Kawasaki, Hitachi and TCM join forces

[IBH]

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Hitachi Construction Machinery Ltd. and TCM Corporation have announced their intentions to form an alliance with respect to their wheel loader businesses. The alliance will allow joint research and development, plus the extension of Kawasaki’s wheel loader division in to a newly created subsidiary.

Kawasaki’s current line of wheel loaders features 12 machines ranging in size from the 50Z, with an operating weight of 7.9t, to the 135Z with an operating weight of 79.9t. The operation will become an independent subsidiary in April 2009, with Hitachi holding a 34% share stake in return for its capital investment. TCM, a manufacturer of total logistics systems with core technologies in both software and hardware, is already a majority owned subsidy of Hitachi, with the company holding a 50.1% current share.

The alliance will also help all three companies improve the research and development strategies for their wheel loader sectors, thus strengthening the competitiveness of their businesses. In anticipation of the Tier 4 stage, EPA imposed emission control regulations, which are due to take effect in 2011, the companies will combine their respective technologies to develop new models of wheel loader that will comply with the regulations.

Following the success of this venture, the three companies will continue their discussions with the aim of establishing a broad alliance, encompassing areas such as joint material procurement, dividing manufacturing operations and responsibilities for products, and supplying one another through reciprocal OEM arrangements.

http://www.mining-journal.com/mining_ma ... le_id=5194