The Future of [ Water ] A Safe and Reliable Water Environment that Lasts Forever. Kubota’s Smart Water Solutions.

Aging facilities. Decreasing workforce. Recurring natural disasters. Kubota’s technologies tackle these issues for a better future.

Smart Water Solutions VISION Making the Precious Resource of Water Accessible to All.

Approximately two-thirds of our Earth is water, and it is said that there are approximately 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water. However, only 0.01 percent of this water is usable for daily living*; therefore, a sustainable environment for water resources has long been awaited. Kubota’s Smart Water Solutions, for example, take a comprehensive rather than an individual approach to the water environment, such as building disaster-resistant pipelines, developing advanced water treatment technologies, designing efficient pipelines, and establishing facility management systems. By circulating the limited water resources, we will make the water environment more resilient in both hard and soft aspects. * “World Water Resources at the Beginning of the 21st Century”, UNESCO (2003)

Kubota’s Total Water Solutions Realize a Sustainable Water Environment.

Smart Water Solutions TECHNOLOGY #01 Building Water Pipes to Protect Lives. This Is How Kubota’s Water History Started.

Japan’s cholera outbreak in the late 1800s increased the urgency for water infrastructure services. In order to save people suffering from the epidemic, Kubota started the development of iron pipes for waterworks. In 1904, we were the first to succeed in its mass production in Japan laying the foundations for modern waterworks.Kubota has also expanded beyond water pipes, developing the required technologies and products for water circulation, including valves, pumps, and treatment technologies for water supply, gray water and sewage. We contributed greatly to Japan’s water environment infrastructure which is regarded to be among the world’s top level. Our technological capabilities are also highly recognized overseas, and we have continued supporting water environment infrastructures in over 70 countries.

Kubota Has Transformed from a Japanese Water Pipe Manufacturer to a World-Leading Comprehensive Water-Related Manufacturer.

Smart Water Solutions TECNOLOGY #02 A Resilient Water Environment Infrastructure. Developing Earthquake-Resistant Water Pipes that Last for 100 Years.

Much of Japan’s water environment infrastructure which quickly developed during the high economic growth period after 1955 is now facing the problem of aging water pipes. Building a resilient water environment infrastructure is a pressing issue for earthquake-prone Japan and supporting a sustainable society. For example, to adapt to ground movements, Kubota has developed an original self-anchoring flexible mechanism that provides a certain amount of clearance in the pipe joint portions to connect them like a chain. Furthermore, to achieve the most difficult task of extending the service life of the water pipes, which have a legal lifespan of 40 years, we have collected more than 3,000 soil samples throughout Japan. Based on analyzed data on the corrosion rate of iron pipes, we have developed a new earthquake-resistant pipe with an expected lifespan of 100 years. This earthquake-resistant pipe which showed no signs of damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, has attracted attention worldwide and has been adopted in earthquake-prone areas such as the U.S. West Coast.

Kubota’s Technologies Help Sustain People’s Lives at All Times, Even from Beneath the Ground.

Smart Water Solutions TECNOLOGY #03 Monitoring Water Flows with IoT. A System that Supports Maintenance Management.

There are also otherchallenges to building a sustainable waterenvironment infrastructure. They include financialdifficulties of local governmentsdue to declining populations, personnel shortages includingengineers, and frequent natural disasterssuch as torrential rains.As a result, a system that efficientlymanages the sustainability ofthe water environment infrastructure to delivera stable supply of safe and reliablewater is required.Supporting these challenges is Kubota’s KSIS(KUBOTA Smart Infrastructure System). This system utilizes IoTto collect various data and remotelymonitor the flows ofwater supplies, sewage, agriculturalwaters and rivers, as well asthe operation of waterplants and equipment.Based on the big dataacquired, the systemcontrols equipmentoperation, detectsabnormalities, and evenpredicts the lifespanof the equipment. This systemgreatly supports labor savings andimproves efficiency from the perspectiveof water environment infrastructuresustainability management.

Kubota Contributes to Building a Sustainable Water Environment Infrastructure by Using Data to Manage Water.

Smart Water Solutions TECNOLOGY #04 Digitally Transforming the Water Environment Infrastructure.

In addition to acquiring, managing and analyzing the data through the system, how can the acquired information from the system be utilized and reflected in operating and managing the facilities and water infrastructures? The water environment infrastructure must be planned and designed with a holistic view of the entire flow of water. Kubota’s Smart Water Solutions integrate basic data such as the year of manufacture and year of installation of pipelines and facilities, operational data obtained from KSIS, and future forecasts for water plants. It utilizes the data for various management purposes, such as maintenance planning and resource deployment to prevent troubles from occurring beforehand. The sustainability of the water environment infrastructure – threatened by decreasing local revenues due to declining populations, personnel shortages, and increasing climate change and natural disasters – can be managed and operated in a sound and stable way by leveraging data and technology. Japan’s water environment infrastructure has maintained one of the highest standards compared to the rest of the world. The challenges this country faces will one day hit other countries and areas. That is why Kubota is taking the initiative to tackle them, becoming a cornerstone for building a sustainable water environment infrastructure worldwide.