Customer Corner : From the Ashes of a Fuck-Up – The Real Deal on Komatsu

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This was supposed to be part two, a follow-up to my initial dive into the murky depths of Komatsu’s world. But some technical bollocks – server crashes, data glitches, the kind of shite that makes you want to hurl your laptop out the window – forced me to yank the first piece. Gone. Poof. But here’s the silver lining in this clusterfuck: we’re starting fresh, and this one’s sharper, meaner, and packed with more dirt than before. No half-arsed retreads here; this is the original expose, rebuilt from the ground up, with every scandal scrubbed clean and laid bare. If you thought the first draft was raw, wait until you sink your teeth into this beast.

The Bloody Roots: From War Machines to Global Goliaths

Komatsu didn’t just pop out of nowhere like some shiny corporate fairy tale. Nah, this bastard traces back to 1921, spun off from a mining outfit in Japan, founded by Meitaro Takeuchi, a bloke who started with ironworks and ended up knee-deep in the machinery game. Back then, it was all about fixing kit for copper mines in Komatsu City – sounds quaint, right? But fast-forward to the 1930s, and they’re churning out bulldozers, tanks, and howitzers for the Imperial Japanese Army. Yeah, you read that right: war machines fueling one of history’s ugliest chapters. Post-war, they pivot to “peaceful” construction gear, but let’s not kid ourselves – the DNA’s the same. Under Yoshinari Kawai, they crank out diesel engines and forklifts, expanding like a virus into the US, Brazil, Australia. By the 1980s, joint ventures with Cummins – more on those dodgy engine mates later – and a push into mining. They gobble up Joy Global in 2017 for $3.7 billion, rebranding it Komatsu Mining Corp., only to slash jobs and face lawsuits for screwing over shareholders. Today? A multinational monster in over 140 countries, hawking excavators, dump trucks, and lasers, all while preaching sustainability. Bollocks. Their history’s a grind of exploitation, from wartime complicity to modern-day layoffs that leave workers in the dirt.

The Empire of Excavators: Business as Usual, or Usual Bullshit?

Komatsu’s the second-biggest player in construction and mining kit worldwide, right behind Caterpillar, but don’t let the rankings fool you – they’re a juggernaut, raking in ¥3.9 trillion last fiscal year. They peddle everything from compact excavators to autonomous haul trucks, with segments in construction, mining, finance, and industrial machinery. Global ops span Asia, Americas, Europe, Africa, with plants spitting out gear in Japan, the US, and beyond. They bang on about “Smart Construction” and zero-emissions tech, partnering with Cummins for engines in their beasts. But here’s the kicker: they’re Cummins customers, embedding those diesel powerhouses in their kit, from haul trucks to loaders. And Cummins? Fresh off a $1.675 billion fine for emissions cheating – installing defeat devices on 600,000 Ram trucks to dodge pollution controls. Is Komatsu just another cog in the Cummins ecosystem, where ethics are optional? You bet your arse it is. While Komatsu suspends Russian ops in 2022 amid Ukraine chaos, citing “supply chain disruptions,” it’s code for dodging sanctions heat. Their “modern slavery statement” vows to root out forced labour in supply chains, but it’s paper-thin PR when fines for safety lapses keep piling up. This isn’t innovation; it’s a profit machine grinding over people and planet.

The Faces Behind the Facade: Leaders Who Look the Other Way

At the helm? Hiroyuki Ogawa, President and CEO, steering this ship since who knows when, with a board of suits like Takeshi Horikoshi as CFO and Masayuki Moriyama as Chairman. Founder Meitaro Takeuchi might’ve built schools for workers back in the day, but today’s execs? They’re architects of apathy. Peter Salditt runs the mining division post-Joy Global buyout, where layoffs hit hard – 130 jobs gone in Milwaukee alone. Rodney Schrader handed off North America CEO duties to Rod Bull in 2025, amid whispers of operational cock-ups. Past leaders like Tetsuji Ohashi oversaw expansions into dodgy markets, while the Kawai dynasty pushed the “Maru-C” slogan to challenge Caterpillar. But where’s the accountability? These pricks tout “quality and reliability,” yet scandals fester under their watch. Harassment lawsuits ignored, safety fines shrugged off – it’s a culture of cover-ups, where execs pocket bonuses while apprentices get groped and mechanics get crushed.

The Rotten Core: Scandals That Stink of Neglect and Greed

Fuck me, where to start? Komatsu’s rap sheet reads like a hit list of corporate sins, and it boils my blood. Take the 2020 harassment nightmare in Australia: an apprentice at Komatsu Mining sues for repeated sexual harassment and discrimination, told her workplace is “no place for a woman.” She reports it 11 times – eleven fucking times – before HR bothers. Two colleagues sacked, supervisor vanishes, but the damage? Irreversible. And Komatsu? “We don’t tolerate it,” they bleat, while the mining industry’s boys’ club thrives. Morally outrageous? You’re damn right – treating women like disposable parts in a machine.

Then the Joy Global acquisition in 2017: $3.7 billion deal, hailed as a masterstroke, but it reeks. Layoffs galore – 130 in Milwaukee, more elsewhere – as they “integrate.” Shareholders sue, alleging fiduciary breaches and undervaluation, settling for $20 million. The process? “Hopelessly flawed,” designed to favour Komatsu. Greed over people, every time.

Environmental violations? Oh, they’re pros. Fined $7,500 by the EPA in 2000 for pollution cock-ups, another $5,000 by OSHA for safety shite. But wait, there’s more: $375,000 fine in Australia for a bulldozer belly plate crushing a worker’s head in 2017 – foreseeable after a 2015 fatality in WA. They mod the kit wrong, wire rope snaps, bloke gets brain trauma. And Komatsu? Knew about the prior death but did fuck-all. Blood on their hands, and they walk away with a slap.

Russia? Komatsu announced in 2022 they’d halt shipments and production over the Ukraine war, blaming “supply chain disruptions.” Sounds principled, right? Bollocks. CEO Hiroyuki Ogawa, in December that year, let slip the real game: “No immediate plan to withdraw.” They’re still there, peddling gear to Russia’s mining outfits, keeping the cash flowing while Ukraine burns. A measly €1 million in humanitarian aid – pocket change for a ¥3.9 trillion giant – is their pathetic attempt at a moral alibi. It’s a slap in the face, a cynical ploy to dodge sanctions heat while profiting off a warzone. We recently tore into Claas for the same spineless refusal to cut ties with Russia (Customer Corner : No Claas – Greedy Bastards Thriving in Russia’s Bloodbath). Komatsu’s no different, just another member of the Cummins Cunt Club.

Then there’s the legal mess: in 2024, they lost a court battle in Australia against CITIC over resource rights, another blow to their shaky record. And safety? They copped a $12,600 fine for a “typo” that short-changed worker bonuses – screwing employees while battling unions. Pure greed, no excuses.

And of course, engines from our Cummins friends. How many more scandals before we call it what it is: systemic rot?

The Cummins Connection: Ethics as Optional Extras

Speaking of Cummins, Komatsu’s engine pals since the 1980s – joint ventures, dual-fuel programs, the works. But Cummins? Serial shithouses. But not least of course when slammed with $2 billion in penalties for emissions cheating on 600,000 trucks. Defeat devices to bypass controls, spewing poison while claiming green creds. Komatsu embeds their engines into their gear, touting “sustainability.” Is this just another outfit in the Cummins web, where dodging regs is business as usual? Fuck yes. From retrofitting haul trucks to “advancing zero-emissions” – it’s greenwashing atop a scandal pile. Morally? Outrageous. They’re complicit in an ecosystem that values profits over planet and people.

Wrapping the Wreckage: Time to Bury This Beast

Komatsu’s a colossus built on bones – war profiteering roots, modern scandals that crush lives and laws. From ignored harassment to deadly safety fails, environmental slaps, and cosy ties to emissions crooks like Cummins, it’s a pattern of neglect that’s fucking infuriating. They preach innovation and ethics, but deliver exploitation. Enough. This isn’t just business; it’s a moral abyss. Time for accountability, or watch them grind on, unrepentant.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

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