Sandvik said the maintenance and repair workshop for mining equipment, which opened in July, offers South America's first test bench for transmissions, axles and converters.

This bench can be used to rotate and work on heavy equipment, and the workshop can conduct repairs on surface and underground drills as well as underground trucks and loaders, said the company.

The workshop has a 1,775-square-meter service area for repairs (featuring capacity for four service teams), a specific area for component repairs, training rooms and offices.   

The company already has a workshop in Buenos Aires, but said a move into the south of the country was strategic.

"Sandvik sees the opening of the new service center as an important move to give service closer to its customers. The opening of the Caleta Olivia workshop represents a distribution point and satellite to have a faster response when a customer needs a specific component or spare part."