(This story was updated to add new information)
Komatsu broke ground on a new $30 million building at its Adams Street campus in Peoria on Monday.
Local politicians, including U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a Democrat from the 17th District, were in Peoria to champion the investment they said will be big for the future of manufacturing in the area.
“One of the things that makes our nation’s heartland so great is that this is where we build the machines that do the hard work, not just here but around the world,” Sorensen said. “This is where we develop the products that keep nations’ economies going, not just our own.”
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Chris Setti, the CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, said this new investment shows the Peoria area is still the “heart of manufacturing” in America.
The new building will house engineers and other support staff who help build Komatsu’s 400-ton trucks, one of which they now have displayed prominently on Adams Street.
Komatsu employees around 850 people in the Peoria-area, according the GPEDC’s Greater Peoria data hub.
Dan Funcannon, a senior vice president at Komatsu, said they hope to move into the new building before Christmas 2025. After the new building is complete and employees are moved in, the old building that sits to the north of the new one will be torn down.
“It’s awesome. I am just super excited for the employees, really, it’s an investment in the employees who live and work, raise families here in Peoria,” Funcannon said. “This really is about investing back into the employee base here in Peoria.”
The new building will be one of the most significant investments seen in Peoria’s North Valley in years. City councilmember Tim Riggenbach, whose 3rd District is home to the project, said Komatsu has been a “stalwart” in the area for a long time.
“When you look at the roots of what Komatsu’s predecessors were, this location has a lot of history to it, so to respect that and build upon that, it’s very satisfying,” Riggenbach said.
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria manufacturer breaks ground on new $30 million building
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