers thus set out to conduct on-site investigations and discovered that some of the machinery’s components were suffering from so-called metal fatigue. The number of hours these machines were in operation in China was more than twice that of Europe, and the cause of these faults was found to be, among others, continuous, 24-hour use of the machinery.

In 2012, Kubota established a production hub in China, Kubota Construction Machinery (Wuxi) Co., Ltd., and launched a project to develop products suited to the Chinese market. The most important requirement was durability, while low-fuel consumption and low costs were also key. In addition to reexamining the spec and design of each component, Kubota went in search of thorough durability, repeatedly trialing different component combinations. Ultimately, Kubota succeeded in developing a robust, cost-effective mini excavator that could operate in the harshest of environments. The resulting product was a representative example of Kubota’s initiatives in China.

In China, where ever-growing cities are driving the development of social and environmental infrastructure, and in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, which continue to see economic and population growth, Kubota will develop and supply compact construction machinery optimally suited to the frontline needs of each region, and contribute to the development of infrastructure that can help create and regenerate comfortable living environments