Stephen Bellas, MD and the Komatsu Forest team were delighted to welcome John Stevenson MP to tour the new, state-of-the-art facility, near Carlisle Airport.
This week, local MP John Stevenson visited the new home of Forestry machinery manufacturer Komatsu Forest UK Ltd, near Carlisle. Established in Longtown over 30 years ago, Komatsu has engaged in a significant development project of a new UK facility based at Carlisle Airport Industrial Estate; this is notably the first-ever premises to be owned by a Komatsu Forest sales company.
The £4 million investment project began in January 2023, with Cubby Construction leading the build and prestigious local companies Architects Plus and Donley’s Chartered Quantity Surveyors. The new facility demonstrates Komatsu’s commitment to its customers, the UK forestry industry, Cumbria, and its employees, with the future safeguarding of 35 jobs.
John was especially impressed to see the commitment to the local area. “This is the first global Komatsu Forest Sales Company to own its own facility entirely, putting firmly established roots in the Carlisle area. Not only that, the management has a strong commitment to using local people and businesses both in the build and their ongoing work. A real positive good news story for the area.”
The incredible new site has been designed and built with the future in mind, it offers much more space than the former base and will greatly improve how Komatsu does business in the country, particularly for the customer. Situated in beautiful surroundings, the new two-storey, timber-clad office provides the current team a unique setting to work in, with room to grow in the years to come. Similarly, the workshop has a modular design, so an extra bay can be added if required. Three machines can easily be housed at the same time in the main service bay; which is also equipped with a sophisticated exhaust fume extraction system, meaning that machines can be running inside without putting engineers’ health at risk. The facility also has solar panels on the roof to improve energy efficiency, and electric car-charging points.
Stephen Bellas, Managing Director at Komatsu Forest UK Ltd, said: “Our investment in a new facility demonstrates our commitment to providing a sustainable business for the future of our employees, and outstanding service to our customers throughout the UK.”