Yanmar Holdings and Hitachi Construction Machinery are to collaborate on compact equipment, starting with an agreement for Yanmar to build compact track loaders for sale under Hitachi’s new Landcros brand in North America.
The two manufacturers signed a letter of intent on 23 July 2026 to explore collaboration in the compact equipment business. Under the first initiative, Yanmar Compact Equipment North America (Yanmar CE NA) will manufacture compact track loaders (CTLs) for Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas at its Grand Rapids, Minnesota facility. Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas plans to begin selling the loaders in North America under the Landcros brand in Autumn 2027.
The companies are also preparing a reciprocal arrangement under which Hitachi Construction Machinery would supply compact excavators for distribution through Yanmar CE’s North American network. Yanmar’s North American compact equipment portfolio includes CTLs, mini excavators, wheel loaders and tracked carriers, serving construction, landscaping, agriculture and forestry applications.
“North America’s CTL market exceeds 100,000 units in annual demand, making it the largest segment of the compact equipment market,” says Masafumi Senzaki, president and executive officer of Hitachi Construction Machinery. “It is especially meaningful to us to offer customers CTLs – a segment with strong growth prospects – under Landcros, our new corporate brand, beginning in April 2027.”
Through the OEM collaboration, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas will add Yanmar CE NA-built CTLs to a compact line-up that currently comprises mini excavators and compact wheel loaders. The supply programme is intended to expand production at Grand Rapids and strengthen the facility’s long-term competitiveness, with both companies continuing discussions on further collaboration.
“We see significant potential for further market expansion through the mutual supply of products beyond CTLs, and we are confident that this collaboration will enable us to deliver even greater value to our customers and dealers,” says Tetsuya Yamamoto, executive vice president and representative director of Yanmar Holdings.
Image: Hitachi Construction Machinery
