Komatsu has marked the official opening of the company’s new Milwaukee campus with a tree planting ceremony attended by both Komatsu President and CEO, Hiroyuki Ogawa, and Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers.
The new 58-acre (23.5 ha) campus located in Milwaukee’s Harbor District includes a 180,000-sq.ft (16,723-sq.m) office building and a 430,000-sq.ft manufacturing facility, which produces the major components of large mining machines, including electric rope shovels, hybrid shovels, draglines and blasthole drills. The location serves as the large gearing centre of excellence and the large fabrication and machining centre of excellence for Komatsu’s surface mining business, it said.
With the new campus, Komatsu aims to create a remarkable workplace for the future in Milwaukee, where the company has more than a century of history, it says. The new facility was designed and built to enhance Komatsu’s goal of “creating value together” by leveraging technology and open spaces, providing a globally connected meeting place for both company and community, and emphasising sustainability.
“Our South Harbor campus and its many sustainability features are part of our global commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and sustainable growth as a company,” Ogawa said. “This is an important goal for Komatsu along with society, as we all work to do our part to address global warming. Through this campus, we hope to contribute to the Milwaukee community by implementing our growth strategy.”
The new facility also reaffirms Komatsu’s commitment to support the workforce of southeast Wisconsin for future generations, by preserving existing jobs, laying the groundwork for new employment opportunities and helping attract talent to the area, the company added.
Komatsu thanked project partners Hunzinger Construction, EUA and GRAEF for their work to make the new campus possible.