Fortaco PEMA
Fortaco Group, a global provider of technology, vehicle cabins, steel fabrications and vehicle assemblies for heavy off-highway equipment and marine industries, has been investing heavily over the past decade in technologically advanced production solutions, such as PEMA robotic welding.
“We have done a lot of research on new materials, production concepts and future trends. Based on these findings we have made major updates in Fortaco’s operations and strategy. In the future, automation and robotics will be our key development areas,” describes Lars Hellberg, President & CEO for Fortaco Group.
Fortaco's annual turnover is €240-million, across all production facilities: Finland, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. Pemamek has delivered several robot welding stations to Fortaco Business Sites in Kalajoki, Janow Lubelski and Narva.
“Our ultimate target is to have 100 robots in our production (currently 50), including cutting, welding, and handling. Our aim is to be the pioneer and shape the industry,” says Hellberg.
The Fortaco factory in Kalajoki is a strategic partner for global marine and mining companies, specialised in fabricating heavy steel structures, such as motor platforms, oil sumps, and special vessel components. The average volume is 1500 manufactured products per year. Weights can vary from 3,000 kg to 35,000 kg.
The main challenge behind the decision to invest in welding automation was the need to boost production efficiency.
“In order to maintain its competitiveness, it is essential for Finnish heavy steel manufacturing to invest in automation and robotics. We have invested in PEMA welding automation because of the need for better welding efficiency and overall production capacity,” describes Jari Hakalahti, Welding Coordinator & QHSE Manager at Fortaco Kalajoki factory.
PEMA Robot welding station is programmed with PEMA WeldControl 300 OFFLINE. The system is based on 3D-software, making a pre-analysis of workpiece and enabling fast drawing of welds. Robot operation time is 100% while programming is significantly faster.
“Our experiences on other robot programming software from different providers have been decent. What we find the most beneficial in this Pemamek’s solution is the easy and fast PEMA WeldControl 300 OFFLINE programming,” concludes Hakalahti.
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