Kawasaki Motors Buys Related Firm

Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. has purchased Kawasaki Loaders Inc., a distributor of material loaders used in mining, construction, forestry, waste management and other heavy industries.

Kawasaki Loaders, based in Kennesaw, Ga., had been jointly owned by Sumitomo Trading Co. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the parent of Kawasaki Motors.

Henry Noda, president of Kawasaki Motors Corp., which was established in Irvine in 1969, said the acquisition is a logical step in broadening the company’s markets in North America. Until recently, Kawasaki Motors was solely a consumer goods company.

On Jan. 24, the company launched its expansion with the announcement that it had acquired exclusive North American distribution rights for Staffa Motors, a manufacturer of hydraulic motors used in heavy machinery applications, such as offshore drilling rigs and earth-moving machinery. Kawasaki Heavy Industries owns Staffa, which it purchased from British industrial giant Vickers Inc.

In addition to the Staffa and Kawasaki Loader products, Kawasaki Motors Corp. distributes Kawasaki motorcycles, Jet Ski watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, utility vehicles, portable power generators and gasoline engines for lawn care equipment, construction machinery, and other industrial and commercial uses.