On 21 and 22 September 2017, Komatsu Europe International N.V. (KEISA), company member of the European Demolition Association, EDA, celebrated its 50th anniversary with current and retired employees, and delegates from European distributors and suppliers.
A formal ceremony was held at the company’s Vilvoorde headquarters, followed by an event at the Castle Ter Block, in Overijse, near Brussels.
Among the over 300 guests who honoured the celebrations with their presence were Mr Tetsuji Ohashi, President and CEO of Komatsu Ltd, Mr Peter Howe, KEISA Chairman of the Board, Mr Mas Morishita, KEISA CEO and Managing Director, Mr Lodewijk De Witte, Governor of Flemish Brabant, Mr Hans Bonte, Mayor of Vilvoorde, and His Excellency Hajime Hayashi, Ambassador for Japan to Belgium.
After speeches by special guests, and a tour of the Vilvoorde headquarters’ warehouse, the party moved to Castle Ter Block for a relaxed evening dinner punctuated by the distribution of awards to Komatsu Distributors, and by events referring to Japanese culture: a “kagami biraki” ceremony was held, with the opening of a sake barrel, and goals were reaffirmed during a “Daruma doll” ritual.
50 years in Europe
Named “N.V. Komatsu Europe S.A” when it was founded in Belgium in 1967, Komatsu Europe is one of the very first premises established outside Japan by Komatsu Ltd., the world-renowned manufacturer of construction and industrial equipment based in Tokyo. Originally located in Antwerp, then in Haren in the Brussels area, Komatsu Europe moved to Vilvoorde in 1973, near the Brussel airport and into a new European coordination centre with a separate spare parts warehouse.
In December 1989, it was officially renamed “Komatsu Europe International N.V.” with a goal to coordinate and expand Komatsu’s operations across Europe. In 2005, “Komatsu Financial Europe” was launched, to provide customers with tailor-made financing solutions and lower costs of ownership. In 2006, new buildings were built with the current offices and meeting rooms.
Today, Komatsu Europe employs over 300 people. Technicians, sales profiles, marketing and legal experts work with the administrative staff and with an extensive network of over 40 distributors and 5 Komatsu plants. Komatsu Europe develops, manufactures and imports premium construction, utility and mining equipment for the European and North African markets. It specializes in earthmoving technologies such as those integrated into Komatsu’s exclusive Hybrid or intelligent Machine Control models.
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