KOMATSU AUSTRALIA TRAINS GLOBAL SERVICE ENGINEERS

Komatsu Australia is training engineering degree graduates of Komatsu Japan's Human Resource Development Centre (KHRDC) in Manila, the Philippines.

Komatsu Australia is training engineering degree graduates of Komatsu Japan’s Human Resource Development Centre (KHRDC) in Manila, the Philippines.

Komatsu Australia is currently training five graduates from KHRDC in Australia within our mining and construction businesses.

KHRDC recruits the highest calibre mechanical engineering degree graduates from a spread of universities in the Philippines. The graduates undertake a rigorous four year training regime in the Philippines, Japan and host Komatsu businesses in other countries.

As well as needing to meet the highest levels of academic achievement the graduates must meet other important criteria such as business acumen, country mobility and outstanding on and off-the-job skills and competency standards specified by Komatsu.

The first year of the training program for the engineers consists of on and off-the-job training in the Philippines at the KHRDC and with the Komatsu dealership in that country, Maxima Machineries Incorporated. This is followed by intensive mining equipment training in the Komatsu Central Technical Training Institute in Komatsu City, Japan.

After the first year the engineers are assigned to Komatsu host companies globally. Komatsu Australia is training five engineers at present and will accept another four in 2012. Two KHRDC graduates started in Australia in 2010 and three in 2011. The engineers remain with the host businesses for three years after which the host company may choose to permanently employ or return the engineers to Komatsu Limited for deployment in other Komatsu businesses globally.

Komatsu Australia has developed a challenging structured training program to cover the skills development the engineers need to achieve whilst in Australia. The program consists of advanced formal technical training conducted by Komatsu Australia's technical training function. This is followed by planned experiential learning episodes on-the-job, complemented by engineering work at Komatsu branches Australia wide.

When the engineers first arrive in Australia they undertake a broad induction program designed to help them settle into their new country and new company.

During the induction period the KHRDC engineers meet with Sean Taylor, Managing Director of Komatsu Australia (KAL); Nick Fujishima, President of Komatsu Marketing Services Australia (KMSA); Chris Cassettari, Director Regions and Steve Schofield, General Manager Human Resources.

Whilst at Komatsu in Australia the first year training and experience follows a ramp learning cycle from assembly to workshop service to REMAN to field service to technical services with an emphasis on mining equipment. The second year concentrates more on engineering work with the engineering and technical services functions as well as engineering work in the Komatsu branches and on customer mine sites.

KHRDC in the Philippines recruits 16-20 graduate engineers each year. Since 2009, 72 engineers have entered the program.

The KHRDC program produces significant benefits for Komatsu Australia and Komatsu Limited Japan in meeting the skills needs of both organisations both locally and globally.

Komatsu Limited Japan chose the Philippines as the base for the program due to the number and high standards of engineering degrees in that country, the prevalence of the English language and the relative mobility of Philippines residents. Philippines mechanical engineering degrees are recognised as equivalent to Australian mechanical engineering degrees by the Federal Government agency the National Office of Overseas Recognition (NOOSR).

Ronald Palma and Melmar Baluren, from KHRDC started with KAL in 2010 and are now working in the Hunter Valley and Mackay respectively. Ferdinand Manding, James Baccaro and Joseph Dawal started in Perth 2011. Four new KHRDC graduates will start with KAL in February 2012.

Paul Richardson, Komatsu's Organisational Development Manager recently visited KHRDC in Manila to meet the new intake of graduates and organise further placements in Australia with Mr Shinichiro Ono, General Manager, Komatsu Human Resources Development Centre (KHRDC). Paul says, "the engineers placed in Australia consistently score in the top 5 positions globally against their counterparts in other countries".

PROFILE: Melmar Baluran

Melmar Baluran graduated from the College of Science and Engineering University in Philippines. He has been working with Komatsu in Queensland, Australia for one and half years ago. Under the flaming sun, huge dump trucks come and go on the mine sites all day and night. He is there as a Komatsu service engineer. Komatsu HRDC received the first group of students three years ago. Melmar is one of them. He has received training and stayed together with 15 other graduate engineers of the company. After one year, students were dispatched to the mining regions in several different countries for the purpose of training in the field. Melmar is a hard working service engineer for Komatsu. He will be active in global mining business when he completes his mining training on the job.

Recently Melmar temporarily returned to the Philippines for visa work. On 26th October, Melmar visited the Komatsu office in the Philippines and met Mr Ono, General Manager, Komatsu HRDC after a long separation. Melmar said that "I want to continue to work in Australia. I do not care even if I am many years there" in fluent English. Mr Ono is very satisfied with Melmar and his reassuring conversation.

Acknowledgement Extract from an article in one of the most respected and popular Japanese weekly business magazines, Nikkei Business,

Dated 14 November 2011,page 43.