Komatsu, Caterpillar warn of profit hits as tariffs weigh on demand

Equipment makers estimate damage to US sales with housing starts on decline

20250512N Komatsu excavator

Construction equipment made by Komatsu. Manufacturers expect tough business conditions in fiscal 2025. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)

SHOKO KUGAI

TOKYO -- Major Japanese construction equipment manufacturers see a tough year ahead, earnings out by Monday show, with the Trump administration's tariffs expected to cut into global demand and raise costs.

In the construction machinery segment of Kobe Steel, owner of Kobelco Construction Machinery, sales fell 4% to 388 billion yen ($2.61 billion) and ordinary profit doubled to 18.7 billion yen in the fiscal year ended this past March. For fiscal 2025, the company forecasts the segment's sales at 400 billion yen, up 3%, but ordinary profit at 9.5 billion yen, down 49%.

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