I've been in procurement for mining and cement operations for over six years, managing an annual equipment and service budget of about $1.2 million. If I'm honest, I've made some expensive mistakes along the way. This FAQ is based on what I wish someone had told me when I started evaluating FLSmidth—and it's not what you'll find on their brochure.
I used to think that way too. In 2023, I compared quotes for a new crusher setup. Metso was the highest, FLSmidth was in the middle, and a smaller local supplier looked like a no-brainer on price. Then I ran the TCO. The cheap option? Their delivery was late, the installation crew wasn't certified, and we had to spend $4,200 on re-engineering a conveyor interface they missed. FLSmidth's quote included a site survey, commissioning support, and a two-year parts warranty. The 'savings' on the cheap bid turned into a 22% cost overrun. My view now? If you're only looking at the unit price, you're not doing your job. FLSmidth's value is in what you don't pay for later.
Good question—and I'm glad you're asking, because I ignored this once and paid for it. The biggest hidden cost isn't with FLSmidth itself, but with your own site preparation. They deliver to spec, but if your foundation isn't level within 0.5mm per meter (per their installation manual), you'll eat the cost of grouting and shimming. I learned this the hard way when we installed a Raptor cone crusher in Q2 2024. The concrete pour was off by 3mm over a 4 meter span. That mistake cost us $1,800 in labor and materials before the crusher even touched the ground. Also: factor in the cost of the specialized lubrication oil they recommend. It's $150 per 5-gallon pail, and you'll go through about 4 pails in the first 500 hours of break-in. That's $600 you won't see on the invoice.
This was my biggest worry before I signed. I'm in Utah, not exactly downtown. But their service network surprised me. They have a regional hub in Salt Lake City, and they guarantee a 48-hour response time for critical breakdowns. In 2024, we had a gearbox fail on a Saturday night. I called their 24/7 line at 11 PM, and a technician was on site by Monday noon. That said, if you're in a truly remote site (think fly-in, fly-out), their standard response time is 72 hours. Everyone tells you they have 'global coverage.' FLSmidth actually has the infrastructure to back it up. But I'd still recommend asking for the contact info of the nearest regional service center before you finalize anything—not just the sales rep's card.
I had the same skepticism. I'm not a controls engineer, so I can't speak to the software architecture. What I can tell you, from a procurement perspective, is that their ECS/ControlCenter™ system cut our energy consumption by 11% in the first six months on a SAG mill installation. That's documented in our power bills. The ROI was 14 months, not the 24 months I'd budgeted for. The catch? It only works if your operators actually use the system. We had pushback from the floor team who wanted manual control. We had to mandate training. Once they got comfortable—about three months in—the savings kicked in. So the technology works. But you need to budget for the organizational change, not just the hardware.
That their parts replacement strategy is 'no surprises' to a fault. Their lead times are actually accurate. If they say 14 days, it's 14 days. Most suppliers give you a 4-week window and deliver in 3, making you look good. FLSmidth doesn't play that game. They tell you 14 days, and it's 14 days. For a procurement manager, that's a double-edged sword. I ordered an apron feeder chain link, and it arrived exactly on schedule. But I didn't have the inventory buffer I was used to for other suppliers. That forced me to adjust my ordering cadence. I now keep a 10% critical spares buffer in stock, which I didn't need with other vendors. It's a small thing, but it changes how you manage your warehouse.
Don't compare machines. Compare outcomes. Ask each supplier for the same reference: a 1,000-ton-per-hour primary crusher installation from 2020 or later. Then ask for the first-year operating costs: energy per ton, liner wear life, and unscheduled downtime. FLSmidth was transparent with their data—I can't say the same for everyone. That said, I'm not an equipment engineer, so I always bring our plant manager into that conversation. What I can do from my side is build a TCO spreadsheet that includes: purchase price, installation support (included or extra), commissioning, parts warranty duration, and average cost of a field service call. I built one after getting burned on a different project in 2022. If you want a copy of the template, I can send it. But honestly, just building it forces you to ask the right questions.
Underestimating the lead time for the initial order. Everyone focuses on the price negotiations and forgets that FLSmidth builds to order for most large equipment. Their standard lead time for a SAG mill is 18-22 weeks. We ordered ours in early 2023 and thought we'd have it by mid-July. It arrived in September because we missed a technical review deadline by a week in the pre-order phase. That delay cost us $27,000 in extended site preparation labor because the crew was idle for three weeks. The lesson? Start your technical review as soon as you get the first quote. Don't wait until after you sign. FLSmidth's team is thorough, but that thoroughness takes time.
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