Metso to relocate aggregates sector facility within Finland

Metso Corp., a Finland-based maker of equipment for the metals, mining and aggregates sectors, is moving the research and production operations for its aggregates market sector, but will remain within the city of Tampere, Finland

The company says it will gradually move its current operations in Hatanpää, Tampere, to a new Lokomotion technology center to be built in Lahdesjärvi, Tampere. At the new site, Metso says it will design, test and manufacture technology, equipment and components in for its equipment line geared to the production of aggregates and sand.

The planned Lokomotion Technology Center sits on 56 acres of land Metso acquired in 2021. Plans call for it to host some 900 Metso employees working in Tampere.

The investment in the first phase is about $162 million, spread over three years in a construction process that will start this year.

The first phase space will measure 365,000 square feet and will include assembly and testing facilities for the manufacturing of mobile crushers and storage facilities for components and materials used in aggregates equipment.

When the technology center is fully built out, it could measure about 710,000 square feet. Production of the track-mounted crushing plants, Lokotracks, is scheduled to start in at the new site in the third quarter of 2027.

According to the plan, the stationary crusher factory, research center, maintenance workshop and office facilities will move from Hatanpää to Lahdesjärvi at a later stage that may note be completed until the mid-2030s.

“Tampere is a very important location for Metso, and with our long presence in Lokomo we are also an important part of the city's industrial history,” says Markku Simula, president of Metso's aggregates business area.

“We are very pleased to be able to implement the Lokomotion project, which is a significant project for Metso and will allow us to continue our operations in the area in a new state-of-the-art technology center and production facility. The project involves a number of partners and will have a significant employment impact in the area.”

One goal of the Lokomotion project is to develop and build a new technology center that will enable sustainable manufacturing operations.

“The center will provide an environment and facilities to meet the most demanding sustainability and environmental objectives,” says the firm, which will seek United Kingdom-based Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification status for the site.

Metso owns the 42-acre Hatanpää site, which has hosted industrial activities for more than 100 years. The company intends to move all of its Lokomo activities in a phased approach to a Lahdesjärvi and then to close down and leave the Hatanpää site and buildings.