Kubota releasing 2 tracked skid steers

[Digdeep]

Hey....doesn't Hitachi make Deeres miniX stuff and Yanmar their TLBs (JD110)?? And doesn't Mitsubishi make CATs small stuff?? Kubota makes their OWN and I think several or at least 1, Bobcrap, uses Kubota engines. Oh, Bobcrap will soon use their new parent Doosan engines going forward. I expect excellence eventually from whatevenr Kubota makes. If you have to get someone else to build your stuff and paint it your color....why bother?

Hey...Sumitomo makes Case's and LinkBelt's large excavators, Kobelco makes New Holland's large excavators, Mitsubishi also makes Cat's large excavators, Hitachi makes John Deere's large excavators, etc. Should these guys get out of the large excavator business too?

 

[curtisfarmer]

Digdeep, the point I was trying to make is that Kubota builds their own stuff and if they were to build something new (new type that is) I would expect it would be pretty good (after the ineveitable small bugs) like the rest of their stuff. I expect quality, and not Chinese inferior machines like Yanmar hiding in a Deeres suit. Never heard CAT doesn't build their own big stuff.......sure your right on that one??

 

[ctlguy]

so curtisfarmer are you sure that if for some reason Kubota was to a market say... 30 ton excavator they would build it all themselves? And I believe Yanmar is Japan not china. Both yanmar and kubota have grey market machines that certainly appear to be China made. Some of these construction relationships you are talking about have been around for 20 some years, I don't think this minimilizes the quality by any means.

 

[Digdeep]

Never heard CAT doesn't build their own big stuff.......sure your right on that one??

Yep...CAT builds certain excavator models in Belgium, Brazil, China and France and all models in Japan. The machines run down a parallel assembly line right next to the Mitsubishi excavators in different colors. As far as I know, the Japanese large excavators are the only ones built directly by themselves. Most of the others are branded by American OEMs either through partial ownership or Joint Ventures.

 

[curtisfarmer]

As far as I know, Kubota has never sold machines they have not built. Does anyone have actual proof other than casual comments about alleged grey market equipment?? Would they build...say a 30ton excvator, who knows but they haven't yet and they have been around for some time. Maybe some of you guys own machines like these and feel dissd by my comments, but that again was not my intent. My intent was to stick up for Kubotas long history of building quality equipment and that looks good going forward for new types of machines they currently do not offer. And, CAT has plants in France, Belgium, China and in many other places. Did you know CAT is one of our major exporters in gross GDP terms? I am a CAT fan but don't own any and I am just using this as an example of a large equipmnt builder. Why no Mitsubishi excvators around here?? And no, Yanmar is not Japanese...it is Chinese.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

As far as I know, Kubota has never sold machines they have not built.

This is true. There is one exception of a skid loader that they test marketed in Europe. Thats all that I'm aware of though. Thats for major tractors and implements, snow blowers and stuff are outsourced. The gray market machines are usually built in Japan, but are very different machines than what we get in the US. Kubota did just build a factory in Singapore, but as I understand thats for machines for Asian markets.

That being said I do not believe that in this day and age you can buy a customers business with trinkets like this, these large scale deals are tightly evaluated by the ultimate purchaser with the only thought being "will this help us make more money".

Your going to have customers who fit into all kinds of differnet business models. Traditionaly its very difficult for Farm or Landscape dealerships to make much headway into construction outfits. We've made some progress, however its a real uphill battle. I can't explain it, but cost of doing business is not in their equasion. Our labor rates are almost half what the local CAT shop charges and our equipment much less expensive (and in many cases better performing) yet we still struggle to get in the door.

 

[ctlguy]

As far as I know, Kubota has never sold machines they have not built. Does anyone have actual proof other than casual comments about alleged grey market equipment?? Would they build...say a 30ton excvator, who knows but they haven't yet and they have been around for some time. Maybe some of you guys own machines like these and feel dissd by my comments, but that again was not my intent. My intent was to stick up for Kubotas long history of building quality equipment and that looks good going forward for new types of machines they currently do not offer. And, CAT has plants in France, Belgium, China and in many other places. Did you know CAT is one of our major exporters in gross GDP terms? I am a CAT fan but don't own any and I am just using this as an example of a large equipmnt builder. Why no Mitsubishi excvators around here?? And no, Yanmar is not Japanese...it is Chinese.

Sorry when referring to grey market equipment I am ref machines built that are never intended for the na market (yes Kubota and yanmar and many others built these). I don't believe Kubota has ever marketed in the US other mfg machines. My point I was attempting to make (and did so poorly) with the comments about other mfg building some items for others is that these are Very longstanding relationships and I do not believe it has any effect on the quality of the equipment.

 

[ctlguy]

And no, Yanmar is not Japanese...it is Chinese.

Sorry I understand where you are coming from, I have no problems with Kubota equipment. But Yanmar IS japanese, Started in Japan in 1912. In fact we blew up some of their plants in the war. Do they build some stuff in China? probably but who doesn't get something from China. Just like Kubota, Cat, Deere, numerous others, they are worldwide companies building machinery in not just country and getting parts and pieces from all over the world.

 

[curtisfarmer]

I guess I thought Yanmar was Chinese cause every engine block or major part is stamped China but I should have thought that they originated from Japan where most high quality Asian equipmet does. I see Yanmar is now, or has been for a year or so, marketing thier own equivilant of the JD110 TLB. Now that I think of it, almost all JD green tractors up to a certain HP is Yanmar as well.

 

[Ken45101]

Traditionaly its very difficult for Farm or Landscape dealerships to make much headway into construction outfits. We've made some progress, however its a real uphill battle. I can't explain it, but cost of doing business is not in their equasion. Our labor rates are almost half what the local CAT shop charges and our equipment much less expensive (and in many cases better performing) yet we still struggle to get in the door.

Maybe it's much like the computer business used to be. It was a common saying that "No one ever got fired for buying IBM." I'm retired from 34 years as a computer specialist with a major corporation. "Been there, done that." You wouldn't believe how difficult it was to bring in any alternative to IBM 25 years ago.

Ken