Komatsu opens new distribution centre

Date: 31.03.2022

Komatsu's new distribution centre is built to service more than 3000 customers across Queensland, the Northern Territory, NSW, NZ, and New Caledonia

A bird’s eye-view of the new facility

Komatsu has officially opened its new distribution centre, built to service more than 3000 customers across Queensland, the Northern Territory, NSW, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

The $48 million facility, located in Wacol, Brisbane, represents an expansion of 70% in warehousing capacity

The company says the $48 million facility, located in Wacol, Brisbane, represents an expansion of 70% in warehousing capacity, improving parts and components availability, further reducing turnaround times and streamlining ordering efficiency.

The distribution centre has resulted in the creation of more than 50 new jobs within the business

Covering an area of 17,500sqm, it has resulted in the creation of more than 50 new jobs within the business and is the single largest building Komatsu has ever constructed in Australia.

The new Wacol Distribution Centre was commissioned during Komatsu’s centenary year

The new Wacol Distribution Centre was commissioned during Komatsu’s centenary year when the company was celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in May 1921 in Komatsu City, Japan. Komatsu has been operating in Australia since 1961.

According to Sean Taylor, Komatsu’s CEO, the key driver of its new distribution centre is to improve customer satisfaction across the regions it serves. "By using the latest in warehousing technologies, we’ve been able to drastically increase the efficiency of this operation, with pick rates of fast-moving parts increasing by 300%, which will contribute to faster delivery times for customers," says Sean.

"In addition, order consolidation innovations have driven a 22% reduction in individual packages, which contributes to a lower carbon footprint—an important driver in our commitment to lower emissions.

"At the same time, we’ve achieved a six-star energy rating for the building through the use of solar power and an energy-efficient design while 89% of our waste from the site is diverted away from landfill."

Taylor says a critical element of the facility has been to set the highest standards in workplace health and safety. "Our Wacol Distribution Centre incorporates the latest in safety innovations, including wire guidance systems to control forklift movements, dock safety controls that ensure people are kept out of harm’s way, and zero-gravity cranes to minimise manual lifting."

Komatsu’s own technology innovations also played an important part when constructing the new facility. "In preparing this site for the new building, our earthworks contractor was able to make use of our own SmartConstruction technology," says Sean.

"A cornerstone of Smart Construction is our intelligent Machine Control, or IMC.

"SmartConstruction links machine operation directly to site design. The semi-autonomous capabilities of Komatsu dozers and excavators ensured highly accurate compliance with the design, driving productivity and safety.

"Furthermore, Komatsu’s drone technology worked in concert with our contractor’s iMC machines to volumetrically scan the site to determine progress, in turn, feeding data into Komatsu’s Edge technology, which has the ability to process millions of data points in real-time.

"Our project management team, along with our contractors, designers, and surveyors were all able to take advantage of Smart Construction’s ability to combine 3D design data with aerial mapping and intelligent machine data, so they could visualise the project at every stage of construction and was a perfect example of Komatsu being able to take real advantage of our own technology, and realise its benefits first-hand," says Sean.  

Find new and used heavy machinery for sale in NZ

Keep up to date in the industry by signing up to Deals on Wheels' free newsletter or liking us on Facebook.