Metso Opens Cape Town Regional Hub to Support African Ports, Localisation and Bulk Materials Handling Growth
Global industrial technology group Metso has expanded its bulk materials handling network with the opening of a new regional hub in Cape Town, strengthening its operational presence and service capacity across Africa’s port and mining sectors.
The Finnish company, which supplies technologies, equipment and services to the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries worldwide, says the new facility will support growing demand for maintenance, refurbishment and modernisation of bulk-handling infrastructure across the continent.
The Cape Town hub complements Metso’s existing operations in Centurion, Gauteng, where the company employs about 160 people.
The new office is expected to add approximately 60 employees primarily local hires by the end of the year, bringing Metso’s total workforce in Africa to around 500.
Metso Africa President Ian Barnard said the Cape Town operation will play a strategic role in supporting the company’s port-related ambitions and expanding its footprint into key regional markets, including Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique and Namibia.
“It is part of our strategy to be closer to our customers and respond more efficiently to operational requirements across the region,” Barnard said.
Metso’s African operations currently contribute roughly 10% of the company’s global revenue, with the potential to grow to between 15% and 20% over the medium term.
The company aims to significantly increase the region’s contribution within the next five years, supported by rising demand for localised services and infrastructure upgrades.
Barnard noted that many African governments are placing greater emphasis on localisation and domestic beneficiation, creating opportunities for companies that can provide technical expertise, equipment maintenance and skills development within local markets.
The expansion also supports Metso’s ongoing partnership with Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) in South Africa.
The company is currently in the second year of a seven-year, R500 million agreement to provide technical support, spare parts and engineering services to dry-bulk terminals in Saldanha, Gqeberha and Richards Bay.
Metso Chief Growth Officer Jon Allen said the decision to establish a Cape Town hub was driven in part by the need to service a large installed base of aging equipment across Southern Africa, much of which requires refurbishment, upgrades and improved reliability.
The new facility is expected to significantly reduce lead times for spare parts and technical support, which previously depended heavily on shipments from Europe and other international manufacturing centres.
Transnet Port Terminals Chief Executive Officer Jabu Mdaki said localising technical support is critical to improving equipment reliability and operational efficiency across South Africa’s port network.
He noted that faster access to spare parts and engineering services will help strengthen domestic technical capacity while supporting efforts to increase export throughput, particularly at the Saldanha iron ore terminal, which remains one of the country’s most important bulk export hubs.
For the most recent financial year, the Saldanha terminal recorded a modest increase in export volumes to just under 52 million tonnes.
The long-term objective is to raise throughput capacity to between 55 million and 60 million tonnes annually.
Allen added that Metso is also investing in automation and digital solutions to address operational challenges facing many African ports, including aging infrastructure, reliability constraints and skills shortages.
This strategy is supported by the company’s recent acquisition of MRA Automation, a specialist provider of automation and digital control systems for bulk materials handling operations at ports and stockyards.
The technology has already demonstrated productivity improvements in international markets, including increased loading efficiency at major export terminals.
With more than 8,000 bulk materials handling installations worldwide, Metso’s product portfolio includes railcar dumpers, feeders, conveyors, stacker-reclaimers, ship loaders and unloaders, as well as advanced automation systems designed to improve operational performance across complex logistics and export environments.
