FLSmidth expands Perth Supercenter facility

With tough market conditions forcing many mining suppliers and service providers to cut back – FLSmidth says it has taken a “bold decision” to expand its Perth-based facility. The engineering company and supplier of mineral processing plants, materials handling systems and services to the mining and cement industries, has signed off on an expansion of its Australian Supercenter in Welshpool now in its second year of operation. The expansion scheduled for completion in mid-2015 will double the facility’s warehouse and workshop from 5,000 m2 to 10,000 m2.

The investment is aimed at bringing further value to FLSmidth’s Australian customers by increasing coordination and integration of the company’s products and services and minimising lead times through added capacity in its workshop and warehouse. Mark Clifford, Country Head Australia and Global Vice President said the expansion will allow FLSmidth to further decrease costs and increase productivity for its customers.

He adds: “Aftermarket support and back up is critical in ensuring that our customers meet their productivity and cost targets and will further enhance FLSmidth’s relationship with our clients,” he said. “The expansion will allow us to better support our installed equipment base and keep it operational allowing our customers to get the maximum productivity out of the machines through technical competency, rebuilds or upgrades. When other suppliers are retracting their footprints in Australia we’re increasing our footprint to provide better service to our customers.”

David Williams, General Manager Customer Services, Mineral Processing, Australia added that the expansion plans demonstrate that FLSmidth is here for the long-term. “We’re making a significant commitment in the industry here, and we’re here to support the mining industry,” he said.

In Perth recently to assess operations at the Supercenter Director Romy Gibbons said the expansion announcement was a clear demonstration to the market of FLSmidth’s commitment to be closer to and, therefore, better serve its customers in the region. “The fact that we are now closer to where our customers in this region are operating enables us to be more responsive in terms of our offering and abilities to serve our customers,” she said.

The Perth Supercenter is one of six large service centres operating worldwide tailored to support FLSmidth’s customers with warehousing of critical equipment and spare parts along with rebuild and repair capabilities of components in an efficient and safe manner. Certified to ISO 9001 it is an integrated office, workshop, laboratory, training and warehouse facility delivering a complete package of equipment, services and support to customers under the one roof.

The facility comprises an office building, workshop and warehouse that brings together product specialists, system designers, project managers and support staff. It has an advanced stock management system, enabling quicker supply and specialised rebuild and repair capabilities to increase the customers’ plant up time. The workshop includes four cranes with large lift capacity, spray booth, fabrication and machining areas, dedicated test facilities and wash-down bay.

Operations manager Andrew Laughlin said operational excellence was a key aspiration at the Supercenter. “We want to be a technology centre at the forefront of technology excellence for our customers – not just providing a product, but providing the support behind it,” he said. “Being a one-source service provider that can provide customers with everything from technological requirements to lab testing and aftermarket support is what really sets this facility apart.”

The primary components of most Supercenters are the ability to repair and rebuild equipment, to keep it in good working order and return it to the field as quickly as possible – and to do that safely and as closely as possible to the customer to keep that turnaround time down and maximise their uptime. “We also carry strategic stock,” said Laughlin. “There are many parts that are needed on a regular basis to keep machines at optimum function. Having those types of parts in these facilities where they can be dispatched quickly is another key tenant of what we’re doing with our Supercenters in general.” The Perth Supercenter’s training capabilities have been particularly well received with paying customers attending courses with instructions on how to operate FLSmidth’s equipment safely and efficiently.

“The machines and services that we provide can be quite complex and so the ability to help people operate them safely and properly – the tips and tricks that go along with operating our equipment optimally – helps them to then accomplish some of the goals and challenges in the current market,” Clifford said. The training facility can accommodate class sizes up to 25, and many attendees are on waiting lists to participate in the next available course.

Corporate social responsibility and giving priority to environmentally friendly practices and sustainability is a key feature of the Supercenters globally and the Perth Supercenter features several aspects that minimise environmental impact. These features include solar panels and solar water heating and using natural light to the best advantage. “We are also minimising water usage by capturing all water on site for recycled garden watering,” says Clifford. “An extensive material recycling system is in place for the office and workshop and our workshop wash-down area has been designed to allow for proper removal and disposal of contaminants and waste products as they are removed from equipment.”

Several of the Supercenters including the Perth facility have a laboratory with the capability to undertake basic testing. This capability condenses the time and inconvenience of customers sending samples to remote locations and waiting for results. A key feature of this Supercenter is an Intelligent Collaboration Environment (ICE™) – a high-tech centre with advanced, web-based monitoring, consulting and trouble-shooting capabilities. From this centre, different specialists at FLSmidth take part in the action at the customer’s site, virtually. They can communicate directly via headsets and cameras with the personnel present on site.

Having such a broad competency of solutions benefits both FLSmidth and its customers, says Clifford. “Many suppliers have separate buildings in separate locations for separate activities, but this Supercenter brings our product range and competencies together under one roof. It fosters a cross pollination of ideas and ultimately makes it a lot easier for our customers to work with us and for us to work with our customers.”