Flender, a leading global supplier of mechanical drives and a subsidiary of Siemens, has announced expansion plans in Western Australia with a new facility in Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate in Bayswater. The move comes as Flender continues to grow in the region and looks to expand its operations in Western Australia to meet increasing customer demand, especially in wind energy and mining sectors.

The investment will include a new purpose-built 3,500 sq m facility set for completion in September. When complete, the new premises will be the only OEM facility on the West Coast with a 1.5 MW test bench capable of testing complete drive systems up to a voltage of 6.6 kV.

Kareem Emara, CEO and Managing Director, Flender Australia, said that relocating to Tonkin Highway Industrial Estate will allow Flender 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.?

Flender has 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 also be designed to cater for projected growth in ?geared? wind turbines over the next couple of decades. The new facility 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. 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,? added Emara.