FLSmidth to establish a state-o- the-art service centre in Accra

FLSmidth, a leading global mining services provider, has unveiled plans to establish a state of the art service centre in Accra to cater for the needs of mining companies in Ghana.
The establishment of this centre is part of the company’s plans to expand its reach to all parts of the world, particularly the African region.
Group Chief Executive Officer of FSL, Mikko Keto, explained that the aim of the company is to make Ghana the hub of their African operations.
Although they already have a presence in South Africa, they have identified Ghana as key to their wider African expansion plans.
He further explained that the decision to came to Ghana was taken with the desire to build closer relationships with their customers in mind.
The CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Sulemanu Koney, welcomed the establishment of the service centre.
According to him, the existence of mining support service providers is crucial to the growth of the industry.
He said that the recent development in the industry has been the outsourcing of these services to enable them to concentrate on their core objectives.
He stated that if there is a gap in the production of these companies, it will cost these companies a lot of money.
Koney was particularly ebullient about the long term benefits of these investments, as they are enjoined under the law to train local people to perform these functions.
He was confident that with this investment, Ghana would move beyond merely being the largest gold producer on the continent, but also become the largest provider of mining support services on the continent.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tom Norring, said that by reducing its energy [use and employing] more efficient solutions, Ghana’s mining industry could reduce its carbon footprint and boost productivity, thereby contributing more to economic growth.
As part of its services, FSL will provide repair and assembly services to players in the mining and quarrying industry.
It will also stock spare parts and provide mineral laboratory services, as well as upgrade a d exchange services for players in the mining sector of the economy.
By SELORM GBORBIDZI, Accra