Capacity for crusher wear parts and pump castings at the company’s steel foundry in Ahmedabad in Gujarat will be more than tripled by 2009 from the current 2,000 mt/y to 7,000 mt/y. The expansion includes the doubling of floor space, as well as addition of lifting capacity and production equipment. The expansion is targeted to primarily serve the Indian market.

Investment at the Bawal factory in Haryana—part of Metso’s plan to more than double the supply of mobile crushing and vibrating units by the end of 2009— includes building an assembly line dedicated to mobile crushing and vibrating equipment, doubling the current floor space, and installation of new production equipment.

Metso said the Indian customer base is expanding and customer requirements are trending toward bigger and more efficient plant solutions. The increased installed base also generates a growing demand for customer service and related products. Having established its operations in the early 1990s, today Metso operates through 10 locations in India employing approximately 500 people. The company has, among other things, supplied India’s largest crushing plant and iron ore enrichment plant, as well as the fastest rotary railcar dumper.