How did Kubota get such a large market share ?

[shoppintractors]

<font color="blue">To my knowledge, the machines that these companies sell are the same all around the world. </font>

Your knowledge is flawed because you can see obvious differences in some of the Kioti's sold over in the UK.

<font color="blue"> They have also gone out of their way to preserve their name and reputation, I don't think Kioti and Mahindra are doing a great job with this as they sell off their machines to Cub Cadet, that makes them seem like a cheap import knockoff brand not unlike Jima.
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That's really a cheap shot. If I were to use that line of thinking, I could spin it and say Shibaura builds XXX XXXXXXX tractors.

I think if the question was answered as it was asked..... the answers would extole the virtues of the Kubota corporation and not simply be trashing the competition with slanted personal opinion. Salesmanship 101.

Don

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
That's really a cheap shot. If I were to use that line of thinking, I could spin it and say Shibaura builds XXX XXXXXXX tractors.

)</font>

Bob just said that in the previous post, and I'd agree. Deere and New Holland should be taking some heat for the fact that they don't build their own product. Speaking from experience that pays dividens in long term support of the product. Your own factories can continue to provide support while a subcontractor is eager to move on.

Do you know if what Kioti sells abroad is the same as in the US? I have not found anything contrary to that? This thread is about the things that Kubota did right and this is certianly one of them. My intent was not to talk down about them, just pointing out one way that they are not operating the same as Kubota did 20 years ago, which has been a common comparison.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> That's really a cheap shot. If I were to use that line of thinking, I could spin it and say Shibaura builds XXX XXXXXXX tractors. </font>

Neil & Don, not to be nitpicking here (but since I do it so well) . . .

I did point out that New Holland has a contract builder in Japan that makes machines for them. I pointed out that Kubota is vertically integrated and builds their own machines. In my mind, NH is at the disadvangate. Neil pointed out that Kioti makes machine for Cub Cadet.

When Don pointed it out, he pointed it out in the obverse when he related the fact which actually acted to insult the contract factory (Shibuara) while I think he was trying to agree with the fact that New Holland doesn't make their own machines. To insult Shibuara for making some New Holland CUTS is identical to insulting Kioti for making Cub Cadet. I don't think that is Don's intent.

 

[shoppintractors]

<font color="blue">Do you know if what Kioti sells abroad is the same as in the US? </font>

From my untrained eye, I've noted different seats, headlights, ROPS & side view mirror.

<font color="blue"> This thread is about the things that Kubota did right </font>

Please re-read the second point in my previous post.

Don

 

[normde2001]

The same way Toyota did, They're good, (their doors line up) /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

 

[Holzster]

1. ANY tractor is beter then NO tractor.
2. The best tractor is the one you like/trust the most!!

 

[SkyPup]

Kubota's <60hp compact tractors are such a great success for one reason, they made it into your backyard and their competitors did not.

This market niche was all but 100% ignored by domestic OEMs until Kubota made them take notice, ever since then all they've played is Ketchup....and domestic OEM still cannot produce diesel engines for this market either... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[spm22]

The real trick for this industry is figuring out what the market will want when the baby boomers are gone. there is a huge population of americans settling on semi-rural plots- people that grew up with gardens, animals, relatives in farming; these people want a touch of that, and the compact tractor lets them be an estate owner etc. but what is next? will the kids that grew up in the MTV 1980s yearn for 10 acres and a tractor? we may see a glut of 200 hr kubotas in 10 years as estate auctions run rampant....the CUT parade is at it's peak, and many have missed the profitable portion of the show. That is how business is....I will be interested to see who wins the next round.....

 

[jim_wilson]

As a relative tractor newbie I can say what swayed me towards buying a Kubota BX23 over the competition:

1) tractor model that had features I wanted
2) general reputation
3) quality of product
4) price
5) number of dealers and general impression of those dealers
6) market leadership

When I started out looking for a piece of equipment to get all the work done around my house I didn't really have any idea of what I needed other than I knew I would need a backhoe at some point and I knew I would need a machine with a FEL. I looked at Bobcats, trackhoes, garden tractors, and all sorts of other stuff like Power Tracs and such. While looking thru Ebay I saw one of those bogus auctions that keep showing up for a BX22. At that time I didn't even know that anybody made a small tractor like the BX23 with a FEL and a backhoe. From that point on I started looking at the BX23 and I also found out about the Massey GC2310. I also looked at Kubota B series, the Deere 2210 and forty ten series, and the NH TZ and TZ, and the Kioti CK. In the end I narrowed down the choice to a SubCUT tractor because a CUT size tractor was going to be too big to be a viable long term solution for my land (1/2 acre). And of the SubCUT's the brands I really wanted were Kubota and Deere - mostly because my neophyte brain said that they were the two brands that I perceived were the most recognizable - and based on my searching on the web were the two brands that were the most popular. So in the end for me Kubota won out over the other brands for all the things I have mentioned above - plus one other thing that I have learned over the years counts for a lot - market leadership.
When I buy computer parts I always try to get something that is popular enough to be supported by everybody - because I know down the road when I am trying to get it to work on some new configuration I will most likely be able to get support for that. When I was into hot rodding cars I chose a Chevy - for the same basic reason. My last two cars have been Honda's - again for the pretty much the same reason. When the things are off warranty or I am trying to fix some problem late on a Sunday night or some such thing, I know when I choose a product made by a company that produces a popular/market leader - product it will benefit me in the end and make my life easier. Kubota has that, and that counted a lot for me in the end when I made my purchase decision.

 

[SkyPup]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The real trick for this industry is figuring out what the market will want when the baby boomers are gone. there is a huge population of americans settling on semi-rural plots- people that grew up with gardens, animals, relatives in farming; these people want a touch of that, and the compact tractor lets them be an estate owner etc. but what is next? will the kids that grew up in the MTV 1980s yearn for 10 acres and a tractor? we may see a glut of 200 hr kubotas in 10 years as estate auctions run rampant....the CUT parade is at it's peak, and many have missed the profitable portion of the show. That is how business is....I will be interested to see who wins the next round..... )</font>


When Gen X shops at the Baby Boomer estate sales they will most certainly purchase the outstanding Kubota hardware they find and then proceed to modify it to their tastes:

1. Large Loud Stainless Steel Muffler
2. Bright Chrome Wheel Rims
3. Ultra Thin Tires
4. Super Low Ground Clearance
5. Super Loud BoomBox Speakers
6. Custom underneath UV lights
7. Numerous Tattos and Piercings

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif