Gear unit and coupling manufacturer Flender is broadening its Australian mining horizons with a commitment to customer care.
Just as a gear unit is an integral component of any motor, customer satisfaction and growth are at the heart of any business striving for success.
At Flender, these foundations are more than just ideals. With the company’s latest expansion to a new service centre in Sydney, joining its locations in Perth, Melbourne and Rockhampton in Queensland, Flender aims to set the industry standard for customer care while its gear units and couplings continue to power some of Australian mining’s heaviest machines.
“We hope that by having a facility here we’ll be able to support our customers not only with a service centre but with technical support, project engineering, project management engineering and sales support all located close to the mining centre of New South Wales,” Flender managing director for Australia Kareem Emara said.
“We wanted to future-proof the business long-term by increasing our footprint from one facility and a network of offices around Australia to four key service workshops strategically placed to support our customers throughout the lifecycle of our products.”
That plan means delivering continued support beyond the sale of the gear units and couplings and considering how the company can keep offering value to its customers.
“We are also looking at ways to create value-driven data for our customers,” Emara said.
“The digital enabler of all measurements and optimisations is our new gear unit intelligence AIQ. It gives us flexibility to listen to customer feedback and adapt our portfolio to suit their needs.”
The new system provides customers with diagnostic information on conveyors, mills and other key assets at their mine sites, including how their machines are operating and the lifecycle of the product.
With countless industry applications on the books, including belt conveyors, drills, slewing drives, feeders, crushers and mills, Flender has been servicing the mining sector with high-quality gears and couplings for decades.
The company’s expansion on the east coast is critical to increasing its availability to customers in one of Australia’s most influential mining regions.
Flender is focused heavily on grinding and milling operations, with its products powering some of the largest geared mills and high-pressure grinding rolls (HGPR) in Australia.
“We’re a Tier 1 supplier in complex conveyor systems and grinding,” Emara said. “Flender has always been known for its quality products, with a strong name in the minerals and mining space.”
Flender has been present in Australia since 1979. Globally, the company has reached customers across 33 countries, selling more than 1.9 million gear units.
“We have got the largest standard range of any gear unit manufacturer,” Emara said. “We’ve got multiple 2.5-megawatt drives scattered throughout the country.
“Some of the most complex conveyance systems around Australia are driven by Flender products – that encompasses gear units, couplings and other accessories.”
But Emara was clear that success does not translate to complacency at Flender.
“Although we have the largest standard range, we also have the greatest flexibility to adapt that standard range to be able to deliver complex solutions on an individual mine site, or on an individual conveyor, compared to any of our competition,” he said.
“We are able to adapt our portfolio to meet our customers’ needs rather than just giving them products off the shelf, and our customers like the agility we’ve been able to provide which has been reflected in the growth we’ve seen as a business.
“Our vision at Flender is to set the global benchmark when it comes to service.”
This feature appeared in the October 2023 issue of Australian Mining.
