Pemamek Oy, a Finnish company and leading provider of welding automation solutions for heavy industries, has secured a second order from
Gondan Shipbuilders (Astilleros Gondán SA, based in Asturias, Spain). The order includes the turnkey delivery of an advanced robotic welding station — a PEMA VRWP-SH with two welding units.
In recent years, Gondan Shipbuilders has been undergoing significant growth and transformation across all areas ‘to build a competitive future and seize new opportunities’ and says investing in automation and adopting modern production technologies have been crucial. In 2020, the company made its first investment in welding automation by purchasing a PEMA VRWP-C robotic station for ‘micro panel welding’. The successful integration of this system has now led the shipyard to deepen its commitment to automation with the procurement of an additional robotic welding station.
César Mateo Oró (pictured above), Gondan’s production manager, said: “We made our first move towards automation in 2020 by acquiring a VRWP-C robot from Pemamek for micropanel welding. Four years later, following the successful experience with the initial equipment, we once again relied on the Finnish brand to take the next step in this journey. The newly ordered VRWP-SH robotic welding station is designed to weld open blocks and will be installed in one of Gondan’s block halls. The facility is expected to become operational in the first half of 2025.”
Jukka Rantala, Pemamek’s vice president of sales, added: “We are pleased to be selected again as the automation supplier and to continue collaborating with Gondan Shipbuilders in the modernisation of its shipyard. This further strengthens our partnership and signals Pemamek’s growing role as a key supplier for global shipyards.”
This investment is part of a broader project under the PERTE Naval programme, an initiative launched by the Spanish Government. Projects under this programme are funded by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. Pemamek is a family-owned limited company that employs over 400 personnel at its headquarters and factory in Finland. The company has daughter companies in the USA, Spain, Italy, and Germany, and local sales offices in Brazil and Poland.