Rob White, Head of Construction at Kubota, talks to Professional Builder’s Lee Jones about what’s new from the manufacturer and the wider market conditions in the compact equipment sector.
This year Kubota is celebrating 25 consecutive years as the number one mini excavator manufacturer in the UK. Add to that a record year on these shores for the company in 2022 and it is clear that the reliability, performance and residual values of the Japanese firm’s machines are striking a chord with its considerable customer base.
“The sentiment among our dealers is that the market remains very strong,” enthuses Rob. “Indeed, over the last couple of years the post covid landscape has seen demand well in excess of supply. There’s no doubt that component issues, and raw material disruptions from the war in Ukraine, has led to longer lead times but this does appear to be easing slightly. At the moment we’re forecasting we’ll need more machines next year than in 2023, and that’s a testament to the underlying strength of the construction sector.”
Maintaining that preeminent position demands new solutions and this year that has included a new Kubota Tracking system. The portal allows real time data on location, performance and maintenance issues to be accessed via a smartphone, tablet or PC. GPS tracking enhances security by pinpointing the exact whereabouts whilst geofencing alerts will notify of any unauthorised movements. There’s a wealth of data at your fingertips, including fuel consumption, work rate, and machine errors all of which can reduce downtime and increase productivity.
“It’s something that our customers have been asking for and our telematics system has the virtue of being designed in-house,” continues Rob, “which means it’s a technology that we can wholly control ourselves and is in synergy with our machines. It’s a factory-fitted product available on the basis of a four-year subscription on the 8, and 5 tonne units initially, with the 4-tonne machine added early in 2023. In addition, the Kubota data can be feed into an end user’s existing telematics platform so that all the information on a mixed fleet is in one location.”
The 1.5 to 2.5 tonne segment represents Kubota’s high-volume solutions in this country and new additions to the range were introduced last year. More and more small builders are seeing the wisdom of investing in their own plant rather than hiring and, with track widths that are adjustable to just 0.7m on the new K008-5, and 0.75m on the zero-tail swing, U10-5, both units are eminently suited to digging out the footings on a compact residential extension job, for example.
Add to that the promise of high power-to-weight ratio, good all-round vision, and low ground impact and these Stage V machines can access more places than ever before. The U10-5 is equipped with a convenient side lever joystick and both models feature an upgraded environment for the operator, including more legroom. Other features as standard include engine safety start, an expanded control lock system, highly visible orange seat belt and alarm, alongside green beacon capability and LED boom lights.
Further up the weight scale there have also been three relatively recent additions in the 5-tonne category – the KX060- 5, U56-5 and U50-5, providing a choice of either a reduced tail swing or conventional model. The U56-5 is, in fact, the largest reduced tail swing machine in the Kubota range and is well suited to smaller sites. It also benefits from good lifting capacity and is pitched as an owner/operator machine. “The five tonne models have been incredibly well-received by contractors and hirers,” reveals Rob, “and they enjoy some of the best market share in our entire portfolio. It’s a range that appeals to every class of user and we’re also very proud to have won a Red Dot Award for their design.”
All three units benefit from a full-color, high-resolution 7in. LCD screen, larger space for the driver, improved visibility. The KX060-5 is a conventional tail swing and the U50-5 is the entry-level option built for the hire market.
“Kubota is number one for a reason and we talk to our customers to find out exactly what it is they need,” continues Rob. “At the same time, we’re in a full control of some much of the production process, particularly with our strength in engine manufacturing, and can control our own destiny as a result.”
“The machines hold their value, we have support from an extensive dealer network, including availability of spare parts, and they’re very reliable. Our customers are making purchasing decisions on the basis of total cost of ownership and that’s why we’ve been dominant in the market for so long.”
For further information on the range of machines from Kubota visit https://www.kubota-eu.com/
