Motor grader and electric micro excavator receive double Good Design Awards

 Motor grader GD955-7 selected for 'Good Design Best 100'

October 16, 2024 -- Komatsu (President and CEO: Hiroyuki Ogawa) has received the Good Design Award for the motor grader GD955-7 and the electric micro excavator PC01E-2 at the 2024 Good Design Awards (*1) organized by the Japan Design Promotion Organization. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Komatsu has received the Good Design Award. In addition, the motor grader GD955-7 has been selected for the Good Design Best 100 (*2). This is the first time that Komatsu has been selected for the Good Design Best 100. In addition, a panel of the GD955-7 and an actual PC01E-2 machine will be exhibited at the special exhibition "My Choice" (*3), which features the favourite award-winning works selected by the Good Design Award judges.

The large motor graders that received this award are mainly used to prepare tracks for dump trucks at sites such as mines. The GD955-7, which was released in January this year as the first model change in 30 years, was designed to enhance safety required at mine sites, while expressing strength and stability in its exterior and pursuing ease of use for customers in terms of operability, comfort, and maintainability. These points were highly evaluated in the award.

 "The design group is responsible for the design of all of our products, including the award-winning products. We believe that design is an important function of construction and mining equipment,"  the design group, in Komatsu's Product Planning Office in the Product Planning Division, said. "Through design, we strive to provide a better experience, including safety as well as comfort and convenience. We are extremely pleased that our thoughts that we put into both products were conveyed to everyone through this award, and that this point was highly evaluated. We will continue to seek out designs that provide better experiences in the future."

Jury comments

"This is a large motor grader used to prepare roads at mines and other sites, and has been updated nearly 40 years after the previous generation. The excellent visibility from the hexagonal driver's seat is particularly noteworthy, and even the shape of the openings in the step surface that serves as a foothold when boarding has been carefully considered. To complement this, a modern camera system has been adopted, and by concentrating the control levers within easy reach, they have succeeded in reducing the operating range during operation by more than 90% compared to previous models. Although it is both an industrial good and a B2B product, it has been carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, despite the many manufacturing requirements, and we commend the fact that they have put together a design that owners and workers can be proud of."
 

Evaluation comments from the judging committee

"The PC01E-2 will surely appeal to men and women of all ages who are interested in gardening or farm work. In addition to its unique appearance, which resembles a baby giraffe combined with a snail, it is also outstanding in that it is quiet and emits no exhaust fumes, has a removable battery, and is compact enough to fit into small gardens or courtyards. Another notable feature is that it is lighter than the maximum load capacity of a minicar. It is a fascinating tool that makes you wonder, 'What could I do with this?'"

*1 Good Design Award: an activity to improve our lives and society through design. Since its inception in 1957, it has been widely known along with its symbolic mark, the "G Mark." The Good Design Award is given to a variety of things that surround us, including products, architecture, software, systems, and services. Regardless of whether they have a form or not, anything that people have built to achieve some ideal or purpose is considered to be design, and the quality of that design is evaluated and commended. Reference: Good Design Award website  

*2 "Good Design Best 100": The 100 products that received particularly high praise from the judging committee among the Good Design Award winners.

*3 "My Choice: Good Design Award 2024 Jury Selection" is a special exhibition that introduces personal favourites and award-winning designs selected by the judges of the Good Design Award along with their comments.
Exhibition venue: GOOD DESIGN Marunouchi (1F Shin Kokusai Building, 3-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)

Exhibition schedule: Motor grader "GD955-7" (panel): 11/14 (Thu) - 11/27 (Wed)  Electric micro excavator "PC01E-2" (actual machine): 10/16 (Wed) - 10/29 (Tue)

 *For more information, please visit the exhibition website. Link: https://marunouchi.g-mark.org/exhibition.html#part02

Control number 0054 (3279)
*Information contained in this news release is as of the time of announcement and is subject to change without notice