WACOL, QLD, AUS — Flexicon Corporation (Australia) Pty Limited, has more than tripled its Brisbane, Australia operation by expanding into an adjacent manufacturing facility, it was announced by Ray Greene, General Manager, here.

The new plant adds approximately 23,680 sq ft (2200 sq m) to the company's existing 10,760 sq ft (1000 sq m) space, and will be dedicated to increasing manufacturing and engineering capacity, while the original facility retains manufacturing, test plant, sales and service functions.

"The existing plant could not keep pace with explosive demand, so finding the additional space next door was fortuitous," says Greene.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Flexicon Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, the Australian operation produces Flexicon's full range of bulk handling equipment including flexible screw conveyors,

pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag unloaders, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, manual dumping stations, weigh batching systems, and custom-engineered plant-wide systems, as well as spares which are maintained in stock.

The company is outfitting the new operation with automated and conventional production equipment and expects to increase personnel by 200%.

"Australian manufacturing enables Flexicon to standardize designs and finishes that meet local requirements for industrial, food, dairy and pharmaceutical applications, allowing rapid deliveries of new equipment and spares, and providing factory-direct field service and parts inventories," he says.

According to Mr. Greene, the Australian engineering staff has extensive experience designing Flexicon equipment for the Australian

market, and collaborates with central engineering at headquarters, sharing Flexicon's database of over 25,000 worldwide installations containing solutions to virtually any bulk handling problem.

Flexicon Corporation Australia markets Flexicon products throughout Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and the South Pacific Rim, managing projects ranging from stand-alone pieces of equipment to custom-engineered systems including commissioning, training and handover. "Tripling of capacity will enable us to maintain our unprecedented growth in these markets while maintaining delivery commitments," says Ray.

The Australian operation also staffs sales offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Other Flexicon manufacturing sites are located in Bethlehem, PA, USA; Kent, England; and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.