Komatsu and Atlassian Williams Racing find common ground in Düsseldorf

Employees at the Komatsu Germany Düsseldorf plant found plenty of common ground with two visiting Formula One luminaries: their shared passion for building high-performance machines, blending craftsmanship with technology and striving relentlessly for a competitive edge.

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James Vowles, Team Principal of Atlassian Williams Racing, and Jacques Villeneuve, an F1 world champion, toured Komatsu’s Düsseldorf factory and met with employees during a visit that reinforced the synergy between the two brands. Villeneuve’s appearance had special resonance because Komatsu designed, manufactured and supplied gearbox components for the Williams car he drove to win the 1997 F1 Drivers’ World Championship.

Atlassian Williams Racing Principal James Vowles (left) and Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve chat with 50 enthusiastic employees who entered a lottery to participate in a meet-and-greet session.

 

In a highlight of their visit, Vowles and Villeneuve had a chance to experience machine number three of the new PC9000 hydraulic mining excavator, the largest hydraulic shovel for mining on the market. Climbing into the operator and training seats, they were among the first people other than current customers to get such an up-close look.

Jacques Villeneuve, who drove a Williams car to win the 1997 Formula One Drivers’ World Championship, sits in the cab of Komatsu’s new PC9000 hydraulic mining excavator, the largest hydraulic shovel for mining on the market with Thomas Jordan, Senior Manager Marketing Communication (back left) and Rainer Roovers, Manufacturing Engineer.

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The Düsseldorf facility, headquarters of the Komatsu Germany Mining Division, is an engineering campus and manufacturing plant. Machines and solutions are both built and envisioned here, and innovation is embedded into the culture. Düsseldorf built the world’s first fully hydraulic excavator in 1954 and now manufactures five types of hydraulic excavators.

It’s one of Komatsu’s “mother plants,” where a product or group of products is developed, designed, engineered and manufactured, and where standards are established that will be followed elsewhere throughout Komatsu’s worldwide operations. Sales, marketing, aftermarkets and other functions occur here, too. About 900 people work at Düsseldorf, similar to the workforce at the Atlassian Williams factory and headquarters in Grove, United Kingdom.

The visit included a meet-and-great with 50 enthusiastic employees — many wearing Atlassian Williams Racing apparel — who entered a lottery to participate. Vowles and Villeneuve answered question about empowering more women in motorsports and engineering, how they view the Williams-Komatsu partnership and more.

Komatsu Germany Executive Vice President Enno Eiche and Managing Director Ansgar Thole served as their hosts and gave them miniature models of an excavator. Vowles and Villeneuve returned the favor with team apparel and autographed photos of the Atlassian Williams FW47 race car.

During a factory tour, Vowles and Villeneuve had a chance to stop at stations to chat with workers. They were struck by the steps taken to ensure quality as they observed engineers, welders and assemblers and saw facilities for product validation, testing, prototypes and simulations. They also noticed the skilled craftsmanship that was evident alongside automation and other advanced technologies.

Visits like this one embody the spirit of the Komatsu-Williams partnership, which creates a foundation for cross collaboration into the future — especially relating to the development of people — and exploring potential opportunities in the technical engineering ecosystem.

Employees marked the visit with a group photo, with Atlassian Williams Racing Principal James Vowles and Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve front and center.

Facility visits are just one way the two companies interact. The “Day in the Life” program gives Komatsu employees an immersive experience with Williams during select F1 race weekends. The Komatsu-Williams Engineering Academy advances STEM education and gives young people from around the world a pathway to careers that are vital to a thriving society.

 

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