We are all proud of the response of our Komatsu Forklift team in Queensland to the disasters that they have suffered and we are grateful that no Komatsu staff or their families suffered any serious personal injuries.
In Brisbane our branch manager Tim Ingles and his team showed great determination working long hours and through the weekend to ensure Komatsu Forklift were at 75% of full operational capability within 4 days of the flood. Their sense of urgency and good spirit saw them providing support to customers who would have struggled without their help.
For safety sake Komatsu continued warning all those with forklifts affected by flood water to call us for advice and not risk damaging their waterlogged equipment.
Nationally Komatsu Forklift responded to assist as well. As soon as they could our GM, Joe Hashem and our National Operations Manager, Wayne Barty, flew to Brisbane and rolled up their sleeves to lend a hand. Our National Parts Manager, Richard Aldersey, filled his own car with urgently needed parts and drove from Sydney to Brisbane staying there for a week to help out personally
When Cyclone Yasi hit FNQ our branches in Cairns and Townsville were in the thick of it. Again our people dug deep. Our branch managers Kate Pemberton in Cairns and Bernie Lawrence in Townsville with the support of their fantastic teams were back at work supporting our customers as soon as the authorities allowed. The damage to these branches was superficial due to good preparation. The loss of phones and power caused some issues but we were able to continue to provide support to our forklift customers through our field service technicians operating from our mobile service vans.
Our HO communication with the branches throughout these disasters was excellent. Komatsu were able to offer personal support to our people in Queensland as well as technical, parts, hire and new equipment support so they could get stuck into the urgent matters they had to deal with.
Throughout Australia our staff were moved to offer personal donations to assist disaster victims in Queensland. Management of Komatsu Forklift Australia took the imitative here and matched all staff donations dollar for dollar to double the cash donation from our company the Queensland Premiers Relief fund.
What really impressed everyone was the way our people coped. Their no nonsense resolve to clear the problem and get on with business was inspirational.
