Metso breaks ground on service center and training facility

Metso Corp., a Finland-based global producer of aggregates processing equipment, has celebrated the groundbreaking of its service center expansion and new training facility in Mesa, Arizona, on Dec. 11.

Both the service center expansion and the advanced training center are expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2025.

The company says these new facilities will serve increasing demand from mining, metals production and aggregates production sector customers, offering a wider range of repair services, advanced competence development capabilities and improved safety and sustainability.

“Our expanded service center and innovative training facility in Arizona will significantly boost our ability to support customers with comprehensive and reliable services," says Giuseppe Campanelli, president, North and Central America, at Metso. "The facilities will address labor shortages by equipping Metso as well as customers’ employees with the latest skills and technologies."

With an investment of approximately $14.6 million, announced in November 2023, the expansion will increase the repair shop area by nearly 60 percent, significantly enhancing Metso's capacity and capability to provide OEM-quality repairs and refurbishments, the company says. The investment will support a wide range of equipment, covering essential process steps such as crushing, screening, grinding and HPGRs, filtration, flotation and slurry handling, among others.

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An advanced training center will be built on the same property to bridge the knowledge gap between people, equipment and operational goals. It will feature dynamic digital training assets like the Metso Geminex operator training simulator (OTS) as well as dedicated areas for classroom and hands-on learning. Comprehensive programs will support mining professionals' technical knowledge at the component, equipment and plant levels, enhancing their skills to promote safety and career growth.

Numerous upgrades to the facility will be implemented to improve energy and water efficiency to meet the CO₂ emission reduction targets set for own operations.

“Beyond North America, we continue to invest in our service footprint close to major mining areas to support our strategic target to become the preferred service provider in our industries,” says Annami Toukoniitty, senior vice president of professional services for Metso. “Our goal is to elevate our service center operations to a shared, industry-leading standard. We are committed to continuing our successful employee certification program, ensuring top-tier customer service experiences. Additionally, we are focusing on digitalization to further enhance our capabilities and efficiency.”

Metso’s service and repair center network comprises more than 3,700 field service professionals and technical support experts spread across more than 140 service locations and repair centers on six continents. Since 2021, the Phoenix region has also hosted one of Metso's largest warehouse operations globally.

In October, the company announced an investment to expand its presence with a new service center in a key mining hub in western Canada.