The company’s official profile lists capital of ¥84.1 billion as of 31 December 2025.[2]

Kubota is an industrial technology company whose products are intrinsically linked to agriculture and infrastructure. While often identified primarily as a tractor manufacturer, the company’s operations encompass three core pillars:

Food

Kubota develops machinery and technologies designed to support food production, including:

• Tractors
• Rice transplanters
• Combine harvesters
• Agricultural implements
• Vegetable and crop machinery
• Precision-agriculture systems
• Autonomous and automated agricultural machinery
• Agricultural engines

Water

With a history in water infrastructure dating back to the 1890s, Kubota manufactures:

• Ductile iron pipes
• Pipe fittings
• Valves
• Water-treatment equipment
• Wastewater-treatment systems
• Water-management technologies

Environment and living

The company also develops technologies for:

• Waste treatment
• Environmental engineering
• Urban infrastructure
• Construction
• Industrial equipment
• Recycling and resource circulation

Kubota identifies these three areas—food, water, and the environment—as essential components of human life and the primary fields in which it addresses social challenges.[3]

Foundation and early casting works

Kubota was established in Osaka in 1890 when Gonshiro Kubota, then aged 19, founded a small metal-casting business. Originally named Ohde Casting, the workshop produced cast-metal products such as fittings and weights for weighing scales.[4] Contrary to common assumptions, the company did not begin with tractors or farm machinery but with metal casting.

Transition to water infrastructure

During the late 19th century, Japan underwent rapid modernisation while facing severe public health crises, including cholera outbreaks. As modern water infrastructure became critical, the country remained reliant on imported iron pipes due to repeated failures in domestic manufacturing. Beginning in 1893, Gonshiro Kubota worked to develop domestic production of cast-iron water pipes. After years of experimentation, he successfully improved casting methods to produce pipes suitable for waterworks.[5]

In 1897, the company was renamed Kubota Iron Works and expanded its iron-pipe and waterworks businesses.[6] This early success established a technological foundation that persists today; Kubota eventually became a major manufacturer of ductile iron pipes and water infrastructure systems, with pipe technology spanning over a century and current products ranging from approximately DN80 to DN2600.[7]

Diversification and agricultural machinery

In the early 20th century, Kubota diversified beyond casting and pipes into weighing equipment, industrial components, engines, and agricultural machinery. This expertise in metalworking and casting proved vital as Japanese agriculture began to mechanise. The company developed machinery specifically suited to Japanese rice farming, which required compact and manoeuvrable equipment for smaller farms. Key products included rice transplanters, combine harvesters, small and medium tractors, and diesel engines.

Over time, Kubota expanded from Japan into other Asian markets, and subsequently into North America and Europe. As of 31 December 2025, the company reported cumulative global tractor production exceeding 6.1 million units.[8]

Rice farming specialisation

Kubota distinguishes itself through comprehensive support for rice agriculture, covering land preparation, planting, crop management, and harvesting. Its portfolio includes tractors, rice transplanters, combine harvesters, implements, agricultural engines, and precision-farming technologies. The company is one of few agricultural machinery manufacturers with significant involvement in both rice farming and dry-field farming.[9]

Tractors

Kubota tractors range from compact models to larger agricultural machines used for crop production, landscaping, municipal work, construction support, hay and livestock operations, and general farming. The brand is characterised by compact design for confined spaces, extensive diesel-engine expertise, mechanical reliability, and specialisation in Asian cropping systems.

Construction equipment

Kubota is a major manufacturer of compact construction machinery, particularly mini excavators. Other products include compact excavators, compact track loaders, skid steer loaders, and attachments. According to Off-Highway Research data for 2025, Kubota has been the world’s leading seller of mini excavators for 24 consecutive years.[10] This positions the brand at the intersection of agriculture, construction, and industrial engines.

Industrial engines

Kubota produces approximately 3,800 types of industrial engines as of late 2025.[11] These power agricultural and construction machinery, generators, pumps, lawn equipment, and OEM machinery. Strategically, this allows Kubota to supply power sources for equipment manufactured by other companies, extending its reach beyond its own branded machines.

Water and environmental systems

The water business encompasses ductile iron pipes, fittings, valves, and water-supply systems. Environmental activities include wastewater treatment, water purification, waste treatment, recycling technologies, and environmental engineering. This connects Kubota’s operations from food production on farms to urban water infrastructure.

Although founded in Japan, Kubota’s transformation into a global enterprise accelerated from the late 20th century onwards. The company has developed a structure centred on Japan, North America, Europe, and Asia, with manufacturing, sales, and service operations in numerous countries.[12] Today, Kubota operates in more than 120 countries,[13] with significant international presence in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, Thailand, India, Vietnam, and other Asian markets.

Presence in Southeast Asia

Thailand serves as a key base for Kubota’s Asian agricultural business. As mechanised agriculture expanded in the region, Kubota established a strong market position. In 2009, it became the first Japanese company to commence local tractor production in Thailand,[14] reflecting a strategy of developing and manufacturing products close to end markets rather than relying solely on exports from Japan.

Kubota’s global brand statement, “For Earth, For Life”, reflects the view that its products address fundamental human needs. The corporate philosophy focuses on food, water, the environment, sustainable development, and improving quality of life. The company describes itself as an “Essentials Innovator for Supporting Life,”[15] framing its diverse businesses—from tractors and water pipes to wastewater systems and industrial engines—as interconnected parts of a system supporting daily life.

This philosophy traces back to founder Gonshiro Kubota, who emphasised that technology should serve society, difficult problems should be tackled directly, products must have practical value, and innovation should contribute to people’s lives. The corporate spirit centres on using technical capabilities to address unknown challenges and create societal prosperity.[16]

Kubota’s technology portfolio extends beyond its public image as a tractor manufacturer. Key areas include mechanical engineering, casting (dating to 1890), diesel engines, hydraulics, automation, ICT-based precision agriculture, and environmental engineering.

Autonomous and digital agriculture

To address labour shortages, ageing farming populations, and productivity demands, Kubota is investing in autonomous tractors, automated machinery, precision agriculture, data-driven farming, and connected services. Automated and unmanned machinery are central to achieving labour-saving agricultural operations.[17]

Electrification and low-carbon technology

Responding to the transition away from fossil fuels, Kubota’s engine business is developing technologies for improved fuel efficiency, electrification, hybrid systems, low-carbon fuels, and hydrogen. These efforts aim to meet stricter emissions regulations and global carbon neutrality goals, addressing technological shifts affecting its traditional strength in compact diesel engines.

Kubota competes with different manufacturers depending on the segment. In agricultural machinery, major competitors include John Deere, CNH Industrial, AGCO, Yanmar, and ISEKI. In construction equipment, it competes with Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi Construction Machinery, and Takeuchi, though the competitive landscape varies by country and machine size.

Kubota’s competitive advantages stem from over 130 years of manufacturing experience beginning with casting, specialised expertise in compact machinery and small industrial engines, deep knowledge of both rice and dry-field farming,[18] dual revenue streams from proprietary and OEM engines, extensive global dealer networks, and diversification across food, water, and environmental sectors.

As of its latest corporate profile, Kubota Corporation reports 52,503 consolidated employees, consolidated revenue of ¥3.019 trillion for FY2025, capital of ¥84.1 billion, and operations in more than 120 countries.[19] Headquartered in Osaka, the company maintains an extensive international network of subsidiaries, factories, dealers, and offices.

While often perceived as a tractor manufacturer, Kubota is strategically an industrial technology company focused on food, water, and the environment. Its businesses connect agriculture to food production, water infrastructure to clean water supply, construction to infrastructure development, engines to industrial power, and environmental systems to resource management. This breadth underpins its positioning as an Essentials Innovator for Supporting Life.[20]

Historical timeline based on Kubota corporate archives and current corporate information.[21]

1. Corporate Profile | For Investors | Kubota Global Site
2. Kubota’s Business Divisions and Advantages | For Investors | Kubota Global Site
3. Our Business | Corporate information | Kubota Global Site
4. Our History | KUBOTA DIGITAL ARCHIVES | Kubota Global Site
5. [[Chapter 2] Realizing his wishes by starting a casting works in the corner of an old house. | Founder Stories | KUBOTA DIGITAL ARCHIVES | Kubota Global Site](https://www.kubota.com/corporatehistory/stories/c2/)
6. [[Chapter 3] Success at the domestic production of cast iron pipes for waterworks, something that had been though an almost impossible task | Founder Stories | KUBOTA DIGITAL ARCHIVES | Kubota Global Site](https://www.kubota.com/corporatehistory/stories/c3/)
7. Corporate History | Corporate Information | Kubota Global Site
8. Ductile Iron Pipes | Products & Solutions | Kubota Global Site
9. Business Expansion over the past 30 Years | KUBOTA DIGITAL ARCHIVES | Kubota Global Site
10. Kubota Global Identity | Corporate Information | Kubota Global Site
11. Release of the Kubota Report 2026 | News | Kubota Global Site
12. Business Report for Shareholders | For Investors | Kubota Global Site
13. Release of the Kubota Group Integrated Report and ESG Report 2025 | News 2024 | Kubota Global Site
14. KUBOTA DIGITAL ARCHIVES | Kubota Global Site
15. Pipe System | EVOLUTION OF KUBOTA TECHNOLOGY | Kubota Global Site
16. Ductile Iron Pipes | Products & Solutions | Kubota Global Site
17. Electronic Equipped Machinery | EVOLUTION OF KUBOTA TECHNOLOGY | Kubota Global Site
18. Corporate Information | Kubota Global Site
19. Corporate Information | Kubota Global Site
20. Pipe System | EVOLUTION OF KUBOTA TECHNOLOGY | Kubota Global Site
21. About Kubota | Corporate Information | Kubota Global Site