Kubota History

“Create products with all your heart and soul, and realize the commodity values of such products in correct definitions.”

– Gonshiro Kubota Founder of the KUBOTA Group

Corporate History

KUBOTA began its business by manufacturing and selling cast metal products. Since then, we have offered various products including iron pipes for water supply, engines for agro-industrial purposes, and machine tools, contributing to improving human lives and society. We are proud that we have been fulfilling our obligations as a manufacturer throughout our history of continuous technical innovations and product development, striving to contribute to building the modern state, postwar reconstruction, new nation building, and the creation of productive human environments. Our current business and product lines are all based on the basic philosophy, “Society keeps corporations going forward.” We will expand our business with our time-proven expertise and specialty for further development, while steadfastly maintaining our sincere efforts in manufacturing. We will endeavor to improve our technical capabilities acquired over the course of our history in a wider and deeper manner, extend our business frontiers, and make a greater contribution to society.

Kubota Timeline

1890

Established as a foundry. Started production of castings for weighting equipment and daily commodities.
1893

Began production of cast iron pipes for water supply. Opened the Amagasaki Plant in 1917 and relocated manufacturing.
1897

Changed the corporate name from Oide Chuzo-jo (Oide Foundry) to Kubota Tekko-jo (Kubota Iron Works).
Initiated production of waterworks equipment such as fire hydrants and gate valves.
1922

Started production of oil-based engines for agro-industrial purposes, settanki (fuel economizer: energy-saving equipment utilizing waste gas), and heat-resistant cast iron.
1930

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry selected the KUBOTA Oil Engine as an “Excellent Domestic Product”.
1939

Initial public offering. A technical vocational institute was set up in each plant.
1947

Developed the cultivator and initiated production and sales.
1953

Changed corporate name from K.K. Kubota Tekko-jo to Kubota Tekko K.K. Established Kubota Kenki K.K. and entered the construction equipment industry.
Began production of power shovels and other construction equipment as well as marine deck machineries.
1955

Created a corporate slogan, “From country building to rice making”.
1957

Advanced into the arena of housing-related materials. Started production of “Colorbest” housing material.
1960

Developed and commercialized first Japanese farm tractor.
Received and completed an order for an overseas water supply project (Phnom Penh) for the first time in Japan.
1962

Full-scale entry into the environmental improvement business.
Started production of paddy field tractors.
1963

Began production of vending machines.
1964

Initiated production of municipal incineration plants.
1969

Launched a new corporate slogan, “Create an environment affluent to human beings”.
Started production of combines.
Completed an integrated system for agricultural mechanization.
1972

Full-scale entry into the field of incinerators. Established Kubota Tractor Corporation in the US to fully enter the US tractor market.
1980

Received an order for an irrigation system from the state of Sharkia, Egypt, and worked on desert greening.
Launched a new slogan, “Pursuing a promised future with our technological strength”.
1984

Received an environmental award from the Environmental Agency for our night soil treatment system, “U-tube nitro system”.
1986

Started production of electronic circuit boards, hard discs, and radio-controlled lawnmowers.
1989

Participated in desert greening projects, the Sahil Greenbelt Plan and the Green Earth Plan.
1990

Celebrated our 100th year in business. Altered the corporate name to KUBOTA Corporation. Introduced the new corporate symbol and visual identity system.
Co-presented a fountain and water-splitting equipment ALEPH at the International Garden and Greenery Exposition.
1992

Launched a new slogan, “Let’s make our habitat more beautiful”.Initiated the research and development of incineration plants with high-efficiency waste-generated power facility. International Environmental Planning Center was established in the Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, supported by a donation from KUBOTA Corporation.
1993

Announced business guidelines “Vision for Our Second Century of Business” toward the 21st Century.
Kankyo Chosa Center and the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun awarded the Director General’s Prize and Excellent Prize of the Environment Agency to our domestic wastewater treatment system with immersion-type organic flat membrane.
1995

Started the Environmental Audit System for environmental protection in accordance with standards stricter than existing laws and regulations and towards continuous environmental improvement.
1999

Our Underwater Dioxin Decomposition Unit won the Nikkei Outstanding Product/Service Prize and the Nikkei Shimbun Prize of Excellence.
2001

All of our domestic establishments acquired ISO 14001 certificates.
2002

Total production exceeded 20 million units for our industrial engine.
2005

Our Teshima Illegal Waste Dump Raw Material Recovery System won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize at the Excellent Environmental Equipment Awards. Total production exceeded 3 million units for our tractors.
2006

Formulated “Corporate Mission Statement”, “Management Principles”, “Charter for Action”, and “Code of Conduct” of KUBOTA Group.
Created new corporate slogans: “Building foundations (main slogan)”, “For Water, Soil, Air, and People’s lives. (sub slogan)”, and “Let’s make our habitat more beautiful (sub slogan)”.
Our “Sewage sludge concentrator (belt type)” won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize at the Excellent Environmental Equipment Awards.
2010

Celebrating 120 Years
The KUBOTA Group Slogan
“For Earth, For Life”

Kubota History

Corporate History

Kubota Timeline

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