Komatsu Ltd. is expected to report a 60-percent decline in quarterly operating profit in the quarter ended Dec. 31 compared with the same period in 2008, according to the Nikkei Business Daily. The paper reported Komatsu earned an operating profit of a little more than JY 16 billion (about U.S. $175 million), with the decline related to reduced demand, a strong yen and restructuring costs.
Operating profit would be a 40-percent increase from the previous quarter, but falls short of estimates, analysts said.
Hitachi Construction, another leading Japanese construction equipment manufacturer, is expected to post a quarter operating profit of about JY 6 billion for the same period, a 38-percent year-over-year decline.
