Komatsu Mining Corp. plans to build a new, state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing campus.
The company’s 232,257 square-metre South Harbor Campus is planned for Milwaukee’s Harbor District, off Greenfield Avenue, near the location of the company’s original machine shop off South First Street.
A $300 million investment for Komatsu Mining
Just shy of its 135th anniversary in the Milwaukee area, Komatsu plans to invest nearly $300 million at the site, reinforcing its commitment to Milwaukee as a large machining, heavy fabrication and engineering centre of excellence for P&H mining shovels and drills.
“The new campus provides us opportunity for advancement in state-of-the-art facilities that expand our capabilities on a global scale,” said Jeff Dawes, president and CEO of Komatsu Mining Corp.
“Our new facilities will be designed to enhance safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability – all top priorities of Komatsu worldwide, allowing us to better serve our customers and deliver innovative solutions.”
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Plans for Komatsu’s South Harbor Campus include the design and construction of new office, manufacturing and training facilities. The campus will include advanced machine, heat treating and fabrication shops; techonolgy, research and development and robotics labs; a purpose-built office complex and data solutions centre; a global training and conference centre; a museum and company store; and a public riverwalk.
“This is a win for the city, state, our employees, customers and the community: together we are investing in Milwaukee’s future as a manufacturing stronghold and valued employer,” said John Koetz, president of surface mining at Komatsu Mining Corp. “We are preserving existing jobs, laying the groundwork for new employment opportunities, investing in the workforce of tomorrow, and helping attract talent to the area. Milwaukee is a great place for manufacturing. We are proud of our history here and excited to start building our future.”
Near zero
The new campus will be built with the goal of becoming a near zero emissions facility. By incorporating solar panels, wind spires, a remotely operated closed-loop heat treat system, green spaces, LED lighting and other sustainable solutions, Komatsu aims to reduce energy consumption by 75 per cent and reduce water consumption by 80 per cent, compared to its current operations. Construction of the new headquarters is expected to be complete by 2022.
KEC expands
Komatsu Equipment Company — the flagship dealership for Komatsu America Corp — is also building s new 57,000 square-metre service centre on about 30 acres of land in Elko Nevada.
“The new building offers an exciting opportunity to bring together local employees of two major Komatsu subsidiaries: KEC and Komatsu Mining Corp. (KMC), into one integrated organization,” said John Pfisterer, President, Komatsu Equipment Company. “Collaborating directly in a shared, state-of-the-art space, these combined teams will enhance customer support and operational efficiency.”
The new building will include a six-bay, full service construction equipment and mechanical rebuild shop; a heavy welding and fabricating shop, large enough for rebuild and manufacturing of large shovel and truck structures and manufacturing of truck bodies; a heavy machine shop with large, horizontal milling and boring machine, plus vertical lathe capability; and a construction equipment and rental-machine yard.
Planned for completion in early 2020, the new facility will combine the staff and functions of three existing buildings.
When operational, the new customer support and service centre will be capable of providing expanded support to construction and mining machines across western North America.
