METSO has announced plans to gradually move its current operations in Hatanpää, Tampere, to a new Lokomotion technology centre to be built in Lahdesjärvi, Tampere, Finland.
In the future, the firm will design, test and manufacture technologies, equipment and components in Lahdesjärvi for the production of aggregates and sand.
The Lokomotion Technology Center site, which Metso acquired in 2021, covers 23 hectares and will host over 900 employees. The initial total building area of the facility is about 66,000 sqm, of which the first phase will be about 34,000 sqm. The investment in the first phase is about EUR 150 million, spread over three years. Construction starts in July 2024, and will include assembly and testing facilities for the manufacturing of mobile crushers and storage facilities for components and materials used in aggregates equipment.
Production of the track-mounted crushing plants, Lokotracks, is scheduled to start in Lahdesjärvi during the third quarter of 2027.
According to the plan, the crusher factory, research centre, maintenance workshop and office facilities will move from Hatanpää to Lahdesjärvi at a later stage. The new facility is expected to be fully completed by the mid-2030s.
The project has applied for BREEAM certification with a ‘very good’ rating. The city of Tampere has also defined a green factor in the land-use plan for the area, which will guide the design and implementation of the project in terms of climate resilience and nature-based solutions.
Metso’s current site, Lokomo, focused on the aggregates business, is located in Hatanpää, Tampere, and has had industrial activities for more than 100 years. Metso owns Lokomo’s approximately 17 hectares of land and buildings. The company intends to move all Metso’s Lokomo activities in a phased approach to a new facility in Lahdesjärvi, and then to close down and leave the Hatanpää site and buildings.
“Tampere is a very important location for Metso and with our long presence in Lokomo, we are also an important part of the city’s industrial history,” said Markku Simula, president of Metso’s aggregates business area. “We are very pleased to be able to implement the Lokomotion project, which is a significant project for Metso and will allow us to continue our operations in the area in a new state-of-the-art technology centre and production facility.”
