The customer cure Elmet

tally sensitive and must be handled accordingly. A corollary of this is the fact that we are also restricted by the number of hours that we can work per day in these sensitive environmental situations, which means that we have to find ways to meet the agreed deadlines in less time than would normally be allocated to achieving such projects.

“The latest project in Norway, is a hydropower project where we decided to use a tunnel boring machine (TBM). TBM has not been used in Norway for more than 20 years, and with this we are bringing back the TBM knowledge to the tunnel industry in Norway.

“The bottom line is that you have to find the optimal solutions and be as efficient, reliable and cost-effective as practicable. We are number one in the mining and tunnels sectors as well as being a major contender in all our other areas of activity. This is thanks to our commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes at all times for our customers.”

Partners in progress

The construction and mining industries are in a constant process of change and the demands placed on contractors such as LNS, continues to grow. In order to meet these demands it has become increasingly important to focus on a variety of forms of collaboration in order to achieve improved project coordination and faster problem identification and resolution. The objective is also to achieve stable, long-term relationships that yield better, more cost-effective outcomes. LNS has experience with many different forms of project collaboration which includes the forming of Public Private Partnerships (PPP), Joint Ventures (JV’s), strategic alliances and project collaboration with individual operators.

A recent example of the benefits of working in partnership with other specialists is exemplified by the company’s joint venture with Leighton Asia Ltd, which secured a

contract worth NOK 2.1 billion for a major sewage tunnel project in Hong Kong. This extensive project is part of the Hong Kong government’s Harbour Area Treatment Scheme. The project involves planning and driving a 7.5km tunnel with five shafts, each varying from 70 to 120 metres long through a busy part of the metropolis and harbour and more than 145,000 cubic metres of concrete will be required. This is because the tunnel runs partly below the sea and partly below office buildings in Hong Kong. The tunnel excavation was finished in November this year and the tunnel lining and the lining of the shafts will go on until autumn next year. By the end of 2014 the project will be finished. n

For further details of LNS’s innovative mining and tunnelling solutions visit: www.lns.no

THE CUSTOMER CURE

Full system producer and supplier Elmet is committed to putting its customers right at the heart of its activities. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to Wolfgang Leitner, head of sales and marketing, to find out more.

Established in Austria in 1996, Elmet Elastomer Produktions und Dienstleistungs GmbH is an internationally active partner for production equipment for elastomer products and services. In recent years, the company’s identification of the myriad benefits offered in delivering a full service solution has resulted in a rapid growth, supported by its long-term dedication to innovation and flexibility.

Head of sales and marketing, Wolfgang Leitner, is a passionate advocate of Elmet’s ability to deliver a full elastomer system. He told Industry Europe, “We’ve been working hard to ensure that our customers are always right at the heart of Elmet. By concentrating on our full system approach and by making sure that we offer what customers want, when they want it, we’re proud to have achieved our aim.”

Full system solution

As a full system supplier for elastomer products today, Elmet has come from a mould-making background, furnishing the company with a valuable understanding of the issues faced by its customers. Mr Leitner explained, “For many years we’ve developed moulding equipment, dosing systems – all types of equipment have been designed and produced by Elmet. We have a strong background know-how of the very specific issues and challenges related to the industries where our products are found, so we’ve concentrated on answering those concerns through our product development over the years.”

A successful developer and manufacturer of LSR (liquid silicone rubber) dosing systems, fully automatic injection moulds, valve gate cold decks and turnkey equipment for processing silicones and rubbers, Elmet regularly creates innovative new products and launches upgrades to existing products.

At the recent K 2013 exhibition, Elmet launched a new production concept for