Just over two months since announcing the decision to invest in a new greenfield valve technology centre in Jiaxing, China, Metso has officially broken ground on the plant.

The centre will start operations in spring 2020 and serve the local and global markets, according to the company.

Kevin Tinsley, Senior Vice President for Valve Operations at Metso, said this week at the groundbreaking ceremony: “This is an exciting day for both Metso and our valve customers in various process industries globally – we are investing in improving service and delivery capabilities for them. China is an extremely significant market for our valve business, and the new technology centre will have a strong role.”

The new location is designed for a total of 400 valve technology employees, and the focus is on producing high-volume standard products and parts for all Metso’s valve plants. Metso’s technology centre in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone in Shanghai is continuing its operations, with a focus on highly engineered products, the company said.

Metso has valve technology or production centres in several locations around the world including China, North America, Brazil, Germany, Finland, South Korea and India. The company employs more than 1,100 people at seven locations in China, serving all customer industries.