Takeuchi compact loader is a product line of Takeuchi Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Kabushiki-gaisha Takeuchi Seisakujo), which is a Japanese heavy-machinery company that produces mini excavators, hydraulic excavators and crawler loaders. Takeuchi introduced the first compact excavator in 1971. The company has wholly owned subsidiary facilities in the United States (1979), United Kingdom (1996), France (2000) and China (2006). Takeuchi was founded in 1963 as an environmental equipment manufacturer. It was the first company to introduce compact excavators to North America, setting the stage for one of the highest-growth product segments ever introduced in the compact equipment market.