Sales of Selected Machines Temporarily Suspended in Europe, Pending Investigation of Hino’s Engine Certification Concerns

September 30, 2022
Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V.

Tokyo, September 30, 2022 – The sale of selected Kobelco construction machinery, equipped with Hino engines, has been temporarily suspended pending further investigations. The precautionary and voluntary action was agreed by Tokyo-based Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (KCM) and Netherlands-based Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V. (KCME) in response to information from Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) regarding concerns about possible misconduct in the engine certification process for compliance with European emissions regulations. The temporary suspension, which affects KCM, KCME and its European distributors, will remain in place until Hino confirms the European certification authorities' decision.

Hino has committed to working with the European certification authorities to establish the current position on compliance, following an internal investigation, which revealed that part of the misconduct found in the engine certification process in Japan may also have been made in the process of obtaining European certification (Stage V).

Findings of Hino’s internal investigations to date, which may impact future sales of Kobelco construction machinery, suggest that:

(1) the nitrogen oxide contained in the exhaust gas of E13C-YM engines may not meet current standards set under the European emissions regulations after certain operating hours.

(2) there were issues, relating to durability test data and required explanations, in the process for obtaining the European emissions regulations certification for three engine models (J05E-VA, J05E-VB, and J08E-YD.

Future outlook

While KCM and KCME are communicating closely with Hino throughout this period, the primary focus remains on supporting European distributor and dealer networks in the best way possible.

This includes:

  1. fully supporting all after-sales service activities for Kobelco machines already working in the field, including those equipped with the affected Hino engines, which are permitted to continue operating at this time. KCM has already confirmed that there are no issues with safety, quality, and performance of these models, and the fuel performance is unaffected by this incident.

  2. ongoing European sales of unaffected Kobelco construction models, including all mini excavators and 7/13-tonne machines, from the smallest SK08 to the popular and versatile SK75SR-7 and SK85MSR-7 midi excavators and the next-generation SK130LC-11 and the SK140SRLC-7 short radius excavator.

  3. exploring an alternative engine for affected products, which may be implemented if the European Certification Authority decision required by Hino becomes more prolonged than is appropriate for dealers and their customers.

KCM and KCME have apologised for the inconvenience and concern caused by this situation and are in regular communication with key stakeholders, including European distributors and dealers to find appropriate short-term solutions, where possible, for customers.

Models subject to the temporary suspension of sale

Engine Model Machinery Model Construction Machinery Category Applicable Emissions Regulations
J05E-VA/J05E-VB SK180(N)LC-10E Hydraulic excavator and applied product EU Stage V exhaust emissions regulations
SK180(N)LC-11
SK210D-10E
SK210D-11
SK210H(N)LC-10E
SK210(N)LC-10E
SK210(N)LC-11
SK210SNLC-10E
SK210SNLC-11
SK230SRLC-5E
SK240SN-10E
SK240SN-11
SK260(N)LC-11
SK270SR(N)LC-5E
J08E-YD SK300(N)LC-10E
SK300(N)LC-11
SK350(N)LC-11
SK350DLC-10E
SK350DLC-11
SK380SRLC
SK400DLC-10E
SK400DLC-11
CKE800G-3 Crawler crane
CKE900G-3
CKE1100G-3
E13C-YM SK500LC-11 Hydraulic excavator and applied product
SK530LC-11
SK550DLC-11
SK850LC-10E
SK1300DLC-10E

*All information contained herein was correct as of the date of announcement but may be subject to change without prior notice.