HELSINKI, Finland, Sept. 9, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metso Paper has opened a new service technology center in Jiangsu Province in China. The center, located in Wuxi about 100 kilometers west of Shanghai, provides expert services related to roll maintenance and process development for the Chinese pulp, paper and panelboard industry. The center, which employs today 60 persons, was officially inaugurated on September 9, 2001 at Wuxi.
The opening of the new service technology center significantly expands Metso Paper's service capabilities in China. The center offers one-stop roll service for all roll types, including, for example, roll overhauls as well as polyurethane and rubber coverings. It also features a consumables base, allowing the rapid delivery of key spare parts and customized consumables such as doctor blades. In addition, the center provides specialized on-site service and support for production line improvements.
In recent years, Metso Paper has delivered several paper machines and pulping and panelboard lines to China. Although the new service technology center provides a wide range of services for the machinery delivered by Metso Paper, it can equally well serve the machinery of other fiber and paper industry customers. In addition, Metso Paper has a production unit in Xian.
Metso Automation has also opened a new delivery and service center in China. The center, which operates in Shanghai's free trade area at Waigaoqiao, employs about 50 persons. The center delivers automation products, valves, positioners, actuators and their spare parts to China and the whole Asia-Pacific region.
The new delivery and service center significantly strengthens Metso Automation's service capabilities for the Chinese process industry. Metso Automation's associated company, Shanghai Neles-Jamesbury, has made control valves mainly to the Chinese markets for the last ten years.
Both service centers are part of Metso's Future Care business concept, aimed at maintaining the competitiveness of customer processes throughout their whole life cycles.
Metso Corporation (NYSE:MX) is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems. Metso's core businesses are divided between Metso Paper, a total supplier of fiber and paper technology, Metso Minerals, a supplier of rock and mineral processing technology, and Metso Automation, an expert in automation and control technology. In 2000, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 3.9 billion, and the personnel totaled approximately 22,000. Metso is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.