Aaro Cantell, Chairman of Normet Group and Ed Santamaria, President & CEO along with Normet India MD Subhasis Mohanty recently inaugurated the new Normet Centre of Excellence in Jaipur, Rajasthan in India on January 25, 2023. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a Global Technology & Production Hub, and will be home to an equipment production facility, service and rebuild centre, paint shops, R&D centre, proto shop, test track and technology training centre for operations and maintenance serving markets & customers across the world.
The facility covers around 10 acres including a 150,000 sq ft factory and amenities area and a 23,000 sq ft office area. It is located in Mahindra World City in the Domestic Tariff Area Phase II. The CoE is the largest greenfield project of its kind for Normet and now represents its second largest global manufacturing footprint, after the present production hub at Iisalmi in Finland, with the intent to cater to both domestic & global markets.
The office is designed according to modern, open office concepts with seating for 140 employees and simulator training rooms. The entire project is designed with safety and sustainability in mind with the following facilities: ~600 kW solar plant installation, rainwater harvesting, insulation in factory building to reduce HVAC loads, natural lighting and ventilation and fire protection systems.
“Starting manufacturing and development of the latest technology Normet products outside of Finland is a big step for us. It marks the high importance and increasing responsibilities of Normet India in the development of our businesses also in the future,” says Cantell.
Normet has supported growth in India with decades of investments in infrastructure and mining projects. “India represents a significant portion of Normet’s business and the Centre of Excellence will support the future growth and development of our company,” said Santamaria. At present, Normet India has an equipment facility for local products, a small sized Service Centre, and construction chemical manufacturing facilities in different parts of the country. In its efforts to reinforce India’s position in the market, expand its global manufacturing footprint, and further support the spirit of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, the group has heavily invested in the country.
The growth of the India Sales Area in the last few years has been transformational. “We aim for ambitious growth year on year and have projects in the pipeline in both the underground and infrastructure sectors in the country. We are committed to bring in new technologies which support sustainability and can be adopted to meet our customers growth ambitions,” says Mohanty.
Normet Group says this investment “is a testament to the confidence it has on the local organisation & business partners and in support of the country’s growth seen over the last few decades with increased investments in infrastructure and mining projects.” It says it continues to standby its value proposition of ‘Innovating for Performance,’ ‘Partnering for Lifetime Value’ and ‘Securing a Safe and Sustainable Future’ for all its partners.
Normet is one of the world’s leading suppliers of underground utility equipment including explosives chargers, scalers, multi-functional carriers, concrete transporters and sprayers, personnel carriers and lifting units. It says it improves underground mining and tunnelling processes with knowledge and technology translating process expertise into actions and financial results. The Normet SmartDrive® fully electric battery-operated machine portfolio is a sustainable, green and cost-saving technology developed by the company since 2015.