The 2000m3 facility, located at Tomago, 20km northwest of Newcastle, will include an array of services, including mechanical, structural and electrical inspections, diagnostic services, on-site technical support and supervision, planned outage, shutdown and emergency breakdown services.
The facility has been fitted with ‘greatly improved’ lifting capabilities and an innovative new paint booth – two examples of the company’s significant efficiency improvements, according to Metso service manager for Eastern Australia Jason Richards.
“The quicker processing times [at the new centre] and overall reduction in costs are a benefit for us as well as our customers,” Richards said.
Roger Taylor, Metso’s vice president of services operations told Quarry that despite shrinking business operations and mining operation sell-offs in the Newcastle/Hunter region, the company decided to ‘buck the trend’ and support the quarrying industry by opening a new facility.
“Whilst we are bullish about the medium to long-term future of mining, ultimately the decision to invest was based on a core theme of increased efficiency,” Taylor explained, adding that the decision to move was also based on Metso being physically closer to its customers.
“The 20km move [from Carrington to Tomago] might not sound significant, but it cuts travel time by 30 minutes, and so allows our team to respond more rapidly to urgent customer issues,” he elaborated.
Metso, which is headquartered in Finland, manufactures both static and mobile crushing and screening plant for the aggregates sector. The company also supplies the mining, construction, oil and gas, and pulp and paper industries.
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