18.01.2022

Outokummun Metalli has launched an extensive investment program

Harvester head and grapple manufacturer Outokummun Metalli Oy is once again making significant investments at its Outokumpu plant. The investment program of approximately EUR 3.3 million includes both the expansion of the factory building and new machinery and equipment. The investment will increase manufacturing capacity as well as bring the company latest production technology.

Continuous development is at the heart of the operations of Outokummun Metalli. In the metal industry, in addition to skilled personnel, it means the use of modern machinery and the latest manufacturing and automation technology. Outokummun Metalli’s previous investment program implemented in 2018–2019 included robotics of welding as well as a new machining center and new facilities for material storage. The new investment program will run from 2022 to 2023 and will once again allow a new leap in the development of production.

New production space and equipment

“The most outwardly visible part of the investment plan will be the expansion of the factory hall. A new assembly facility of approximately 1,000 m² will be built at our plant in Outokumpu. After the expansion, the total area of the plant will be more than 8,200 m²,” says Jarmo Paakkunainen, Managing Director of Outokummun Metalli.

Paakkunainen continues that “in terms of machinery and equipment, measures were started already in 2021. In the previous investment program, we introduced an automatic robot cell for welding the harvester heads, and now ordered another similar unit. The foundations of the new robot welding cell have already been laid, so the investment program will be concretely reflected in our production facilities. In addition, the acquisition of a new machining center and the modernization of assembly operations are currently on the planning phase. Decisions to implement them have already been made by the company’s Board of Directors.”

The investment program will be completed by the end of 2023. “In addition to the current good order backlog, making large investments is, of course, quite an effort, but making something new is always motivating for us,” says Paakkunainen.

Increasing capacity and efficiency

Regarding the goals of the investment program, Paakkunainen outlines that “As a result of the investment, our production capacity will increase and we will thus be able to prepare for future customer needs. Increasing automation and developing manufacturing methods will improve product quality and production efficiency at several stages of production: welding, machining and assembly.

This will improve the overall service for our customers and, of course, the competitiveness of our company. In addition, the aim of the reforms is to have a positive effect on the well-being and safety of our own employees in a demanding industrial environment.

It is important for us to develop the company further as the world’s leading manufacturer of harvester heads and to operate as part of the partnership network of John Deere Forestry Oy’s Joensuu plant.”