KOBELCO- Advancing Progress Through QEST
KOBELCO has always focused on delivering greater VALUE to the Customer through innovative solutions. Kobelco offers machines that are versatile and cover a range of applications as well as ones that are purpose – built for highly specialized applications. In an exclusive interview to CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES,
MOSES EDDY, DIRECTOR – KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT INDIA PVT. LTD., speaks about his company’s participation at Excon 2025, aftermarket support and a lot more.
What is your company’s theme at Excon 2025.
Our theme for Excon this year is QEST. These four focus areas are:
Global Quality: We now manufacture global-quality products in India and export them. This also supports forex balancing and strengthens India’s manufacturing credibility.
Empowered Equality: We want to keep our employees happy and motivated. Talent retention is critical—if we lose people, we lose direction, and we cannot afford this.
Progressive Sustainability: We are improving sustainability across operations—transporting machines by rail, installing solar panels, and reducing our carbon footprint. Sustainability is no longer optional; it is essential for long-term survival.
Mutual Trust: Our biggest priority is to build such a deep trust in our customers that they do not think beyond Kobelco. Aftermarket excellence is the foundation of this trust.
Kobelco showcased its complete Infra range, machines renowned for exceptional fuel efficiency, reliability, and durability across varied applications.
- SK30 (Mini Excavator)
- SK80 – our flagship “Japanese Little Master,” symbolizing precision and versatility.
- SK140
- SK145XDLC
- SK220
- SK220XDLC
- Special Attachments like Telescopic Dipper, Electromagnet, and many more
How is your organization integrating advancements in digitalization, AI and automation to improve the life cycle of your product and also give predictive maintenance alerts to your customers? So in terms of technology, what is Kobelco doing for its customers?
Digital adoption is central to our strategy. Solutions like the K-Assist which is Kobelco-Assist, a remote monitoring system enable real-time diagnostics, geo-fencing, fuel monitoring which helps customers operate more efficiently and minimise unplanned downtime. Our focus is to support India’s infrastructure momentum with technology-driven, reliable machinery built for Indian conditions and we are waiting and watching how Indian market is developing.
In terms of customer segments, which segments are you targeting aggressively so that you can expand your market share in the excavator industry?
Kobelco’s market strategy in India is guided by clear customer expectations around productivity, fuel efficiency, affordability, and versatility. A key insight is the industry’s growing focus on fuel efficiency, which directly impacts profitability. Kobelco machines are engineered to deliver lower fuel consumption without compromising performance. This consistently positions our products as cost-effective choices in fuel-sensitive markets.
We also leverage India’s strong emphasis on long-term reliability. Kobelco machines have clocked over 30,000 hours in the field, reinforcing customer confidence in our engineering quality and encouraging repeat purchases. Our strategy reflects the need for versatility, driven by India’s diverse construction and mining requirements. This is why our portfolio spans compact, mid-sized, and heavy-duty models suited for varied job-site conditions.
These factors collectively guide Kobelco’s product positioning and long-term roadmap for the Indian market.
In terms of aftermarket support, how do you ensure maximum uptime for your machines because they are working in, you know, conditions – really rigid conditions, the mining sector, the infrastructure sector. So what has Kobelco done in terms of seeing that machines uptime is high and at the same time productivity is high?
We believe uptime is extremely critical in sectors like mining and infrastructure, and that’s where our aftermarket focus really comes in. We have built a strong pan-India dealer and service network, supported by warehouses and depots, so genuine parts and service reach customers quickly.
A big part of our approach is preventive care. Through regular maintenance schedules, operator and technician training, and digital monitoring tools like K-Assist, we help identify issues early and reduce unplanned downtime. Also, our machines are designed for durability and fuel efficiency, and as I mentioned, many have clocked over 30,000 hours in the field, which speaks for their reliability. When you combine all of this, it eventually helps customers maintain both high productivity and consistent uptime throughout the machine’s working life.
How is your organization embedding sustainability, cleaner technologies into your products and your projects? What is your take on sustainability and cleaner technology?
I am heading the task force on sustainability and also inaugurated the Gulf Oil charging point on the first day here at Excon. We can see how with India advancing toward cleaner technologies and long-term Net Zero goals, the demand for fuel-efficient and low-emission equipment will keep rising. Kobelco already supports this, our Sri City plant harnesses solar power which reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 1 lakh kg per month, and we rely on rail-based logistics which results in approximately 3000 kg CO2 reduction per machine. We also support circular economy practices by offering certified used machines through our Special Solutions division which you can witness here at Excon as well. As far as CSR initiatives are concerned we do tree plantation, water conservation, and waste management which shows our commitment to environmental responsibility.
And what about Kobelco machines moving to electric, any plans.
Kobelco is closely monitoring the global transition toward electrification and alternative power solutions. As a global engineering-driven organisation, our approach is to adopt solutions that deliver genuine environmental benefits rather than focusing on technology adoption alone. In markets like India, infrastructure readiness, power-generation mix, charging ecosystems, and end-of-life battery management are important considerations. Our current focus is therefore on improving fuel efficiency, overall machine productivity, and lowering CO2 emissions which continue to deliver immediate and measurable sustainability gains at job sites.
Year 2025 was not an eventful year for the whole industry. So how do you see 2026 panning out and the years ahead for the industry and specific to Kobelco?
We expect roadways and economic-corridor projects (including bridges and allied civil works) to be the leading driver in 2026. These segments are receiving steady budgetary focus and require a broad mix of excavators across sizes — from compact units for utility works to medium and large machines for earthworks and bridge foundations. Closely following is mining & mineral processing, where expansion in energy and critical-minerals activity is increasing demand for heavy-duty excavators. Kobelco’s wide model range, attachment ecosystem and service footprint position us well across both categories.
In specific to your mini excavators, how is your mini excavator product doing and what is the market share you have in India?
We have currently about 6–7 per cent market share. But we have a very good opportunity in terms of volumes to go up. Already in Western Ghats, most of the agricultural harvesting is going for mini basically. So mini market is going to grow now.
