27.07.2026

New cranes director for Kobelco Europe

Kobelco has appointed Akira ‘Andy’ Takayama as director of its European Cranes Division.

He is currently senior marketing manager at Kobelco International Singapore, but has worked for the company since 2006, with all 20 years of it spent within the crane business.

He started out working at Kobelco's crane plant in Okubo for two years, where he was immersed in crane manufacturing and production. He then transferred to Osaka, focusing on domestic sales of new crawler cranes, moving to Singapore in 2016 to take over responsibility for international sales of new and used cranes and starting his current job three years ago, covering crane sales and marketing in Japan along with the international used crane business.

Kobelco said: “ With two decades of dedicated experience within Kobelco, Takayama brings an exceptional breadth of knowledge and a proven track record in crane sales across domestic and international markets.”

“His unique combination of experience across four key market segments—domestic and international, new and used equipment—has given Takayama a comprehensive understanding of customer requirements and market dynamics throughout the global crane industry.”

Andy Takayama added: "It is a great honour to take on the role of division director of the crane business in Europe. Although this is my first assignment leading our European business, I look forward to applying the experience I have gained over the past 20 years in crane sales to further expand Kobelco's presence in the European market.”

“Together with our team and dealer partners, I am committed to delivering greater value to our customers and supporting their long-term success."