Komatsu breaks ground on new Salt Lake facility

SALT LAKE CITY — Komatsu Equipment broke ground Tuesday on a 100,000-square-foot facility that will be both the corporate offices and Salt Lake headquarters of a business that services and sells massive equipment used primarily in mining operations.

Parent company Komatsu Ltd., based in Tokyo, is the second-largest equipment manufacturing company in the world, behind Caterpillar, said Larry Bodhaine, facility project manager.

The new facility, which sits on 11.5 acres on the southeast corner of California Avenue and Bangerter Highway, includes 10 service bays, a wash bay, a paint bay, administrative offices, a rebuild area and more. The rebuild area will include 30- and 15-ton overhead cranes for tasks like working on 54,000-pound wheel drive motors, Bodhaine said.

The new building means no more renting for the company, which has been in continuous operation for more than 50 years, according to president John Pfisterer.

Construction will begin immediately, and the project, which is being built by Tom Stuart Construction, should be completed by late July 2010.