Purpose-built facility sees Flender expand into WA

Global mechanical drives supplier Flender plans to expand into Western Australia, announcing a new state-of-the-art facility at the Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate in Bayswater.

The move comes as Flender — a subsidiary of tech giant Siemens — continues to grow in the region and looks to expand its operations in Western Australia to meet increasing customer demand, especially in the wind energy and mining sectors.

The investment will include a purpose-built, 3500 m² facility set for completion in September 2020. Once complete, the premises is said to be the only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) facility on the west coast of Australia with a 1.5 MW test bench capable of testing complete drive systems up to a voltage of 6.6 kV.

Flender Australia CEO and Managing Director Kareem Emara said that relocating to the Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate will allow the company to centralise operations and get closer to customers in Western Australia.

“Flender has been renowned for high performance, innovation, quality and reliability of mechanical components for over 120 years. We have been growing exponentially the last few years and now have the biggest installed base in mining and wind turbine gearboxes compared to any other OEM in Australia.

“Regardless of where we are, being close to our customers is the cornerstone of our business model. Western Australia has been an excellent market for us in the recent years. It’s only natural for us to reinvest in this key market and be where our customers are to offer them the combined brains trust of over 50 facilities worldwide through this new state-of-the-art centre,” Emara said.

Flender is reported to have the largest installed base of industrial drives in Western Australia. Some installations have been in operation since the 1970s and are still in service today in mine and port locations across the Pilbara and other regions of WA. The facility will be designed to cater for future projected growth in ‘geared’ wind turbines and will enable Flender to combine sales, project delivery, engineering and training in one location.

“Whilst COVID-19 has presented challenges to Australian economy, we take a long-term view and are confident in our expansion plans to help set up the right support structure for the nation’s critical energy infrastructure and industry,” Emara said.

“Having been in WA for over 40 years, our view is and always has been long term. We are supporting critical industries such as mining now and are preparing for future growth in other industries.”

Image courtesy of Flender