Automation systems Amada has inaugurated the significantly expanded Finnish location

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The grand opening took place in early June. Amada Automation Europe, the largest production unit of the Amada Group for automation solutions, has expanded in Bennäs, Finland, and more than doubled the production capacity.

In 2020, in Bennäs, the long-standing cooperation and eventual co-ownership with LKI Käldman ultimately became Amada Automation Europe Ltd. (AEE). This has benefits for customers: Since then, Amada has been offering its machine tools, if desired, directly with optimally coordinated, modular automation systems from a single source. AEE is Amada's largest European development and production site for automation solutions for Amada's sheet metal working machines.

The demand for fiber lasers is increasing. At the same time, however, automation, due to work time constraints, lack of skilled workers, and rising costs, has become a prerequisite for sheet metal cutting processes in Europe. That's why Amada sees automation as the key to success in today's sheet metal market. From single-part sorting, to storage towers, to tailor-made storage systems, whether for installation on a new machine or for retrofitting an existing one - Amada offers effective solutions for automation.

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Investment of 12 million euros

Therefore, major investments were made at the automation solutions production site in Finland. Tsutomu Isobe, Chairman of the Amada Group, reported at the opening ceremony in early June, that the Japanese high-tech company has invested about 12 million Euros. While expanding, the site expanded from 10,800 to over 19,500 square meters. Four new areas were built, all connected to the original building. In addition to a new logistics center, there is a new assembly hall, a new painting area, and new modern office units.

Now, 450 automation systems per year can be produced in Bennäs instead of the previous 250. This means that the largest development and design department outside of Japan is now located here. Isobe emphasized that Amada has found that local manufacturing and local delivery from Europe for Europe is important, as it shortens delivery times, among other things. "The investment here in Finland is part of the long-term corporate vision to achieve sales of 500 billion yen (about 3 billion euros) by 2030." In addition to invited guests and employees, global and local representatives from business and politics also attended the opening ceremony.

Amada has also invested in some new technologies. For example, a new fully automatic powder coating system has replaced the previous wet painting process and its programming is done via a VR headset. The curing oven is powered by biogas and excess energy is returned to the production hall heating system. The AEE relies on 100 percent renewable energy and has installed a solar panel park, among other things. "In fact, the Finnish facility is the first in the Amada group that can be described as CO₂-neutral," Greg Seymour, Managing Director at Amada Automation Europe, told Blechnet. True to Finnish style, parts of the buildings are made of wood. Furthermore, a focus has been placed on the digitalization of production. This includes, for example, factory visualization solutions which enable seamless monitoring of the plants.

According to Seymour, the expansion of the site will create around 100 new jobs in the coming years. They like to raise these themselves: Cooperations exist with local colleges, from which around 80 percent of production employees originate. Many engineers come from the nearby university in Vasa.

Excerpt from the automation portfolio

In addition to storage systems, there are automation solutions for laser machines, punching machines, and combination machines. These include, among others:

The Compact Storage (CS) for example, is a fully automatic storage solution for flexible and centralized handling of raw materials, parts, and scaffolding. The modular design offers the possibility to adapt the size and configuration of the storage system to the available space in the production hall. Here, the forklift traffic is focused on one input and output station, so that no manual unloading at the production cell is necessary anymore. One or more fiber lasers, punching or combination machines can be connected.

The MP-4020 manipulator handles the automatic loading and unloading of laser machines, stores raw material, and micro-jointed sheets. Thanks to its compact design, it can also fit in tight spaces. Vacuum suction cups allow loading of various material types such as steel, aluminum, etc. A capacity of 3,300 kilos on each material pallet allows for long, uninterrupted production runs.

The automation solution AS LUL STRI for the Ensis-RI series lasers for the production of higher quantities offers easy and light switching from the flat sheet to the pipe mode. The pipe cutting mode is managed by the STRI module. The support table assists in loading and unloading the pipes. The flat sheet cutting mode is managed by the AS LUL. And the tower ensures the automatic loading and unloading of the laser machine and stores raw materials and residual sheets.

The single-part sorting PR III is a three-axis handling system equipped with two specially developed unloading arms for automatic removal, sorting, and stacking of parts for use together with Alpha IV and V series machines and various punching machines. Vacuum suction cups allow for the handling of various material types like normal steel, aluminum, stainless steel.