The CEO Magazine EMEA – April 2018

In 2016, the 200,000-square-metre

Komatsu Hanomag plant in Hanover and

the 110,000-square-metre Komatsu Mining

facility in Dusseldorf were merged to form

Komatsu Germany. The Hanover factory

now specialises in making wheel loaders

and excavators for construction, while the

Dusseldorf plant produces five variations

of mining excavators, weighing between

250 and 760 metric tons. Appointed

in April 2017 as Executive Vice-President

of Komatsu Germany and President of its

Mining division, Ralf Petzold says the merger

has enabled the company to optimise

operations between the two sites. It can now

respond to customer requests with greater

speed and versatility, strengthening the

Komatsu brand in Germany and Europe.

Last year, Komatsu Germany celebrated

the production of the one-thousandth mining

excavator. “Mining is one of the oldest

industrial activities in the world, and although

it’s viewed as a more conservative industry,

inside it is quite modern,” he says. Ralf has

been with Komatsu for almost 30 years,

previously serving as Vice-President for

17 years and Plant Manager for production,

purchasing, logistics and quality in the

Dusseldorf mining division. “I’ve gained

experience with our entire supply chain,

so I know every process that goes on with

both suppliers and customers. I started out

as a young mining engineer and worked my

way up. What I learned from the beginning

was how to understand the needs of the

customer – we call it ‘gemba thinking’.

Gemba is a Japanese term meaning ‘the actual

place’, referring to the location where work

is performed.”

Ralf says these experiences have been

invaluable in riding the wave of the

fluctuating mining industry. “We had a good

year when commodity prices were extremely

high and the industry peaked in 2012, but

then we hit the bottom of the market last

year. Despite this volatility, now we are on

the rise as the mining industry ramps up, and

we have had to focus on carefully controlling

to come

Half page advert

THYSSEN KRUPP ROTHER ERDE GMBH

We at thyssenkrupp Bearings have made a contribution

in keeping everything “rolling smoothly” – all over the

world since 1855. Our longstanding business

relationships with our customers make us a

strong partner. Komatsu is one of our closest

business partners.

http://www.thyssenkrupp-rotheerde.com

Strong tasks.

Strong parts.