Komatsu celebrates 100th anniversary

The Japanese equipment manufacturer, which turns 100 years old on 13 May, said it viewed the birthday as a chance to express its appreciation for the years of support it’s received from all its stakeholders.

The company is to renew its Komatsu-no-mori outreach facility with the addition of a new visitor pavilion. The facility, which was opened in Komatsu City in 2011 for the manufacturer’s 90th birthday, works with local communities to nurture children and to provide sustainable opportunities for all.

Its new ‘Waku-Waku History Pavillion’ will feature historical and educational exhibits designed to drive interest in the manufacturing industry. Visitors to the public venue will also be able to see examples of Komatsu’s equipment on display, such as its PC4000 super-large hydraulic excavator.

Komatsu said it hopes “Komatsu-no-mori will continue to offer active opportunities to local communities by attracting many visitors, helping them become interested in manufacturing and nature, and learn about its technologies.”

As well as paying tribute to the company’s history, the “Komatsu in 203X” movie will also show how the company visualises worksites of the future.

It will depict a number of workplaces – such as those in the mining, construction and industrial machinery fields – according to how Komatsu would like them to be in 10 to 20 years.

With its eye on the future, the company will also planning to launch a new corporative social responsibility (CSR) initiative for its employees.

The “One World One Komatsu” platform will allow all the company’s employees to voluntarily take part in an environmental sustainability scheme.

Komatsu said, “It allows for easy logins from PCs and smart phones and transcends national and linguistic barriers. It thereby connects all Komatsu group employees worldwide, nurturing a sense of unity for the Komatsu group as they work for the common goal, and promoting activities designed for a sustainable earth.”