Helsinki, Finland 10 November 2014 -- Metso is opening new sales offices and service centers in the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Doha, Qatar, to support the strategy to grow its valve and field device business and to strengthen its service capabilities in the Middle East for the petrochemical, energy, oil and gas, and pulp and paper industries.

The new service centers offer the latest technology and know-how to carry out high-quality maintenance and repair work on Metso and third-party devices, including valves, actuators, smart devices and pumps. Through the new sales offices, Metso can offer its local customers a full service and business solution portfolio, including market-leading valve solutions, maintenance of equipment and even plant-wide control system optimization.

Metso is a value-adding partner for all project key stakeholders, including operators, engineering, procurement and construction contractors, and original equipment manufacturers. Over the years, Metso's business has grown steadily also in the highly competitive Middle Eastern valve market.

"We offer industry-leading flow control know-how for even the most challenging applications. Metso's assets are reliability, expertise and a wide product portfolio. For example, in a typical petrochemical project, Metso's product range covers up to 90% of the needed valves," explains Kalle Autto, Vice President, Middle East Market Area, Metso.

"Our new sales offices and service centers will considerably improve our customer service capability in the region. Our customers will have easy access to our technical and process know-how related to flow control solutions, including process improvements and debottlenecking as well as project management," adds Autto.

In addition to repair and refurbishment, both service centers offer upgrades, spare parts, training programs, field support and diagnostic services. Building on these technical services, the centers also offer business solutions, such as Intelligent Shutdown and Intelligent Maintenance as well as Device Management and Control Performance targeting in improved maintenance and production efficiency. The Control Performance solution, used especially in the extensive installations in the Middle East, is based on Metso's award-winning PlantTriage software, which continuously monitors and analyzes the customer's process and control information and offers guidance on which parts to develop further.

Leading flow control technology for improved safety and sustainability

Metso has a long track record of delivering engineered performance and reliability to the oil and gas, pulp and paper, and power customers through its leading product brands - Neles®, Jamesbury® and Mapag® - and has delivered millions of valves, control valves, and on-off valves globally over the last 90 years. Additionally, Metso has become one of the leading suppliers of intelligent valve controllers.

Metso's extensive flow control services offering covers business solutions and services that optimize equipment use and cost of ownership. Metso's valve technology centers and valve production facilities are located in Finland, the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, India and Brazil. By the end of 2014, Metso will have more than 40 valve and field device service centers worldwide.

Metso in the Middle East

In the Middle East, Metso currently serves the petrochemical, energy, oil and gas, and selected other industries. It has sales and service operations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Metso is a leading process performance provider, with customers in the mining, oil and gas, and aggregates industries. Metso's cutting-edge services and solutions improve availability and reliability in minerals processing and flow control, providing sustainable process and profit improvements. Metso is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland. In 2013, Metso's net sales totaled EUR 3.8 billion. Metso employs approximately 16,000 industry experts in 50 countries. Expect results.