KATO STRONG
IHI Construction Equipment transitions to the KATO brand.
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| The greatest difference with the KATO rebranding of IHI equipment will be the swich to KATO yellow. Components will remain the same. |
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| IHI equipment will be rebranded to KATO. |
KATO Works acquired IHI Construction Machinery Ltd. in late October, 2016. Since then, many things have changed, except for its culture and heritage for outstanding service, quality and customer satisfaction that IHI CES Compact Excavator Sales developed over the past 20 years.
The IHI construction equipment line includes crawler carriers for the oil and gas industry, mini excavators with digging forces from 2,360 to 14,730 pounds, skid-steer loaders with operating weights of 2,965 or 7,710 pounds, track loaders with operating weights of 7,826 or 10,100 pounds and concrete buggies with 1,000 or 1,665 pounds capacities. IHI CES primarily serves the rental industry.
As IHI Construction Machinery Ltd.
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KATO Works has been in the equipment manufacturing business in Japan since 1895 and presently produces and sells large hydraulic excavators
with weights ranging from 16,000 to 101,000 pounds, rough- and all-terrain cranes, boring trucks, street sweepers and wheeled cranes. In contrast, the IHI Construction Equipment line is made up primarily of compact equipment, making it an ideal match for the full line of large construction equipment that KATO Works offers.
From green to yellow
The most striking change to the IHI-turned-KATO line is the switch to a yellow paint scheme on equipment from its bright green color scheme. Other than that, the machines in the equipment line are essentially unchanged, says Brandon Jones, KATO CES director of business process.
“They are the same exact machines using the same exact components. There will be some model number changes in the future; but those changes are the same type of generational changes we have made periodically over the past 20-plus years. We will always provide our customers with the most outstanding service as we have since our doors opened. That is what sets us apart from other companies. We are part of a manufacturing company that produces superior products. With those two aspects, we look to greatly improve our market share in the very near future. We have all of our pieces in place to do so,” Jones says. “With the product lines that KATO currently produces, there is a chance that additional products will be added to the lineup in the future.”
With the acquisition, Compact Excavator Sales (CES), which previously partnered with IHI, will now partner with The KATO Group to distribute its mini-excavators, compact track loaders, rubber-tired skid-steers and crawler carriers to North and South America. Going forward, CES will operate under the name KATO Compact Excavator Sales (KATO CES).
Since 1994, CES has distributed high-quality equipment, primarily to equipment rental operations. Family owned and operated by Mike and Markie Smith, the company takes pride in its 20-plus year track record of superior service, quality and customer satisfaction.
“There is no doubt the North American Market is one of the most important markets for our group,” says Kimiyasu Kato, president of KATO Works. “Together, KATO Works and CES will aim to increase and expand our sales in the U.S. by combining our resources.”
In addition, the updated manufacturing facilities and technology that the KATO group offers will help increase the overall customer experience and allow CES to expand its footprint throughout North and South America.
KATO compact equipment line
- Rubber Track Concrete Buggies (Canycom)
- Crawler carriers/Crawler Dumpers (IHI)
- Mini Excavators (IHI)
- Track Loaders (IHI)
- Mini Skid-Steer Loaders (IHI)
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