Our equipment addresses roughly 30 to 32% of the market
Moses Eddy, Director, KOBELCO Construction 桃子视频
What solutions has Kobelco showcased at Excon 2025, and why this focus?
At Kobelco, we prefer to talk about solutions rather than individual products. At this Excon, our emphasis is clearly on infrastructure solutions rather than mining. Kobelco already has a strong presence in mining, so the focus now is to deepen penetration into the retail and infrastructure segments, which offer significant growth potential.
What is Kobelco鈥檚 market strategy for infrastructure equipment in India? How do you see construction equipment demand evolving over the next few years?
There are two pillars to our strategy. The first, which Kobelco has always been known for, is best-in-class fuel efficiency. The second is affordability. Earlier, affordability was not a primary focus for us. The new phase for Kobelco is about combining fuel efficiency with more accessible pricing, while still maintaining a premium positioning.
Urban infrastructure continues to perform strongly, driven by population migration to cities. At the same time, highways present a major opportunity, particularly in last-mile connectivity to urban centres. While cities are relatively well connected, access into them remains a bottleneck. In addition, areas such as river linking, waterways and sustainability-linked environmental projects present long-term opportunities.
How is the industry progressing towards cleaner fuels and alternative powertrains?
Japanese engineering philosophy tends to be cautious and long-term oriented. We do not assume that what is happening today will necessarily define the future. There are still challenges around electric solutions, both wired and battery-based, particularly around sustainability, infrastructure readiness and operating practicality. We continue to evaluate these technologies carefully rather than rushing adoption.
What role does localisation play in Kobelco鈥檚 growth plans?
Currently, our equipment addresses roughly 30 to 32 per cent of the market. Our objective is to expand this to around 45 to 50 per cent by offering more localised solutions, without compromising on technology or quality. In some product categories, localisation is already close to 50 per cent, and in select cases even higher. For non-mining infrastructure products, our effort is to reach at least 70 per cent localisation over time.
Greater localisation allows us to improve affordability and broaden our customer base, while still delivering Kobelco鈥檚 core strengths. The idea is not to move towards low-end or outdated technology, but to make our solutions accessible to a wider segment of infrastructure customers.
What theme guided Kobelco鈥檚 participation at Excon 2025?
Our Excon theme is QUEST 鈥� Global Quality, Empowered Equality, Progressive Sustainability and Mutual Trust. Internally and externally, this reflects our belief that strong products, capable people and a shared vision must come together to deliver sustainable growth.
Pull Quote
鈥淭he next phase for Kobelco in India is about combining fuel efficiency with affordability, supported by deeper localisation for infrastructure-led growth.鈥�
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