Performance starts here: Inside Komatsu Thailand

During his visit to Bangkok, Atlassian Williams Racing driver Alex Albon met the people and processes that power Komatsu’s global vision.

 

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What’s it like inside one of Komatsu’s most resilient, heritage-rich facilities? When Atlassian Williams Racing driver Alex Albon visited our Thailand facility, we used the opportunity to open our doors and show what really powers our machines: the people, the craftsmanship and the purpose behind them.

Alex Albon with Komatsu employees in Thailand during a recent tour of the facility. The visit was meant to show Komatsu’s values to Albon, who is of Thai descent.

Nestled southeast of Bangkok, Komatsu’s Thailand facility (BKC) is a powerhouse of manufacturing. Under the guidance of Komatsu’s Osaka plant, BKC has steadily grown in the region, serving the Southeast Asian market, as well as several key export markets, including Australia and the United States.

One of the first facilities Albon visited was the Osaka facility. The example set forth by the Osaka plant has continuously nurtured BKC and grown it into a leader in its region. This visit reflects the spirit of how Komatsu mother plants nurture their offshoots, much like leadership in motorsports nurtures the next generation of talent — a key shared value between Komatsu and Atlassian Williams Racing.

During his visit, Albon also got a close-up look at something rare: a PC30MR mini excavator painted in Atlassian Williams Racing blue. Typically seen in Komatsu’s iconic yellow, this machine’s bold new color is a symbol of our partnership with Atlassian Williams Racing and a celebration of shared values like innovation, performance and developing future talent. That partnership is a renewed pact between Komatsu and Atlassian Williams Racing, the groundwork of which was laid in a successful technical partnership between the two in the 1980s and 1990s.

For the team at BKC, the blue PC30MR is a source of pride and a visible reminder that the work happening here connects to something bigger.

This isn’t just a local hub — it’s a global player in Komatsu’s ecosystem. With medium-sized excavators digging foundations in Sydney or iron castings providing high-quality fabrication, there's a good chance the core of that machine was made here. The iron castings continue the rich tradition on which Komatsu was initially formed — a spin-off of an iron casting company.

This requires a responsive, agile environment, something familiar to Albon, as the world of motorsports is always changing, and it requires Komatsu-like team efforts to make the final product among the best machinery and parts out in the field.

“We spend a lot of time focused on communication and honesty … We are building new race cars in three or four months, and we're upgrading the car every month or less. So, we spend a lot of work and a lot of effort in improving our communications,” Albon says. This is because behind every F1 car and driver, there’s a team of dozens of technicians and engineers working behind the scenes to keep those cars zipping along.

Safety and skill training center: A goal to create awareness of safety in daily work, provide support and skills development.

Komatsu operates in more than 150 countries, and each facility brings something unique to the table. Thailand stands out not only for its manufacturing, but also for how it connects global standards with local pride.

What many people don’t see is how this site is helping shape Komatsu’s digital future.

BKC isn’t just adopting new technologies, it’s leading Komatsu’s transformation in its region. With local programmers, technicians and engineers driving innovation, this facility is helping define what the future of manufacturing looks like.

As it’s grown over time, BKC has kept in line with numerous new technologies. Its factory line now features:

• A new automated guided vehicle-powered assembly line that has boosted productivity by 15%
• Autonomous mobile robots delivering parts between plant buildings
• A proprietary mobile app, developed in-house, that quadrupled near-miss safety reports by enabling real-time hazard reporting
• Real-time tracking systems that manage inventory, improve logistics and optimize part delivery

Under the guidance of the Osaka plant, BKC stays competitive in a new era of manufacturing, one where data drives decisions, and technology unlocks new potential for productivity, safety and sustainability.

Komatsu’s purpose is simple but bold: Creating value through manufacturing and technology innovation to empower a sustainable future where people, businesses and the planet thrive together.

Albon and BKC employees came together to learn about shared values, including Komatsu’s corporate social responsibility, which governs how Komatsu interacts with society worldwide.

That mindset is fully alive in BKC, where high-performance machines aren’t just built, they’re continually refined. From iron castings to hydraulic excavators, every process is backed by the skill of local technicians, the insights of engineers and a shared commitment to doing things better.

The work here goes beyond the product. Sustainability initiatives, from reforestation projects to flood recovery and local volunteer programs, reflect a facility grounded in community and driven by care.

Whether it's through advanced robotics on the floor or simple acts of environmental responsibility, what happens at BKC is a living example of progress with purpose. And it’s possible through the same values Albon espouses.

“It’s about staying as positive as you can and focusing on the next opportunity. I feel that on my side in racing, there's no need to worry about what's happened before. It's about how I can I improve in the next race, and I think that just goes to focus on self-improvement,” he says. And with 30 years of learning and growing, BKC keeps that same spirit alive every day: continuously improving to create value together.

Learn more about our partnership with Atlassian Williams Racing

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