MiningWorld Russia 2021: DB Santasalo invests in a new manufacturing centre

David Brown Santasalo to invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jyväskylä, Finland

David Brown Santasalo (DB Santasalo) continue investment in their global business as they prepare to embark on the development of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Jyväskylä, Finland. The new build will deliver a core manufacturing centre which will create an enhanced service for the customer, through significantly shorter delivery times of geared components, girth gears, workshop repairs and complete gear units in both Europe and worldwide.

The new space spans almost 10,000m2 and with brand new machinery throughout the facility, it is a significant expansion to the existing DB Santasalo capabilities. Working with local development company Jykia, who are owned by the city of Jyväskylä, DB Santasalo have been able to make this project a reality. The investment of over €20M is the largest of its kind for both David Brown Santasalo and the wider Finnish industrial gearbox market.

Pekka Leskinen, Managing Director, DB Santasalo Finland said, “We are looking forward to commencing this exciting build of our expanded manufacturing location in Finland, which will deliver an enhanced service to our customers with improved lead time worldwide. Furthermore, we continue our commitment to the local economy and following completion of the first phase of the project, we aim to create 25 full time positions.”

The project will comprise of two phases, with Phase I aiming for completion in October 2021, where we will see manufacturing commence in the new facility. Phase II will then aim for completion in late 2022. The target of Phase II is to transfer all current manufacturing operations in Jyväskylä, Finland to our new plant, creating an integrated and efficient manufacturing setup of industrial gear units.

“Once this project has been completed, we will have one of the most modern industrial gear manufacturing plants in the world. We look forward to bringing updates on this project over the coming months”, comments Project Manager Antti Haapaniemi.

David Brown Santasalo Global Gearing Specialists DB Santasalo employs more than 1,100 people at 29 locations across six continents, producing tailored industrial gearboxes of the highest quality to any industry. They specialise in servicing and remotely monitoring gearboxes of all brands and applications all over the world. From their manufacturing facility in the UK, DB Santasalo are a key supplier of main propulsion and auxiliary gearboxes for military land and naval platforms to many nations.

David Brown Santasalo Finland began its operations in the 1940s and has been providing manufacturing, field service and aftermarket support to their customers in critical industries such as Fibre & Paper, Mining and many more ever since. They have acquired, launched and operated under a number of brands such as Valmet Voimansiirto, Santasalo, Metso Drives, Moventas, Asea, Rauma.

Repola, SAWA, David Brown and Wärtsilä. Their customers have come to rely on their expertise and knowledge to deliver the right solution, tailored to their exact requirements.

“Today, the Finnish business employs 160 employees across three locations, including Jyväskylä, Tornio and Hyvinkää and are a central part of DB Santasalo’s global operation.”, says Divisional Managing Director, Jonas Heinonen. The organisation has a long-standing heritage and can trace its roots back to 1873 when David Brown in the UK commenced cast gear manufacturing. Since then the business has gone from strength to strength, and in 2016 joined forces with Santasalo to become one of the world’s leading mechanical power transmission brands; David Brown Santasalo.

This project has received de minimis funding from Business Finland.

Learn more about DB Santasalo and meet the company representatives during MiningWorld Russia 2021 at stand B4057.

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