Kobelco recently announced plans to build a manufacturing plant for hydraulic excavators in India. With the announcement, the company expressed its confidence of the Kobelco brand in the Asia and Australian markets.

The new 5,300-square-foot facility, which represents an investment of AUD $11 million (about U.S. $10.1 million), will include assembly, painting and shipping lines, and will go online in January 2010. Its initial production capacity will be 1,200, 20-ton units per year, according to the company.

The new plant will be the sixth for Kobelco in Asia.