Kobe Steel’s export drive sees it launch its city crane RT range in Europe and sign a distribution deal with Hyundai Heavy Industries of Korea for Hyundai to sell Kobelco construction equipment in South Korea.
Last month Cranes Today reported that Kobelco crawlers were being sold in the UK and Ireland by Grove UK. It was since decided to add Kobelco city cranes to the deal. Grove UK will offer the 7t, 20t and 25t models – RK70, RK200 and RK 250.
An RK 200 was shown at the SED show in the UK last month alongside an 80t BM 700C crawler.
Kobelco pioneered the nose-down city crane concept in 1989 but has not offered them in Europe. Meanwhile Kato’s CR250 and Mannesmann Dematic’s AC 25 have sold well in Europe. Kobelco hopes to sell 20 units of the RK models in the UK in the first year.
As for the crawlers, Grove UK forecasted it would sell 12 in the first year and had already sold 10 by 1 May, including six to Baldwins.
Kobelco’s 35t and 45t RK models would need an extra axle to be allowed on European highways.
The Hyundai deal is the first enabling Japanese hydraulic excavators to be imported into Korea, Kobe Steel says, as next month Korea lifts an import ban on Japanese-made hydraulic excavators. Hyundai will also market 15 types of Kobelco crawler crane and all five RT/city crane models.
Korea saw a 50% drop in shipments of equipment in 1998, but improvement is now forecasted.
In Japan Kobelco has signed an agreement with Hitachi for each to supply the other with equipment. Hitachi will now be able to offer larger crawler cranes, built by Kobelco but badged as Hitachi. Kobelco will add Hitachi-made large pneumatic excavators to its product offering.
