Rolling Meadows, IL - Komatsu America Corp.'s D51 EX/PX-22 crawler dozer won a silver award for their design in the IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) competition. The D51 design was honored in the Commercial and Industrial category for its super-slant nose engine hood which provides the operator with exceptional visibility of the top blade edge and area in front of the dozer blade at all times.

According to the award citation from IDEA, the super-slant-nose is a "unique feature (that) allows the operator to see objects that are very close to the blade, dramatically increasing safety and efficiency on the jobsite. This new design assures an improvement in fundamental dozer work parameters."

The D51EX-22 and D51PX-22 crawler dozers are mid-sized machines appropriate for work in construction, site preparation, home building, forestry, utility and quarry applications. Outfitted with Komatsu's fuel efficient 6.69 Liter, Tier 3 emissions certified SAA6D107E-1 engine, these new models push with 130 HP at 2,200 RPM and range in operating weight from 27,778 to 28,881 lbs, depending on the version. Both standard (EX) and low ground pressure (PX) models are available to offer customers weight distribution/flotation options to match their application.

The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) program is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. The program is sponsored by BusinessWeek magazine. IDEA was formerly known as the Industrial Design Excellence Awards. The name of the awards competition was changed in 2007 to emphasize its international reach and influence. As the voice of the industrial design profession, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) has been honoring design excellence through the IDEA Awards since 1980.