Equipment and services supplier to the cement, minerals and materials handling industries FLSmidth opened its fifth global Supercenter, in Delmas, Mpumalanga, earlier this month.

Two more have been built in Australia and Mongolia, but have yet to be opened.

It is essentially an extensive aftermarket hub and the new facility houses a concentrated stockholding. It is poised to become the South African construction base service and repair facility for all FLSmidth activities.

“The Delmas Supercenter is geared to offer its customers warehousing, rebuild and repair capabilities, support plant efficiency and safety, as well as serve a corporate social responsibility function in the local municipality of Delmas,” explains FLSmidth Supercenter GM Stephan Kruger.

The company signed an agreement with the local municipality to ensure it sources employees from the local community if the required skills are available.

Customers assisted in meeting the design requirements of the Supercenter, which is located near customer operations to provide localised services that ensure timely delivery and support. Through these facilities, customer relationships are expanded and services are tailored to meet their needs, he says.

Construction took 15 months to complete and the project experienced no lost-time injuries. It comprises 609 m2 of office space, a training centre with two lecture rooms with a combined size of 265 m2, an under-roof storage facility of 1 059 m2 and a 4 014 m2 workshop, and there are plans to build a 400 m2 sandblasting and painting bay.

The training centre will be used to instruct cus-tomers on the safe and efficient operation of the company’s products and to train and main-tain site staff specialist construction skills.

Further, the Supercenter has an equipment testing facility for vibrating equipment to ensure high-quality products are delivered to its customers.

“The costs to a mine of uninstalling and sending a product back for repairs are staggering, so ensuring a quality tested product is delivered is essential,” says FLSmidth global customer service senior VP Brian Day.

The acquisition of South Africa-based materials handling solutions company Roymec several years ago added the construction element to the Supercenter in Delmas. It distinguishes this Supercenter from the other six. The workshop and storage facility has four overhead cranes, the heaviest of which have a combined lift of 50 t to a height of 10.5 m to enable the repair and refurbishment of tall and heavy equipment.

Further, FLSmidth has ensured environ-ment-friendly practices, sustainability and safety are maintained at all times. Contaminants and waste products will be removed from equipment in a contained wash-down area for proper removal and disposal. To conserve water, rainwater will be collected for irrigation, and power is generated by solar energy whenever feasible. Natural light is used to the best advantage.

The company also offers sustainable solutions to help customers cut emissions, improve water conservation and minimise environmental impact.
“The Supercenter is more than just an innova- tive building design – it’s a partnership with our customers and with the local community.”

Besides the South African, Australian and Mongolian facilities, the other FLSmidth Supercenters are located in Tucson, Arizona, US; Arequipa, Peru; and Antofagasta and Santiago, Chile.