Komatsu’s South Harbor Milwaukee Plant
When we travel, we love learning about some of the history that gives a city its character. Once known as the “Machine Shop of the World,” Milwaukee produced everything from motorcycles and car frames to farm tractors and mining equipment. Many of these manufacturers were and still are located in our neighborhood of Walker’s Point. One of the best examples is Komatsu’s new $285 million office, manufacturing, and museum campus on East Greenfield Avenue along the Kinnickinnic River.
Komatsu’s history in Milwaukee dates to the origin of the P&H brand in 1884, started by Alonzo Pawling and Henry Harnischfeger. Their first plant was just blocks north of the new Komatsu plant at 2nd and Florida. They became quickly known for their quality, reliable, electric and overhead cranes. In the early 1900s, to prevent business from becoming over-reliant on one product line, they began to explore earth-moving machinery. In the decades that followed, they became a world-class manufacturer of large scale mining equipment.
In 2017, Komatsu, another mining equipment manufacturer, acquired the P&H brand and began making plans to improve the Milwaukee facilities. The new facility produces the major components of large mining machines, including electric rope shovels, hybrid shovels, draglines and blasthole drills. The location serves as the large gearing center of excellence and the large fabrication and machining center of excellence for Komatsu’s global mining division.
The facility includes a RiverWalk, green space, a customer experience center, coffee shop and museum. Several family-friendly and interactive educational stations are installed throughout the outdoor walkways. Visitors and families can stop and discover how wind and solar sustainability technology works, learn about Komatsu’s global environmental efforts, and even get practical tips on what they can do at home to conserve energy and water. A visit is a fun and awe inspiring view toward the history and future of manufacturing in Milwaukee.
