Nov. 29, 2023
Komatsu Ltd. (President and CEO: Hiroyuki Ogawa) has started a Reman business in Japan for capacitors and inverters, key components for hybrid hydraulic excavators. Looking ahead, Komatsu plans to expand the scope of remanufacturing to include the same components for hybrid hydraulic excavators outside of Japan.
[Left] Hybrid hydraulic excavator, [Right] Komatsu hybrid system (conceptual drawing)
In 2008, Komatsu led the world by introducing its hybrid hydraulic excavator to the market, helping customers reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions at their job sites ever since. Hybrid hydraulic excavators use a Komatsu-developed hybrid system that employs an inverter to convert the energy generated during swing braking into electrical energy, stored in a capacitor and used as supplementary energy to drive the swing and accelerate the engine. In the past, however, the only way to repair energy storage-related components was to replace them with new ones. Concerning conventional diesel engine-powered construction equipment, by capitalizing on its strength in in-house development and production of components, Komatsu has been expanding the Reman business. This includes remanufactured engines and transmissions from construction and mining equipment that has been operating at customer sites for long periods of time. Through various processes involving disassembly, cleaning, repair or replacement of parts, reassembly, painting, and shipping inspections, Komatsu ensures that its Reman components are restored to the same quality and performance as new components and re-supplied back to the market. For hybrid hydraulic excavators, Komatsu has also achieved remanufacturing of capacitors and inverters in response to growing customer requests. Komatsu’s Reman capacitors and inverters will be compatible with hybrid hydraulic excavators of the HB series currently sold and operating in Japan. As this is the first Reman scheme of electric components to be added to the lineup of its Reman business, Komatsu should be able to repair electric components at a lower cost, thereby contributing to the reduction of the total life cycle cost of hybrid hydraulic excavators, as well as to the reduction of environmental impact, such as curtailment of waste and CO2 emissions.
Moving forward to the future, Komatsu will continue to evolve its value chain business, such as parts sales, maintenance, and repair after sales of new equipment, to ensure that customers can use Komatsu machines with peace of mind from the time they purchase new equipment until they sell it as used equipment.
DANTOTSU Value is defined as customer value creation that generates a positive cycle of improvement of earnings and ESG resolutions in Komatsu’s mid-term management plan, entitled “DANTOTSU Value – Together, to 'The Next' for sustainable growth.” Through this DANTOTSU Value, Komatsu will strive to create new values in order to take steady steps forward to the next stage for the workplace of the future and pass on a sustainable future to the next generation.
* Reman stands for remanufacturing/remanufactured.
No : 0067(3290)
Corporate Communications Department
Sustainability Promotion Division
Komatsu Ltd.
tel: +81-(0)3-5561-2616
mail: JP00MB_cc_department@global.komatsu
*The information may be subject to change without notice.
