A good collaboration for sophisticated automation

Twenty-five years ago, in the year 1999, Jyrki Vilo and Kimmo Salonen founded the company KINE Robotics Oy in Turku/ Finland. A good idea, as it has turned out. Today, KINE is a renown systems integrator with a strong footprint – not only in Finland – in demanding target markets. From start on, KINE´s collaboration with Stäubli Robotics is a success story for both parties.

Considering the fact that Finland has a population of just 5,5 million inhabitants in an area nearly as vast as Germany with more than 80 million people, the industrial footprint is impressive and automation on a high level.

This is the market that KINE Robotics is serving and also driving ahead – for 25 years now. Jyrki Vilo, co-founder and managing director: “We have established ourselves as a systems integrator, mainly in demanding applications like food processing, semiconductor production and medical technology – not only in Finland, but also in our Scandinavian and Baltic neighbour countries and in Central Europe.”

Strong footprint in food industry

The references on the KINE homepage highlight many use cases in the food industry – not only the “classical” examples of secondary packaging and palletizing but also packing raw meat and bakery products. With this focus, it is no surprise that Stäubli is a preferred robot supplier for many years. Jyrki Vilo: “When it comes to hygienic applications, Stäubli robots in ´Humid Environment´ grade (HE) fit perfectly. This why we often use them – not only in food processing applications, but also for automation tasks in medical technology. Apart from that, the robots are of exceptional good quality and, in consequence, appreciated by the end customers.”

Two fast growing markets

Currently, semiconductor production has replaced food technology as the main application for KINE´s projects. Here again, Stäubli robots are the equipment of choice: “Cleanroom compliance is compulsory in wafer handling, and we also need ESD ability. This is what Stäubli robots are offering.” This is also true for the second fast-growing market for KINE: defense. Precision is required here in combination with an explosion-proof environment, so a maximum of cleanliness is a must – an ideal application field of Stäubli´s HE robots.

Good cooperation over many years

But it is not only the “hardware” of the Stäubli robots that KINE is appreciating. Jyrki Vilo: “Stäubli always has the end-customer in mind. And they support us with quick deliveries and a contact person in Bayreuth for our questions and projects. Engineering support, when needed, is quick and hands-on, too. All in all, over the years we have established a co-operation based on trust. And we appreciate that our relationships with Stäubli are very stable. In these times with so many changes, this is a good quality.” 

The cooperation goes well beyond the daily project work. Peter Pühringer, Managing Director of Stäubli Robotics Bayreuth, gives an example: “One of my first touchpoints with KINE was when they supplied a standardised cell with a Stäubli robot for meat packaging at our booth at Anuga Foodtec.”

Future: Robotics go mobile

Asked for future aspects of the collaboration with KINE, Peter Pühringer names the latest and current developments of mobile robotics: “At this year´s LogiMAT, we presented the mobile platform PF3. In 2025, a forklift-based solution of mobile robots will follow. We assume that these innovations might offer additional opportunities for KINE.” Jyrki Vilo agrees: “We already have requests for automated transport of heavier loads, e.g. for ingots as the base material for wafer production – quartz blocks with a weight of 300 kg plus tools. This is an interesting application and, indeed, will be an expansion of our offering in robotized automation.”