At CSPI-EXPO 2026 in Chiba, Japan, interest in automation and digital transformation was driven by a practical concern: the construction industry is looking for ways to respond to persistent labour shortages.
Yanmar Compact Equipment presented its ViO30-7 zero-tail-swing mini excavator with blade 3D machine control, alongside remote-operation technology, and its Active Tip-over Mitigation System at the Japanese convention. Together, the technologies aim to support a shift in equipment to take a more active role in the task. As machines begin to take in more information and support decision-making, capability must remain understandable inside the cab. The new zero-tail-swing model is currently available in the Asia, Pacific, and Latin American markets.
For Cédric Durand, chief product officer at Yanmar CE, the purpose of integrating people and technology has everything to do with resolving real-world problems. “The question is always how a solution performs in real conditions,” he explains. “It has to integrate into the way people work.”
Compact equipment uses technology to resolve space restrictions
In 1968, Yanmar introduced the YNB300 to meet Japan’s construction boom amid labour shortages and increased costs. The machine brought mechanization into spaces that larger equipment struggled to reach. The zero-tail-swing design on the ViO30-7 answered the same need by making confined work more manageable.
Although the technology has changed over time, the development logic remains the same. Engineering begins with the performance crews need. Testing in real-world scenarios is necessary to ensure that controls last during long shifts, in rental scenarios, and for operators working with widely varying levels of experience.
“You learn different things beside a machine than you do around a design table,” says Durand. “A small source of hesitation, repeated throughout the working day, can become the starting point for a meaningful change.”
The recently launched SV10 shows how that process works in practice. The machine was meant to reach the market earlier, but field testing with customers in Italy, the U.K., and France identified a concern around stability. While the overall response to the prototype was positive, Yanmar decided to hold back the launch and address the issue.
The development team made targeted changes to the undercarriage and track structure, as well as the rear counterweight, before bringing the revised machine to market. Yanmar CE ensures that feedback from the field directly influences the finished machine.
“Feedback becomes valuable when it changes a design decision,” Durand shares. “The operator may never see the engineering discussion behind that change, but they will feel the difference every time they use the machine.”
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