Komatsu has just brought online a new factory for hydraulic excavators in Chennai, India, the Komatsu India Pvt. Ltd. (KIPL).
Total investment for the new KIPL factory, where hydraulic excavators ranging from 7 to 45-ton will be built, is estimated to be worth approximately $29 million. The new factory will have production capacity of 2,500 units/year with possibility to increase to 3,000 units/year in the future.
Komatsu positions this new factory for hydraulic excavators in Chennai as a core manufacturing site to deliver high-quality products to customers in, not only India, but also the Middle East and Africa in the future.
Before this, Komatsu used to produce hydraulic excavators at L&T-Komatsu Limited (LTK), a joint-venture company with Larsen & Tourbro Limited (L&T), a leading general contractor of India. In April 2013, Komatsu sold its equity in LTK to L&T, proactively dissolving the joint-venture agreement.
Since FY2013, Komatsu has been responsible for the development and production of Komatsu products made in India, while L&T has handled sales and service of those products in terms of the separation of operations.