Kobelco leads excavator sales Down Under

Kobelco Construction Machinery Australia was the top supplier of heavy excavators in Australia by sales volume, selling more heavy excavator units than any other brand in 2023 according to Powerstats data. 

“Achieving the number one position for sales of heavy excavators in Australia is a significant milestone for Kobelco. It has been a journey of market share growth over the past five years to achieve this,” Kobelco Australia Managing Director, Paul Torrington said.

“As a construction machinery brand that focuses solely on excavators, Kobelco strives to innovate and deliver excavators that lead the market in quality, performance, durability, and efficiency while exceeding the expectations of our customers. 

“Those efforts have resulted in 80% of Kobelco sales being attributable to repeat buyers, or as referrals from existing customers.”

The Kobelco heavy excavator portfolio in Australia ranges in size from 8 and 14 tonne short radius models suitable for crowded urban jobsites, to production class 38, 52 and 85 tonne large excavators suitable for heavy-duty excavation projects and quarry applications, as well as a range of speciality excavators designed for demolition and dismantling applications. 

The heavy excavator market in Australia includes these Kobelco classes, and all excavator sizes up to and including mining class machines over 800 tonnes. Considering all of these size classes, Kobelco’s total unit sales volume exceeded all other brands in 2023.

“We have seen strong sales in the 14 tonne class, with nearly one in three machines sold in this class last year in Australia being a Kobelco,” Mr Torrington said.

“The flagship model in this size class is clearly the Kobelco SK135SR-7, which was the number one selling heavy excavator model in Australia in 2023. 

“This short radius excavator delivers exceptional performance and operator comfort with its class-leading machine design,” he said.

Mr Torrington explained the manufacturer’s large models are also experiencing strong sales growth, after standing up to severe-duty use across a range of sectors. 

“Another significant growth area for Kobelco has been in the 35 and 50 tonne model line-up,” he said.

“The Kobelco SK380XD and SK500XD extreme duty models have delivered on the promise of durability in harsh environments with the lowest fuel consumption in their respective size classes.”

Kobelco excavators are backed by a strong network of independently owned and operated dealers around Australia, which Mr Torrington says contributes to ongoing sales success.

“We couldn’t have accomplished our top market share result without the commitment and dedication of our Kobelco dealer network,” he said. 

“Kobelco dealerships are well established, independently owned family businesses, where the dealer principal plays an active role in the day-to-day activities of the business—it’s the classic story of ‘the man that owns the business, runs the business’.

“Kobelco dealers genuinely care about their customers because they recognise that their customer’s success is integral to the success of their own businesses. 

“The outstanding support that our dealers provide their customers is critical to Kobelco’s sales achievements.”