January 23, 2021 - The unexpected closure last week of the Komatsu manufacturing plant in Bluefield, Va., is certainly disappointing. Dozens of good-paying jobs held by area residents were suddenly lost.

Caley Clinton, global public relations manager for Komatsu America’s offices in Wisconsin, said the company needed “to adjust its manufacturing operations to needed capacity and optimize its global footprint,” with work at the Bluefield plant shifting to three other facilities in the company’s U.S. network.

The company said production work to support the plant’s Joy continuous miner products for underground mining will shift to Komatsu facilities in Duffield, Va.; Lebanon, Kentucky; and Homer City, Pennsylvania.

With coal production still on the decline nationally, and the new Biden administration openly pushing wind, solar and other green energy sources, the coal industry — and related support industries — will likely face additional challenges in the months and years ahead.

The local Komatsu Mining Corp. plant is located on Hockman Pike. The company purchased Joy Global in 2017 and in 2018 employed as many as 175 workers. Joy Global celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019, and had a huge presence at the Bluefield Coal Show that year.

 “We have a long history in Bluefield and this was a very difficult decision that we are sad to make,”Peter Salditt, president of Komatsu underground mining, said in a prepared announcement regarding the local closure. “The contributions of everyone who worked there, past and present, will always be a proud part of our history and we are working to support affected employees during this difficult time.”

It is always troubling news when manufacturing jobs are lost in our region. With hope a new job-creating tenant can be found soon for the plant.

In the meantime, area leaders must continue their fight for economic diversification.

Already, there have been significant gains in the technology and tourism fields, particularly with the arrival of technology giant Intuit in Bluefield. The looming fish farm, better known as “Project Jonah,” also will provide a significant job-creating boost when the indoor salmon aquaculture facility is opened. Meanwhile, the region’s ATV tourism industry has continued to roll despite the pandemic.

But the job creation fight must continue. Now, even more so than before, we must aggressively fast track economic diversification efforts for the region.