By the time Kubota celebrated its 90th anniversary and were pushing forward under the corporate slogan of "Pursuing a promised future with our technological strength," the agricultural machinery market had matured and times had changed from selling machines to selling services.

In order to meet diverse needs, Kubota expanded its lineup of engines with different horsepower and fuels.

As Japan's period of rapid growth slowed and major agricultural machinery had spread thoroughly, there were calls for expansion and diversification of agricultural machinery.

Kubota Engine incorporated mechatronics and other advanced technologies to lead the mature market.

The reversible tractor, which was developed in 1983, allowed work equipment to be attached near the rear wheels to enable the tractor to work in the same way both backward and forward. This novelty attracted public attention, as did its fuel-saving, direct-injection, water-cooled diesel engine.

At the time, the Supermini series set the quality standard for the small diesel engine market by being the most compact, clean, and quiet models in Kubota's engine lineup.

In the process of expanding the engine business, the Sakai Coastal Plant Project Team was established in 1983 with the goal of making Kubota an international manufacturer of compact, general-purpose engines.

The Sakai Coastal Plant was designed to reduce costs while ensuring quality in order to surpass the best companies in the world, to produce a wide variety of products in small quantities to meet diverse market needs, and to improve efficiency of facilities and production management systems. The plant started operations in 1985 and achieved a production capacity of 500,000 units per year.

By 1987, total engine production reached 10 million units. It had been 65 years since the company started manufacturing agricultural oil engines at its Funade-cho plant in 1922.