HEAVY INDUSTRY
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Komatsu to Leave Southland: Komatsu Forklift USA Inc., citing strict regulations and the high cost of doing business in Southern California, said it will move from La Palma in late 1995 to a larger facility outside Atlanta. The move by Komatsu, one of the world’s biggest forklift makers, will mean the loss of nearly 140 sales and manufacturing jobs in Orange County. Akira (Art) Otsuka, Komatsu’s president, said the company might keep a small manufacturing operation in Southern California, but that will depend on demand for the product. He said the company now produces nearly 500 forklifts a month and will reach plant capacity of 600 a month by the end of next year.
