Metso invests EUR 150 million in a modern technology center in Tampere, Finland

Metso will gradually move its current operations in Hatanpää, Tampere, to a new Lokomotion technology center to be built in Lahdesjärvi, Tampere. In the future, Metso will design, test and manufacture technologies, equipment and components in Lahdesjärvi for the production of aggregates and sand.

The Lokomotion Technology Center site, which Metso acquired in 2021, covers 23 hectares, and it will host over 900 Metso employees working in Tampere. The initial total building area of the center is about 66 000 m2, of which the first phase will be about 34 000 m2. The investment in the first phase is about EUR 150 million, spread over three years. Construction starts in July 2024, and will include assembly and testing facilities for the manufacturing of mobile crushers and storage facilities for components and materials used in aggregates equipment. Investment in 2024 is estimated at around EUR 30 million. Production of the track-mounted crushing plants, Lokotracks, is scheduled to start in Lahdesjärvi during the third quarter of 2027.

According to the plan, the crusher factory, research center, maintenance workshop and office facilities will move from Hatanpää to Lahdesjärvi at a later stage. The new technology center is expected to be fully completed by the mid-2030s.

The goal of the Lokomotion project is to develop and build a new modern 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. The project has applied for BREEAM certification with a "very good" rating. The City of Tampere has also defined a green factor in the land-use plan for the area, which will guide the design and implementation of the project in terms of climate resilience and nature-based solutions.

Metso's current site, Lokomo, focused on the aggregates business, is located in Hatanpää, Tampere, and it has had industrial activities for more than 100 years. Metso owns Lokomo's approximately 17 hectares of land and buildings. The company intends to move all Metso's Lokomo activities in a phased approach to a new technology center in Lahdesjärvi, and then to close down and leave the Hatanpää site and buildings.

"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. 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," says Markku Simula, President of Metso's Aggregates business area.

The aggregates produced by Metso's equipment are used for example in the construction of roads, railway tracks and other infrastructure, for foundations of buildings and as a raw material for concrete. The equipment can also be used to crush construction waste to be recycled and to produce industrial sand to replace natural sand for concrete production.

Source and Photo: Metso