Weir ESCO has broken ground on a new foundry in China that, it says, will build capacity and support increased demand for ESCO ground engaging tools (GET), while retaining 100% of its experienced team.

Employees, dignitaries and local partners celebrated at a ground-breaking ceremony in Xuzhou, China, where Vice Mayor Gong of Xuzhou City and other elected officials, local business partners and Weir Minerals Managing Director of China, Angela Wang, were present.

The company broke ground on its new foundry in China on July 27, as the latest milestone in the future expansion of its Xuzhou site.

The project was announced in 2021, with production from the facility scheduled to start in late 2024 ahead of reaching full production in 2025.

In Weir Group’s half year results to June 30, the company noted that Weir ESCO had received a record order intake of £349 million ($426 million) for the six-month period on the back of high levels of activity in mining and infrastructure markets, plus pricing and volume growth.