Metso Minerals’ Vision

"Metso Vision is to become the industry benchmark, and goal is continuous improvement of our customers’ satisfaction. We are in the process of bringing best products and processes for Indian customers," says Vishnu Kadekodi in his interview with S. A. Faridi.

Under its proposed expansion plans, Metso Minerals proposes to increase the production of its mobile crushing units. Kindly furnish us more details about your expansion plans.
Metso Minerals announced its expansion plans last year at Excon— 2006. Under the expansion mode, our factory in Haryana and foundry in Gujarat have proposed to increase capacities to meet the demand of the industry. The Company expects to grow at around 20 percent CAGR basis. The capacities in foundry have already grown to 2000mt from 1200mt last year. The manufacturing unit in Bawal, Haryana, has also increased its production to 60 mobile crushing plants per annum from 20 units. We are also in the process of optimising our resources to enhance capacities and deliver faster to our customers. The operations have been strengthened with manpower to meet the growing boom in the sector.

Please let us know the details of your new service contract plan for your customers. What are the aims and objectives of the contract services and the need for introducing this service?
It is based on lifecycle relationship concept. The basic premise of the concept is that our customers know their job best and we know our machines best. This knowledge should translate in overall benefit for the customers. The knowledge base in the country is still in its infancy, and it calls for lot of support from the product and service supplier to the customer at every stage. A service contract from Metso Minerals enables customers to eliminate the concerns of availability and they can focus on the operations.

The contract also enables them to get online attention, spare and wear parts stocking at site, process knowledge and a greater availability of the plant with lower O&M cost.

Your Company is one of the leading players in mobile crushing and screening systems. What are the latest developments world-wide and how these are being incorporated in Metso Mineral product range?
With the shift in technology and shorter timelines for project execution, customer is demanding bigger mobile plants with the features of fixed plant. Customer is demanding the best of mobile and fixed plant coupled together in the new category. Worldwide, we are building bigger capacity mobile plants and the same is happening gradually in India. We recently launched 300TPH primary mobile plant and are building the secondary and tertiary plant on wheel to match the primary section capacity. We have also launched new conveyor designs which are proven, cost effective, and modular.


Tell us something about Metso Minerals, its manufacturing facilities, their locations and product range?
Our manufacturing unit in Bawal, HSIDC in Rewari District, Haryana, is spread across 32,000 sqm. The unit is a 100% owned manufacturing facility of Metso Minerals and was set up in 1998 to cater the needs of aggregate and mineral processing requirements of the Indian market. Our operations in the factory are ISO 9001:2000 certified. With a highly skilled manpower for various applications our factory manufactures a vast range of our products from mobile crushing plants, mineral processing equipment to slurry pumps manufacturing.

Our foundry in Ahmedabad was set up in June 2001 and it caters to chrome castings for new equipment manufactured at the factory, manganese wear parts for Jaw crushers (both fixed and movable) and cast steel/ low alloy steel for crushers, ripple flow screens and classifiers among various other applications.

Some of our manufacturing units globally are located in Macon (France), Tampere (Finland), Waukesha (USA), Sorocaba (Brazil), Matamata (New Zealand), New Castle (Australia) and Sala (Sweden).


Inspite of the fact that Metso equipment are costlier than the alternatives, being very sound technically, they are preferred. How does the Company maintain such a level of innovation on products and services to offset price difference?
We can state that one should evaluate any equipment based on its life time O&M cost. Metso invests heavily in R&D and keeps upgrading the machines and process. We take customer feed back seriously and incorporate the same. As our country has skipped many steps in technology, it is important to give world class service support to world class product.

Your Company is one of the front-leaders in providing mineral process systems spearheading many technological developments. Can you list out some of landmark developments initiated by your Company which have been pacesetters for the industry?
Metso Minerals is the worlds and India’s leading supplier of services and equipment for the mining and minerals processing industries. Our product range covers grinding, classifying, enrichment, materials handling, slurry handling, thermal drying, and wear protection. Metso Minerals in India has been:

First to deliver the largest Lamella thickener in the world to National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).

• First to deliver the largest benefitiation plant for iron ore processing
• First to deliver a coal washery plant for private sector in India
• First to supply High Gradient Magnetic Separator (HGMS) for iron ore processing
• Largest installation of pressure filters for dewatering from iron ore
• Single largest order for slurry pumps in the world for an Alumina project
• Largest installation of pumps in the Alumina industry in India
• Pioneered the concept of slag granulation pump in steel industry.

Besides that Metso’s technology to upgrade the low grade iron ore fines and slimes is unique proposition for our customers. Low grade iron ore fines and slimes has been a problem as there were very few customers. These have been piled up as mountains or slime ponds over the years creating environment problems in addition to revenue losses. Metso is now providing technology by which these fines and slimes can be processed and upgraded to a BF/DR Grade concentrate suitable for pelletisation. More than 75% of the material, which was sitting as waste, can now be used as a product. The technology being adopted by Metso Minerals is beneficiation through a combination of gravity and/or magnetic and/or flotation circuits.


It means a lot to our customers and the environment in terms of:

1. Less mining as recover increases
2. Conservation of iron ore
3. Less disposal
4. Smaller tailing ponds
5. Less water demand
6. More money for our customers

What is Metso Minerals vision to romp up its sales turnover in the next two-three years encashing on the emerging opportunities in the construction and mining sector?
Metso’s vision is to become the industry benchmark and our goal is continous improvement of our customers satisfaction. Our solutions best meet the customers’ needs throughout the life cycle of their processes and production equipment. In the coming years, we will aim to give most optimised cost effective solution to our customers, bench mark on existing installations, pass on the worldwide knowledge to the customer and bring new technology and automate the plant and the process. As mentioned earlier we are expecting to grow at 20% on an annual basis. We are in the process of bringing in not only the best products but also best processes for the Indian customers. By being our business partners, customers not only get best products but also get Metso’s global knowledge in the process.