World markets for top Japanese firm

Press, 13 August 1976, Page 9

World markets for top Japanese firm

Until quite recently Japan was one of the smaller wheeled tractor exporting countries even though it was one of the largest tractor producers. Total output was about 200,000 units a year and all but a handful were sold on the home market — a reminder that Japan also has a large farming industry.

The biggest tractor producer is Kubota, a company which is often referred to as “the basic necessities giant” and which makes everything from huge marine diesels to building materials. In the last year the Japanese tractor industry has moved into export markets and it seems likely that the penetration achieved by Japanese car and crawler tractors manufacturers could be repeated by the farm tractor industry.

The Kubota, the domestic market leader, has won the lion’s share of sales to overseas markets. Over 2000 were sold in the United States. Of total Japanese tractor exports of 13,000 units in 1975. Kubota accounted for 63 per cent.

Part of this success is due to low manufacturing costs the Japanese industry has recently invested heavily in automation. John Burnett, manager of Concorde Motors Ltd, says that the new Kubota plant at Tsukuba is awe-inspring with forklift trucks moving around under remote control and fully automatic assembly of gear boxes and other major components. Every Kubota tractor engine is subjected to three dynomometer tests before it leaves the Tsukuba plant — once without the gearbox, once with gearbox and wheels fitted a third time on the power take-off shaft. Japanese design expertise has also been an important factor. At a time when many tractor manufacturers were stopping production of smaller and more economical models, Kubota was maintaining its development programme at this end of the range. As a result the company can now offer the world

market a range from 9 to 79 bhp in two and fourwheel drive. When the new Kubota plant at. Tsukuba comes into full production, output will be lifted to 10,000 tractors a month, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent in total Japanese tractor output.