Komatsu is the world's second largest manufacturer of Construction and Mining Equipment after Caterpillar. However, in certain geographic areas (Japan, China, Middle East), Komatsu has a larger share than Cat. It has manufacturing operations in Japan, Asia, Americas and Europe.
Its headquarters is at 2-3-6, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Its name was taken after the current city of Komatsu, Ishikawa at the company's foundation there in 1917.
Komatsu makes the largest bulldozer in the world, the D575.
Komatsu produced its first agricultural tractor prototype in 1931. Through the 1930s, Komatsu also produced military tractors for the Japanese military, as well as bulldozers, tanks and howitzers. After World War II, Komatsu added non-militarybulldozers and forklifts to its line of equipment. Its growth as a company was aided by the strong demand for its bulldozer during Japan's post-war reconstruction in the 1950s. By 1957 was advanced enough technologically that all of its models were also using Komatsu engines.
Komatsu began exporting its products in the 1960s, looking to counteract the postwar image of Japanese products as being cheap and poorly made, and entered the U.S. market in July 1967, taking on Caterpillar, the world's largest bulldozer maker, in its home market, under the leadership of President Yashinari Kawai. Komatsu did so under the rallying cry "Maru-C", translating into English as "encircle Caterpillar" (in the context of Go (board game) encircling an opponent results in capture of their territory).
Komatsu and Dresser Industries established Komatsu Dresser to make mining tractors and related equipment. This 50–50 ownership lasted from September 1988 to August 1994, when Komatsu bought out Dresser's share, and Komatsu's mining products were consolidated under the name Komatsu Mining Systems in 1997. To prevent brand name confusion during corporate changes, the name "Haulpak" is used for the product line Komatsu began with Dresser.
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