Yanmar outlines compact equipment ambitions

Yanmar Construction Equipment said its ambition was to be the global leader in compact construction equipment, with the development of electric machines being a key part of the strategy.

The company, which launched three battery powered models at Intermat, said it aimed to grow its revenues from €1.2 billion last year to more than €2 billion by 2028, with an expansion in  North America important in reaching that goal.

José Cuadrado, global CEO of Yanmar Compact Equipment (Yanmar CE), speaking at Intermat. (Photo: IRN)

One component of the strategy is to develop native platforms for compact electric machines up to 8 tonnes, with sales of these dedicated platforms made available to external OEM customers as well as for its own business.

José Cuadrado, global CEO of Yanmar CE, said the timescale for the development of these platforms was three to five years and that the company was already talking to potential OEM customers.

Cuadrado said the compact market was forecast to grow in the coming decades, and within that, the market for electric machines could reach 30,000 in Europe alone by 2023, around 70% of which could be in the UK, Germany and France.

He said there was an appetite among rental companies for electric macines; “There are difficulties, yes. Typically, across the market, electric machines are around twice the price. There is a saving on running and maintenance costs, but the ROI at the moment is quite long at 6 to 8 years. This is having an impact on rental...Without support in regulations and incentives, the take-up will take longer.”

The project to develop all-electric platforms is well underway: Yanmar has been doing detailed work on batteries for two years and is now looking at e-powertrain technology, with base platforms and complete machines next in the programme.

The three electic machines being launched by Yanmar at Intermat. (Photo: Yanmar)

Of the new machines launched at Intermat, the mini excavator is a modified combustion machine, while the compact wheeled loader was developed from the start to be available in both ICE and battery powered versions.

The three machines introduced at the show, and which will be available to ship later this year, including in North America, are the the V8e wheeled loader, the SV17e mini excavator and the C08e mini dumper.

More detail on the new machines will follow.