KOBELCO Construction Machinery Europe (KCME) has been celebrating the 10-year anniversary of re-establishing operations in Europe.
The Japanese excavator specialist announced its return to the region in 2013 with the unveiling of its HQ in Almere, The Netherlands. Kobelco now has coverage in more than 40 locations in Europe, CIS and Maghreb.
The manufacturer’s product range includes machinery from its smallest one-tonne SK08 mini-excavator to the 90-tonne SK850LC, as well as demolition machinery and lattice boom crawler cranes.
To mark the milestone, KCME invited all of its dealers and long-term European partners to a special event in Amsterdam, where the new Kobelco SK26SR-7 mini-excavator was showcased for the first time.
The event also included the announcement of KCME’s relocation to a new and much larger purpose-built HQ in Lelystad. The facility will comprise three main buildings: a warehouse, three-floor offices and one equipped with training facilities, workshop and showroom. There is also a demo field foreseen.
The new KCME HQ is expected to be completed in 2025.
Attendees also had the opportunity to hear insights from key members of the KCME team, including MD Makoto Kato and general manager product marketing, Olivier Rasmont.
Senior leadership from Kobelco’s Japanese HQ were in attendance at the event, which concluded with a gala dinner and entertainment.
Makoto Kato said, “What a fantastic way to celebrate 10 years of Kobelco in Europe! I am extremely proud of what KCME has achieved since our reestablishment in Europe in 2013 and want to extend my gratitude to all our dealers, partners, customers and employees, who have continued to be loyal to the Kobelco brand over the past decade.
“Looking to the future, we are excited to further reinforce our commitment to the European market and are proud to be taking an important step in expanding our headquarters to a new, larger purpose-built facility in Lelystad.
“We look forward to another ten years of our close collaboration.”
