ACE and Japan's Kato Works Form ₹200 Crore Joint Venture to Make Cranes in India

Action Construction Equipment Limited (ACE) and Japan's Kato Works Co., Ltd. have announced a joint venture to manufacture high-capacity cranes in India, with a combined investment of approximately ₹200 crore. The new entity, ACE KATO Pvt. Ltd., will be structured as an equal 50:50 partnership between the two companies. The announcement was made in New Delhi on March 24, 2026.

The venture will set up a manufacturing facility in Haryana, with operations expected to begin in 2026. It will produce truck cranes, crawler cranes and rough terrain cranes — equipment used in large-scale construction, infrastructure development and industrial applications — targeting both the Indian market and international buyers.

Sorab Agarwal, Executive Director of ACE, said the partnership was aimed at bringing globally benchmarked crane technology to India while strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities. "India is witnessing an unprecedented phase of infrastructure and industrial growth, which is significantly increasing the demand for advanced construction equipment," he said. "Through this collaboration, we aim to further expand our presence in the high-capacity crane segment while positioning India as a strategic manufacturing hub for advanced lifting equipment."

The joint venture will draw on Kato Works' engineering expertise and proprietary technologies to develop products intended to compete on performance, efficiency and cost. ACE will contribute its manufacturing base, operational experience and an extensive distribution network that spans more than 125 locations across India, supported by 13 regional offices. Together, the companies expect the collaboration to improve product competitiveness while opening pathways to new market segments that neither has fully addressed independently.

Beyond the domestic market, the venture has stated plans to pursue export opportunities across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and other international markets. ACE currently exports to more than 42 countries across these regions, and the new partnership is expected to build on that footprint with a broader and more technically advanced product range.

The arrangement aligns with India's Make in India initiative, a government programme encouraging domestic production across sectors including industrial machinery, defence, electronics and construction equipment. The construction equipment industry in India has seen increased activity in recent years, driven by government spending on roads, ports, railways and urban infrastructure under programmes such as the National Infrastructure Pipeline.

ACE was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Palwal, Haryana. The company describes itself as the world's largest manufacturer of pick-and-carry cranes — a category of mobile cranes commonly used on Indian construction sites for their ability to carry loads while moving. Its product portfolio also includes tower cranes, crawler cranes, aerial work platforms, telehandlers, forklifts and agricultural machinery. The company has grown from a domestic-focused manufacturer into an exporter with a presence across multiple continents.

Kato Works was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Tokyo. With more than a century of operations, the company manufactures mobile cranes, construction machinery and industrial equipment, and operates production facilities in Japan and internationally. It has long supplied construction and infrastructure markets globally and is known for its focus on durability, safety and technical advancement in heavy lifting equipment.

The partnership brings together a Japanese manufacturer with deep engineering heritage and an Indian company with established manufacturing scale and market penetration — a model that has become a recurring feature of India's efforts to develop its industrial base through international technology partnerships.