Nov 16, 2006. /Lesprom Network/. Metso Minerals opened yesterday a new production facility and a North American logistics center for crushing and screening equipment in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. The Columbia facility assembles track-mounted crushing equipment and manufactures stationary and mobile screening and vibrating equipment for the aggregates production and construction markets. The total costs of the investment were approximately Euro 8 million including rearrangements in production facilities and logistic functions. "Our new facility provides us with manufacturing and assembly space as well as ware-housing, enhancing our productivity and ability to quickly serve our customers in North and Central America. We have consolidated operations that were previously spread among several U.S. sites into our new facility. In addition, the new facility enables the assembly of track-mounted crushing units in the middle of a quickly growing market area," stated John Olsen, President of North and Central America market region, Metso Minerals. The plant covers more than 40 acres (16 hectares) and has 203,000 square feet (18,854 square meter) of factory and office space. Metso currently employs 60 people at Columbia, and that number is expected to increase to approximately 150 when the plant is fully operational next year.