Yanmar Holdings and Hitachi Construction Machinery have advanced their strategic collaboration in compact equipment, formalising an agreement built on a Letter of Intent signed in July 2026.聽
Under the initiative, Yanmar Compact Equipment North America will manufacture compact track loaders for Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas at its facility in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Hitachi plans to begin selling the machines across North America under the Landcros brand name in autumn 2027. In return, the two manufacturers are preparing a reciprocal OEM arrangement that will see Hitachi supply compact excavators for distribution through Yanmar鈥檚 established North American dealer network.
The move allows Hitachi to secure an immediate foothold in the North American compact track loader segment, where annual market demand now exceeds 100,000 units. Partnering with Yanmar gives Hitachi direct access to proven engineering and domestic production without committing capital to ground-up manufacturing infrastructure. For Yanmar, bringing additional volume to its Grand Rapids plant optimises operational scale, supports long-term site competitiveness, and secures local factory capacity.
The autumn 2027 machine rollout aligns with a wider corporate transition for Hitachi. In April 2027, the group is scheduled to complete its shift to the Landcros brand name and corporate identity. Bringing Yanmar-produced compact track loaders into the line-up under the new badge directly supports the company's "Landcros 2028" strategy, which leans on collaborative open partnerships to fill product gaps.
This deal is the latest in a succession of cross-supply agreements between major OEMs.聽 Kubota has taken a similar route by badging Liebherr wheeled excavators and Sumitomo tracked excavators to cover heavier operational weight classes. In a parallel move, Manitou Group and HD Construction Equipment recently signed a partnership agreement covering compact equipment across four global brands: Manitou, Gehl, Hyundai, and Develon.
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