What Kanematsu Engineering does

Kanematsu Engineering Co., Ltd. is a Japanese specialty-vehicle manufacturer founded in 1971 and headquartered in Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture, listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard Market (ticker 6402). The company designs, manufactures, and services environmental maintenance equipment — primarily high-power suction work trucks under the Mobile Vac brand, high-pressure cleaning trucks under the Mobile Jet brand, and powder suction/pressure delivery vehicles under the Powder Clean brand — using proprietary Roots-blower vacuum systems, pneumatic unload valves, and in-house bag-filter designs. Its product range spans 2-ton to 25-ton GVW vehicles, stationary suction machines, microwave extraction equipment for food/botanical processing, and specialized applications including road and tunnel cleaning, decontamination, sludge transport, and disaster-response units. Over 50 years the company has cumulatively shipped more than 15,000 units.

The company sells primarily through a direct sales force organized around seven regional branch offices (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Higashihiroshima, Fukuoka, Sendai, Sapporo) and eleven nationwide service factories, targeting Japanese government agencies (MLIT, NEXCO, municipalities, fire departments) and industrial customers in steel, electric power, shipbuilding, and industrial waste management. Distribution channels include government public procurement, direct enterprise sales, an in-house e-commerce parts shop (K&E-Direct), and a dedicated Overseas Division handling exports to markets including New Zealand and China, the latter via a 2010 technology transfer agreement. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of custom-engineered vehicles, aftermarket parts and service, and licensing of manufacturing technology. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct sales-engineer consultation.

The business model is fundamentally industrial capital-equipment sales with an integrated aftermarket/service annuity: vehicles are high-value, durable assets with multi-year operating lifecycles, generating recurring parts and service revenue through the nationwide service-factory network. The company has invested in product-line expansion into adjacent verticals (microwave extraction for food processing, biomass reutilization, EV specialty vehicles) and emergency-response applications (Tokyo Fire Department, Remover 3000 decontamination), but the core revenue base remains tied to Japanese public-infrastructure maintenance and heavy-industry cleaning applications.

Name

Kanematsu Engineering

Legal name

兼松エンジニアリング株式会社

Website

https://kanematsu-eng.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kanematsu Engineering is a Japanese specialty-vehicle manufacturer (TSE:6402) founded in 1971 that designs and builds high-power suction trucks, high-pressure cleaning vehicles, and powder-recovery equipment, selling primarily to government agencies and heavy-industry customers across Japan through a seven-branch direct sales and eleven-service-factory network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Utility & Maintenance Vehicle Manufacturing (Street Sweepers/Vacuum Trucks) (IMACAFAI)

Keywords

• Vacuum truck manufacturing
• Environmental equipment
• High-pressure cleaning
• Industrial waste management
• Specialty vehicle manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kochi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle and Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of specialty vehicles (vacuum trucks, high-pressure cleaning trucks) and environmental equipment. Products are sold primarily to industrial clients and government entities in Japan.
2. Parts and Aftermarket Services: Parts sales through the K&E-Direct online shop. Service and repair operations through a nationwide network of service factories.
3. Technology Licensing and Transfer: Technology transfer agreements for manufacturing vacuum trucks and high-pressure cleaning trucks to international partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kanematsu Engineering manufactures and sells specialty environmental equipment, primarily high-power suction work trucks (Mobile Vac series), high-pressure cleaning trucks (Mobile Jet series), powder suction and pressure delivery vehicles (Powder Clean series), and microwave extraction equipment for food/agricultural processing. Products are sold primarily to industrial clients (steel mills, electric power companies, shipbuilders, waste disposal firms) and government agencies (MLIT, NEXCO, municipalities) in Japan, with some exports overseas.

Product overview

Kanematsu Engineering is a Japanese manufacturer of environmental maintenance equipment, founded in 1971, operating as 'The Ecology Company.' The product portfolio centers on four core product lines: (1) Mobile Vac series - high-performance suction work trucks including Power Prover, Super Mobile, Mobile Back, Neo Mobile, and Low Noise variants for suction of liquids, powders, and sludge; (2) Mobile Jet series - high-pressure cleaning trucks with pneumatic control systems for sewer, pipe, and surface cleaning; (3) Powder Clean series - specialized suction and pressure delivery vehicles for industrial powder recovery in steel, cement, and automotive plants; and (4) Microwave Extraction Equipment - batch-type extraction systems for food and botanical processing. Supporting products include stationary Vacuum Conveyor systems, Grand Basket dehydrators, road and tunnel cleaning vehicles (including Remover 3000 for decontamination), Trans Mobile sludge transport systems, Lift Up Mobile vehicles with hydraulic lifts, and various specialized attachments. The company also produces Biomass Reutilization Equipment for continuous extraction. All products are manufactured in Kochi, Japan, with nationwide sales and service networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K&E: The Ecology Company - The company's branding focusing on environmental solutions and ecological technology
• K&E-Direct
• Mobile Vac
• Mobile Jet
• Powder Clean

Products and services

• Mobile Vac — High-Power Suction Work Trucks High-performance suction truck series equipped with large-capacity, high-vacuum Roots-type blowers for suction of liquids, powders, and high-temperature substances. Available in various sizes from 8-ton to 25-ton GVW, with suction capacities ranging from 10 to 200 m³/min. Models include Power Prover, Super Mobile, Mobile Back, Neo Mobile, and Low-Noise Super Mobile variants.
• Mobile Jet — High-Pressure Cleaning Trucks High-pressure cleaning truck with proprietary pneumatic unload valve mechanism, automatic hose winding system, and accelerator control for improved operability. Available in various sizes with water pressures from 14-25 MPa for sewer, pipe, and surface cleaning applications.
• Powder Clean — Powder Suction and Pressure Delivery Vehicles Special-purpose suction and pressure delivery truck for powder recovery in steel, cement, and automobile plants. Features separate bag filter and recovery chambers to prevent filter damage (Utility Model No. 2528608), with models including BYT, BF, DVFP, BVYT, and AR series.
• Microwave Extraction Equipment Batch-type extraction equipment using rapid microwave heating for extracting aromas and essential oils from citrus fruits, herbs, and other plant materials. Features reduced-pressure low-temperature extraction without solvents, achieving 99% microwave energy conversion to heat. Three extraction modes: reflux, fractional distillation, and continuous flow. Models ranging from 5kg to 100kg per batch processing capacity.
• Biomass Reutilization Equipment Zero-emission continuous extraction equipment with drying function, combining microwave extraction technology with continuous processing capabilities. Features 500kg/8hr processing capacity for yuzu peel processing, utilizing citrus processing byproducts for waste reduction.
• Vacuum Conveyor — Stationary Suction Machines Stationary suction machine available in electric motor drive (EL) and diesel engine drive (DE) types, designed for continuous suction operations in industrial facilities such as shipyards for grit blasting waste recovery.
• Grand Basket — Centrifugal Dehydrator Non-perforated centrifugal dehydrator combined with polymer flocculant two-stage addition system for efficient dehydration of both organic and inorganic sludge, supporting waste volume reduction.
• Remover 3000 — Decontamination Road Cleaning Vehicle The first domestic road cleaning vehicle for radiation decontamination in Japan, developed for decontamination operations following the 2011 disaster. Designed for cleaning road surfaces in affected areas.
• Road Refresher — Road Surface Cleaning Vehicle Cleaning-suction type road surface cleaning vehicle for urban road maintenance and surface cleaning operations, including road surface sweeping and washing.
• Grease Trap Sludge Reduction Vehicle Mobile equipment for reducing volume of grease trap sludge waste, supporting waste management operations for commercial kitchens and food service facilities.
• Trans Mobile — Sludge Suction and Pressure Delivery Vehicle Sludge suction work truck with unique vacuum suction and pressurized delivery system for long-distance, high-lift transport of sludge and sand.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000+ units shipped across all product lines (as of 2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cappellotto S.p.A. Italian manufacturer of combined sewer cleaners and industrial vacuum trucks for municipal and industrial applications. Comparable to K&E's Mobile Vac and Mobile Jet product lines serving similar industrial waste and environmental services customers.
• Dulevo International: Italian manufacturer of street sweepers, industrial vacuum cleaners, and floor scrubbers. Compares to K&E's road cleaning and indoor/outdoor environmental cleaning equipment offerings for municipalities and industrial users.
• Elgin Sweeper: US-based manufacturer of street sweepers and environmental maintenance equipment including mechanical, regenerative air, and vacuum sweepers. Comparable to K&E's road cleaning and vacuum truck offerings for government and infrastructure customers.
• Tymco: US-based manufacturer of regenerative air street sweepers for municipal and airport use. Comparable product category to K&E's Road Refresher and tunnel cleaning vehicles sold to government and infrastructure customers.
• Morita Holdings: Japanese manufacturer of fire trucks, evacuation vehicles, and specialty municipal vehicles. Listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange; comparable to K&E as a Japanese specialty vehicle manufacturer serving government and municipal customers.
• Aichi Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of street sweepers, high-altitude work vehicles, and special-purpose vehicles. The most direct Japanese competitor to K&E's vacuum truck and road cleaning products, sharing domestic government and municipal customers.
• Schwarze Industries: US-based manufacturer of street sweepers, leaf vacuums, and specialty environmental maintenance vehicles. Directly comparable to Kanematsu Engineering's Mobile Vac and Road Refresher product lines for municipal and contractor use.
• FAUN Gruppe: German manufacturer of refuse collection vehicles, street sweepers, and sewer cleaners. Direct peer in the specialty environmental vehicle market, with similar product positioning to K&E's Mobile Vac and Powder Clean product lines.
• Vactor (Sewer Equipment Co. of America): Leading North American manufacturer of sewer cleaners, industrial vacuum loaders, and hydro-excavation trucks. Directly comparable to K&E's Mobile Jet high-pressure cleaning trucks and Mobile Vac product line.

Broad incumbents

• Kärcher: Global leader in cleaning technology with a broad portfolio of high-pressure cleaners, industrial vacuums, and municipal cleaning equipment. Overlaps with K&E's Mobile Jet product line but operates across wider commercial, consumer, and industrial markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwseuD2JqGS1yVBgSLh1ssg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kanematsu Engineering