Metso will expand its production capacity and office facilities in Shanghai through an investment of EUR20 million.
Metso will establish new facilities for Metso Automation's valve factory and supply center, for automation system production, and for sales, a project unit and engineering in China. About half of the investment will be allocated to a new office and factory building. The rest will be spent on acquiring machinery and equipment and on building the factory infrastructure.
The building plans will be completed late this year and the actual construction will begin next year. Operations in the new facilities will commence in early 2010. After completion of the facilities, all Metso Automation units in Shanghai will move into the same facilities. The number of employees in the units is estimated to grow by 400 and will rise to about 650 employees in 2011. Production capacity will be quadrubled from 2007 to 2011.
With the investment, Metso is responding to the rapid growth in demand for automation valves and systems, particularly in China's energy, oil and gas industry. It also enables the development of a global supply chain for valve production.