New seal ring factory: conceptual drawing

Komatsu Ltd. (hereafter “Komatsu”) (President & CEO: Hiroyuki Ogawa) is going to build a new seal ring factory in its Himi Plant 2 as part of structural reforms for growth, one of the efforts of focus in the mid-term management plan. To strengthen its material technology development and perform a role of the global Mother plant of materials for the Komatsu Group, Komatsu is going to transplant the functions of the current seal ring factory, which was built about 60 years ago, into the new factory, thereby working to dynamically improve product quality, productivity and environmental performance of the factory.

Seal rings are high-precision parts which are used to prevent lubricant from leaking inside the undercarriage components, such as final drives, a key component of construction equipment. Komatsu draws its strengths by engaging in in-house development and the manufacture of key components that determine the quality of its construction equipment. By manufacturing high-performance seal rings at the new factory, Komatsu will improve the durability and reliability of its key components, thereby working to further expand the value chain business.

For the new factory, Komatsu is also going to take advantage of its group-wide synergy, for example, by installing high-precision, high-efficiency equipment which was jointly developed by Komatsu NTC Ltd., and introducing automated inspection which utilizes AI technologies. As a result, the new factory should not only achieve outstanding labor-saving and productivity improvement. It is also expected to substantially improve its environmental performance by reducing CO2 emissions by 50% in manufacturing by installing energy-saving equipment and improving the airtightness of the factory building.

For sustainable growth for its 100th anniversary in 2021 and beyond, while continuing its commitment to Quality and Reliability and working to maximize its corporate value, Komatsu is working to achieve safe, highly - productive, smart and clean workplaces of the future through DANTOTSU Value (ESG solutions and improvement of earnings through customer value creation).