Roland Machinery Co., Springfield, Ill., in conjunction with Komatsu America Corp. hosted a customer appreciation day Aug. 7 on the grounds of Komatsu America’s headquarters located in Rolling Meadows, Ill. — about 20 mi. (32.2 m) west of downtown Chicago and 10-minutes from O’Hare International Airport.
More than 60 contractors from the area enjoyed lunch and won valuable prizes.
Raffle prizes included an assortment of die-cast metal models and Komatsu gear. All visitors received Roland Machinery and Komatsu caps, an insulated travel mug, and other complimentary items.
Roland Machinery first agreed to take on Komatsu in 1982 and the company carried both the IH and Komatsu line until 1984. Ultimately, the construction equipment division of International Harvester was sold to Dresser Industries.
Komatsu was relatively new in the United States at the time. Taking on Komatsu increased Roland Machinery’s already expanding presence in the Midwest.
In 1985, Roland Machinery acquired the Komatsu account in the St. Louis area including branches in Columbia, Cape Girardeau and Palmyra in Missouri and, in 1987, Carterville, Ill.
In 2003, Roland Machinery Company acquired the Komatsu dealership in Wisconsin with headquarters in Green Bay and branches in Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire and Schofield, as well as in Escanaba, Mich. Roland Machinery immediately built a 38,000-sq.-ft. service and parts facility on 12 acres of land on Route 94 south of Milwaukee. A second building was added in Escanaba, Mich., in the Upper Peninsula where a 28,500-sq.-ft. facility was constructed near the airport. The last new facility was a 40,000-sq.-ft. building south of Green Bay, Wis., on Route 94 in De Pere.
Founded by the late Earl Roland, Roland Machinery has been in in business since 1958. Roland Machinery Company has a total of 15 locations throughout Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan.
For more information, visit www.rolandmachinery.com.
