The investment of approximately €1 million (US$1.1 million) will significantly shorten the delivery times of equipment models put into line assembly production. The construction work for the new line will start shortly, and the first new Lokotrack equipment will come out of the line in the March 2018 quarter.
In each working shift, the Speedline 1 assembly line currently in use at Metso's Tampere factory produces one Compact series mobile crusher weighing about 50t. The new Speedline 2 line will increase the theoretical capacity by more than 30%.
Juha Erkkilä, the project manager in charge, said: “The delivery times of equipment models implemented on a line assembly method instead of today's fixed assembly method will be significantly reduced. At the same time, we will release plenty of space for assembling the largest crusher and Lokotrack models in fixed assembly locations. Due to the increasing demand for track-mounted mobile crushing plants, heavier and more complex models, such as the LT120, LT300HP/GP and LT220D will also be manufactured on Speedline 2 in addition to the current large volume models, such as the LT106 and LT1213.”
The renovation will improve the safety of both personnel and visitors to the factory.
Erkkilä continued: “The parts to be assembled can be better accommodated in the more spacious hall, which improves occupational safety. A new elevated gangway will also be built in the project, allowing visitors to view the operations in the factory more safely and fluently.”
