Komatsu plans Moss Vale plant closure, with about 265 jobs to go
A local business leader estimates household spending could fall by about A$20 million a year if affected workers and their families leave the region.
Komatsu plans to shut its mining equipment plant at Moss Vale in the NSW Southern Highlands by 2030, phasing out about 265 jobs as operations wind down.
The company said work would move to Rutherford in the NSW Hunter Valley and Rockhampton in Central QLD. Australian suppliers would also take on some machining and fabrication. Komatsu executive Helen Gibson said employees faced no immediate changes and attributed the restructure to changing market conditions and customer needs.
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union senior organiser Nathan Everson said the announcement had caught workers by surprise. He said Komatsu told union officials the job losses would occur in six phases through to 2030, and that original equipment work would move to China. Rutherford would also lose some work under the restructure, he said.
Business Southern Highlands chair Greg Welsh estimated annual household spending in the region could fall by about A$20 million if affected families moved away. He said the impact would extend beyond plant employees to local shops, engineering firms, hydraulics businesses and component suppliers.
Mr Everson said finding replacement work locally would be difficult. NSW Domestic Manufacturing Minister Courtney Houssos said she was disappointed by the closure plan, had contacted the union and would monitor the impact of the job losses.
Federal Whitlam MP Carol Berry planned to meet Komatsu to seek an explanation for the closure and details of worker support. Wingecarribee Mayor Erin Foley said council would also seek talks with the company and press for assistance for employees.
