1970
Since this era, the focus of domestic demand gradually started shifting from bulldozers to hydraulic shovels. Additional considerations, such as ease of operation, also became an important aspect of design.
Pay loaders of the JH and 500 series were developed and sold based on the partnership with International Harvester. For this reason, Komatsu faced restrictions including regions and product naming when it came to exporting to avoid competing with them. The exterior was changed significantly as well. Those products developed for overseas markets around this time were categorized as the W series. The nickname, "Pay loader", was not used either.
W90 was formatted for overseas market. The main destination for export was the Middle and Near East, and W90 was specifically designed for tropical and desert areas.
Wheel loader
It was 1949 when the first wheel loader was manufactured in Japan, however, it was not until mid 1960's when Komatsu entered the wheel loader market aligning with International Harvester. From JH series in the beginning, to the 500 series, to Komatsu's original WA series, our wheel loaders have met the needs of construction sites by scaling up, coping with the environment and adopting advanced technology such as mechatronics and IT.
