Komatsu Australia will now be serving Papua New Guinea customers after its acquisition of distributor UMW Niugini Limited.
The business has been renamed Komatsu Niugini Limited (KNL). Sean Taylor, Komatsu Australia Managing Director, said the acquisition succeeded a change in ownership structure of the joint venture parties that previously owned UMW. The acquisition was completed on 1 May.
“As a result of this change in structure, KNL has become a fully owned part of the Komatsu Group. Komatsu Australia is the obvious choice to manage Komatsu Niugini going forward, given our proven expertise and success in the Oceania region,” he says.
“The KNL team will be able to draw on the resources of the broader Komatsu Australia business, especially our technical expertise and training capabilities to support machine troubleshooting and workforce development. We hope this acquisition will also benefit our Australian customers who have connections in PNG as well.”
Komatsu products have been distributed in PNG since its incorporation in 1970, and the local team has established itself as a leading supplier of construction and mining equipment, as well as power generation solutions.
The company holds significant market share in the PNG’s heavy equipment sector supporting a machine population in excess of 1,200 Komatsu machines.
KNL employs approximately 100 people and services major customers including Morobe Mining, Monier (PNG), Digicel (PNG), Construct Oceanic and IPWENZ Construction. Dash Rayat will continue leading the business as general manager of KNL as part of the transition, and the main office will continue to operate from its Port Moresby base.
Source: mining.komatsu