Komatsu announces Wacol distribution centre

A major Komatsu distribution centre that consolidates four existing distribution and storage centres will be set up in the suburb of Wacol, QLD, that will service not just the sunshine state but also customer bases across New Zealand and New Caledonia, Komatsu has announced.

Construction of the new centre is currently underway and is scheduled to be completed by May 2021, in time for Komatsu’s global centenary celebrations.

According to Komatsu’s Supply Chain General Manager, Russell Hodson, the key driver of the new facility is to improve parts and components availability to customers, reduce order turnaround times and streamline ordering efficiency.

He said customers in QLD, NZ and New Caledonia, which include large mining operations, are currently serviced from the company’s various Brisbane facilities. Komatsu anticipates the new consolidated distribution centre will significantly improve customer satisfaction.

 “The new facility will also be much safer for Komatsu employees and service providers, making use of the latest warehousing technology and systems, including anti-collision systems and full worker/machine separation throughout,” he said.

“In addition, we’ll see improvements in quality by bringing storage of all parts and components under cover, while a one-part/one-location approach will eliminate the chances of binning and picking errors – further contributing to improved customer satisfaction.”

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On Komatsu’s end, the consolidation will bring about significant efficiency and cost benefits, maximised space utilisation, and lower transport costs, Komatsu said.

“We’re also going to in-source our warehousing operations so all staff will be Komatsu employees, which will better enable us to continue our ongoing program of continuous improvement,” Hodson said.

“At this new facility, we’ll be employing 50 new people into Komatsu; we see this as a great opportunity to build a fantastic team that can deliver extraordinary results for our customers in a new and exciting facility.”

Being constructed on a 3.8ha site adjacent to its existing Queensland head office, service, training and customer support facility, the new distribution centre covers nearly 17,000sqm, with an order picking storage area of just under 14,500sqm, and an extra large parts and components storage area of over 2000sqm.

“When it opens, our new Wacol DC will also fully integrate our mining and construction operations for Queensland, NZ and New Caledonia,” Hodson said.

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