Komatsu America Corp

Komatsu America Corp. is a U.S. subsidiary of Komatsu Ltd., one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of earth-moving equipment, including construction, mining and compact construction equipment. Komatsu America also serves forklift and forestry markets. Through its distributor network, Komatsu offers a state-of-the-art parts and service program to support its equipment. Komatsu has proudly been providing high-quality reliable products for nearly a century.

The Komatsu Way is a statement of values that all workers in the Komatsu Group, including those at every level of management, should pass down in a lasting way at their workplaces and worksites. By holding these values in common, the Group can build global teamwork that transcends nationalities and generations to amass and fortify the Komatsu Group's 'workplace (genba) capabilities'— the dynamism of all workers and the entire organization, plus the ability to improve their own workplaces and worksites. This in turn further enhances Quality and Reliability, heightening the trust given to the Group by society and all stakeholders.

Disseminating The Komatsu Way and Developing Human Resources

The Komatsu Way is based on the corporate strengths that Komatsu has cultivated over time. To disseminate the Komatsu Way to Komatsu Group companies across the world, focusing around the Komatsu Way Global Institute, Komatsu is conducting various dissemination and human resource development activities.

We deepen the employees understanding and comprehension of the Komatsu Way by applying it to employee training and setting up opportunities for exposition and group debate. Regular sessions are convened at workplaces for explaining this way of thinking and having employees relate stories of their own experiences so that communication between different generations is stimulated and allows this knowledge to be handed down and rooted in the younger generation. To promote The Komatsu Way at Group companies outside Japan and help this foundation take root, Komatsu makes The Komatsu Way easy to understand and relevant to local conditions, while being mindful of the differences among customs and cultures.

Furthermore, by utilizing ICT (Information Communication Technology), Komatsu employees all over the world can browse Komatsu Way related information though a global portal site. Every month, the 'K-Way.net' is sent out which posts Komatsu Way analects, expositions, and employee stories of actual experiences relating these topics.

In 2011, Komatsu distributed a revised edition of The Komatsu Way to all Group employees. This edition was revised to make the established values and way of thinking more comprehensible by increasing the number of case studies, together with introducing Komatsu's approach to Brand Management. (Note:) Mindset on Komatsu's Brand Management: Heightening the trust of customers. In other words, 'making us indispensable to our customers' and make us their continued partner of choice.

To strengthen the ability of employees worldwide to improve their performance, the Komatsu Group uses Total Quality Management (TQM), cultivated within the Group over the years, along with education and training to raise the level of professional capabilities, such as specific technological or specialist skills and managerial ability. Debriefing sessions are held at each employee rank, with participants reporting on the skills they have improved and receiving practical guidance. Such sessions help employees more fully acquire knowledge and skills from their education and training and help them utilize these newly acquired skills during operations. In this way, the Group continues to promote the enhancement of the individual abilities of the employee, as well as their ability to organize and integrate through teamwork. This results in a corporate structure capable of responding rapidly to changes in the operational environment.