Komatsu Australia Limited today announced the official opening and commissioning of its all-new, state of the art regional headquarters at Wacol, south-west of Brisbane.
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Total project expenditure in excess of $55 million has been injected into the local economy, with up to 400 workers employed during the construction phase that completed in March 2012.
The facility will act as a one-stop shop for Queensland customers, with the sale, service, assembly and remanufacturing of mining and construction equipment taking place on site.
The site also features Komatsu's Condition Monitoring Services' oil-testing laboratories.
More than 150 permanent employment opportunities have been created with the establishment of the Komatsu Wacol site.
The "operational hub" will also house Komatsu Australia's Mining Division head office and service customers through a world-class mechanical component remanufacturing centre.
Komatsu says the Wacol site has 40 per cent more capacity and will assemble up to 70 "Ultra-class" mining dump trucks each year, with the facility strategically located and built to better service customers in the rapidly expanding Queensland resource sector.
Significantly, the Wacol site will play an integral role in the employment of up to 100 new trades-based apprentices by Komatsu over the next 12 months.
Managing Director of Komatsu Australia Limited, Sean Taylor, said the Wacol facility was the company's single biggest investment in Australia to date.
"The commissioning of our all-new Wacol facility is an important milestone in the strategic expansion of Komatsu's nationwide sales and service network," he said.
"Komatsu made the decision to invest in this Queensland site, enhancing our capability to meet the growing needs of customers in the Australian marketplace.
"We have a very positive outlook for the local resource and construction markets, and have made the development of Wacol as a customer service facility a key infrastructure priority for Komatsu.
"In fact, the Komatsu Wacol facility is our largest ever investment in Australia."
Mr Taylor said Komatsu was guided by a corporate commitment to the sustainable development of industry, and that the Wacol site had been designed with a number of advanced, environmentally friendly features.
The site has six main buildings across 61,000 square metres of land.
Three large central buildings house office, mining and construction machine assembly, service workshop and remanufacturing functions, with a fully enclosed wash bay building, boiler-maker and track press shop, and an extensive paint-shop building.
The environmentally friendly paint-shop can easily accommodate two Komatsu 930E (290-tonne payload) mining dump trucks, and is the largest spray booth of its type in the southern hemisphere.
It has been specifically designed so that it is fully enclosed, preventing the release of harmful paint toxins into the atmosphere. Its advanced automotive-specification equipment significantly improves the paint quality of machines for customers.
Rainwater harvesting, energy efficient lighting, temperature-controlling insulation and a bio-retention basin are all featured on site.
"We are proud of these environmental measures - and they are a shining example of Komatsu's global efforts to reduce our ecological footprint," Mr Taylor said.
The establishment of the new Wacol facility has been actively supported by the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council, with a view towards the long-term economic development of the south-western Brisbane area.
Treasurer Tim Nicholls, who attended the opening, recognised the role Queensland Premier Campbell Newman played in attracting Komatsu to Brisbane while he was Lord Mayor.
"The LNP Government is very excited to see Komatsu set up its regional headquarters at Wacol, the company's single biggest investment in Australia to date," Mr Nicholls said.
"The LNP is committed to reaching an unemployment target of 4 per cent in six years and projects such as this one will be of enormous benefit in helping to achieve that, with the creation of more than 150 permanent jobs.
"The LNP is committed to growing a four pillar economy, including strengthening our construction and mining sectors to ensure we all benefit from companies such as Komatsu investing in our state," Mr Nicholls said.
Construction of the Wacol facility has taken more than 16 months, with official work commencing at the end of October 2010.
KOMATSU WACOL FACTS:
Total site investment - $55 million
Employment
400 (construction phase)
320 (operational phase)
Site size
61,000m2
Building developments:
Six buildings, totalling 14,386m2 (office and assembly workshop, service workshop, remanufacturing facility, track-press/boilermaker shop, wash-bay, paint-shop).
Mining workshop
Production line for Electric Mining Dump Trucks. Capacity for 7 x 930E "Ultra-class" Komatsu dump trucks at one time.
(930E: 15m-long, 9m-wide)
Rainwater harvesting
291,000 litres stored underground. Used for irrigation, workshop production and amenities.
Wash pad
Use of 100 per cent reclaimed water from roof-tops. 100 per cent water re-use using "Clearmake" water separator system.
Lighting
New technology "T5" light fittings - three times as efficient as existing "T8" fittings.
Natural lighting through adoption of translucent sheeting in workshop bays.
Insulation
All roofs insulated for temperature control and to minimise energy usage.
Bio retention
400-metre long bio retention basin along the lower boundary creek catchment using a Gross Pollution Trap. Features a 40-metre buffer zone from waterway.