Komatsu, an industrial equipment manufacturing company, has opened up a new facility in Sparwood.
The company held a grand opening at the new $37-million building on Wednesday.
Sparwood Mayor David Wilks attended the event.
“It is one impressive building. They service most, if not all of western Canada, they take in projects from as far as Newfoundland,” said Wilks. “This is a state-of-the-art building that provided the mining community of Teck and others with top-notch services.”
Wilks said the newcomer to Sparwood’s industrial sector will be a welcomed addition.
“Teck, being the largest supplier of metallurgical coal in the world, needs these kinds of buildings, and we’re very happy that we worked with Komatsu to get them to choose Sparwood,” said Wilks. “They will provide stable employment to a lot of employees throughout the years.”
Wilks said about 150 to 200 Elk Valley residents have been hired to work at the new Komatsu facility.
“It provides the opportunity for other companies to see that the mining industry is not going anywhere. It will be here for a long time,” said Wilks. “I encourage other companies to look in Sparwood, too, as we’re extremely stable and have a good tax base and low taxes. I think it’s something that will benefit the community for a really long time.”
Construction started in 2019, with expectations that it would be opened by 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a delay on the project.