News and Insights

Mathias Mikkonen from Punkalaidun is a recent graduate with a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering and Metecno’s latest recruit. This recruitment is aimed at responding to Metecno Oy’s growing business opportunities.

Mathias originally came to Metecno to complete his final thesis, designing a new model of the MeteMAN® Electric Manipulator. After a successful project, both parties had the desire to continue, and so Mathias has already started working full-time as a mechanical and robotics designer at Metecno. Mathias will make a strong contribution to both the mechanics and robotics design of future projects.

“I have been able to hire some really qualified people in the last few years with this model. During their studies, the students have been able to demonstrate their skills to the whole staff and think to themselves whether this would suit them in the long term. At the same time, they have seen and learned in the best seat how to properly implement the demanding, standard-compliant special purpose machines that the industry needs. This is like a good example of a 1 + 1 = 3 calculation”, comments Matti Metsähonkala, CEO.

We are pleased to announce that Metecno Oy has been audited by Bureau Veritas with commendable results last week. The audit found that Metecno Oy meets the requirements of the management system standard ISO 9001: 2015 with regard to the sales, design and manufacture of special purpose machines.

Above all, this verified recognition gives our customer companies the assurance that all the special purpose machines we produce undergo strict quality management processes before the delivery date and thus the high end quality of our special machines can be relied on.

Quality management is the cornerstone of a machine technology company’s operations anyway, so obtaining a certificate did not in itself change anything in our operations. We made some usual specifications and development measures for the various stages of the production chain, what every evolving company should constantly do anyway.

Certification will be the foundation on which we continue to develop our processes. Based on that, we strive to provide our customers with both the best possible purchasing experience as well as a first-class user experience of our products.

Further information:

Matti Metsähonkala, CEO
+358 20 741 6210
matti.metsahonkala@metecno.fi

We have completed the 2020 financial statements. Last year, for the first time in the company’s history, Metecno Oy achieved a turnover of more than EUR 1 million and made a nice profit as well. In addition to the company continuing to grow in the light of the numbers, the brand image of the special purpose machine manufacturer was also strengthened with new partnership agreements and orders.

The financial ratios for the financial year 2020 at Metecno Oy were quite good throughout. The change in net sales was approximately 54%, the operating profit was over 7% and the result for the financial year was EUR 49,000.

“When I started building new premises, the goal was to take the company as a whole to a new level. With the achievement of a record turnover of EUR 1 million, it seems that the goal has been at least partially achieved”, rejoices CEO Matti Metsähonkala. “We are content with these numbers but not totally satisfied. We are hungry to achieve more, so in 2021 we will once again aim for the best year in the company’s history.”

The highlights of the year were undoubtedly the agreement with Posiva, i.e. the total delivery of a robotic machining station to a spent nuclear fuel encapsulation plant, and the order for the total delivery of an unprecedented MeteCNC® special purpose machine. Both projects progressed as planned in 2020 and, when completed, will serve as the flagships of Metecno Oy’s special purpose machine manufacturing.

On the personnel side, the situation remained the same as familiar personnel continued their work and increased their skills with new software and methods. The number of employees in the company grew by one engineer, and Metecno was able to provide internships for four students. The identity of the family business was also strengthened when the company’s other owner, Marika Metsähonkala, moved from the background at the turn of the year to strengthen Metecno’s day-to-day operations.

As a sign of growth and development, the company launched a project in 2020 to obtain ISO 9001 certification, which is expected to be successfully completed during 2021. A particularly significant single operation during the year was the purchase of product rights for a chain bag packaging machine from Jujoma Oy. The machine has received a lot of interest and there are clear sales expectations for the next-generation model that will be built as a result of product development work this spring.

CNC control is one of the most important areas in the operation of a thoroughbred machine tool. We are expanding our range of CNC controls with HEIDENHAIN TNC controls, which offer their own special benefits for machine building and machine operation. In the future, our customers can choose the control and even the programming language they need from HEIDENHAIN’s high-quality range, whether the company needs a machining center, a reamer, a cutter or even a drill.

Of the HEIDENHAIN controls, the TNC 640 is particularly suitable for milling machines, milling-turning machines, high-speed milling or even machines with up to 24 axes and two spindles. The TNC 128, on the other hand, offers compact, versatile straight-cut control with three servo axes and a servo spindle. This control does not require writing a program, but the axes can also be traversed manually.

HEIDENHAIN can, of course, execute G code, but its own Klartext programming language provides an easy way to make a program next to the machine as well. This is a particularly great advantage when the series sizes are small or even single series.

HEIDENHAIN is a traditional German measuring instrument developer and has been represented in Finland for more than 40 years. Since the mid-1970s, HEIDENHAIN has been an increasingly important manufacturer of machine tool controls and servo drives.

Read more about HEIDENHAIN CNC controls here.

Further information

Matti Metsähonkala, CEO
+358 20 741 6210
matti.metsahonkala@metecno.fi

Metecno Oy, a special purpose machine manufacturer, and Posiva Oy, a nuclear waste management expert, have signed an agreement for the total delivery of a robotic machining station. According to the agreement, Metecno Oy will design, manufacture and install a machining station at Posiva’s spent nuclear fuel encapsulation plant. The value of the contract is financially significant and its estimated employment impact is several person-years.

The machining station, served by a robot, consists of a customised CNC-controlled machining center, whose task is to ensure the dimensions and surface quality of the fuel capsules to be disposed of in ONKALO®. The MeteCNC® special purpose machine grinds out any unevenness left in the capsule during welding, after which the station performs an inspection on the dimensions and surface quality of the capsule. The robot handles other auxiliary tasks in the process, such as handling NDT measuring devices and vacuuming milled chips. In practice, the machining station performs an important step in the capsule disposal process, as only capsules with a completely defect-free surface can be lowered into ONKALO®.

Previously, Metecno Oy has been the only one in Finland to supply a CNC-controlled milling machine for handling radioactive material in VTT’s hot cell. As in that project, the challenge here too is to produce a unique, radiation-resistant solution within a pre-determined schedule.

“The challenge of contributing to the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel is great, but our entire staff is looking forward to the project. Posiva is a pioneer in its field in the final disposal solution, and negotiations on the agreement went in a positive spirit from the beginning. At the same time, the agreement underscores Metecno Oy’s position as Finland’s leading manufacturer of customized CNC machines, ”comments Matti Metsähonkala, CEO of Metecno Oy.

“Metecno is for Posiva an interesting new supplier, who convinced Posiva in the negotiations with its machining expertise. The contract negotiations proceeded in good spirit. We also expect the same from the project, ”says Jussi Näveri, Purchasing Manager at Posiva Oy.

The robotic machining station will be completed at the end of 2022 and will be installed immediately.

Further information

Matti Metsähonkala, CEO
+358 20 741 6210
matti.metsahonkala@metecno.fi

Juhani Ikonen, CEO of Jujoma Oy, who has been manufacturing and selling industrial packaging machines for a long time, has decided to retire and at the same time sell the product rights of the chain bag packaging machine to Metecno Oy. According to the agreement, Metecno Oy will manufacture, sell and be responsible for the future product development of the chain bag packaging machine in Finland.

The roots of this packaging machine date back to the early 2000s, when Juhani was selling the machine under the name of Kepakko. Several trade fairs and countries also became familiar when meeting those who needed a packaging machine. For a long time Jujoma Oy’s product portfolio also included many other products, but in the end the decision was made to concentrate the company’s resources only on the packaging machine in 2012. Since the packaging solution was launched in 2009 it has found a good foothold in the packaging market.

“The machine itself is simple, well-designed and efficient, but like all other equipment, you have to learn how to use, adjust and maintain it. Even if I give up the product itself, I will still continue to provide service of the use, maintenance and spare parts for the machines”, says Juhani. “On second thought, I guess Metecno will soon take those over, too”, he adds with a laugh.

“Juhani has designed a great machine and it is exciting to start developing it further”, adds Matti Metsähonkala. “When he considered us to be the kind of company to which he could hand over the continuation of his life’s work, of course, the honor offered could not be refused. We have already made a few improvements to the latest machine and in accordance with the principles of our company, we will not be satisfied with them, but will continue to develop it on the basis of every emerging need. The number of about 40 machines sold indicates that the machine as a solution is necessary and interesting.”

For inquiries about the machine

Matti Metsähonkala, CEO
+358 20 741 6210
matti.metsahonkala@metecno.fi

AUTOMAPPPS is a software family designed for robot programming, which offers advanced means for remote robot programming and reactive robot programming such as bin-picking. AUTOMAPPPS. whose applications can benefit companies in many ways, enables faster, easier and even fully automated robot programming using external sensors.

The software supports products from more than 15 robot manufacturers and it has various application possibilities in a wide range of work processes: for example painting / powder painting, grinding, polishing, other surface treatment, marking, cleaning, high pressure washing, deburring, inspection, quality control, 3D workpiece measurement, bin-picking and pick-and-place are processes for which AUTOMAPPPS is an excellent tool for optimization.

In the future, Metecno Oy will use AUTOMAPPPS software as part of its industrial automation, robotics and special purpose machine solutions, as the software will enable even higher quality and more cost-effective results for customers. With the agreement with Convergent Information Technologies GmbH, Metecno Oy also acts as the official retailer of the AUTOMAPPPS product and related services, such as programming, training and implementation services, in Finland.

The agreement strengthens Metecno Oy’s status as a high-quality service provider in the field of robot applications. Above all, the agreement will improve Metecno Oy’s ability to help companies increase the efficiency of their production extensively with the means of robotics.

Read more about AUTOMAPPPS software: http://convergent-it.com/

Metecno Oy and Omron Electronics Oy have signed a partnership agreement to supply collaborative robots as a part of efficient, secure solutions for industrial machine and automation needs.

Cobots have great potential to streamline and agile production for companies of all sizes and Omron’s TM series offers improved capabilities for companies to utilize robotics. With the agreement, Metecno Oy is one of the few machine manufacturers in the Tampere and Satakunta region to integrate Omron’s high-quality cobots into the production environment.

Further information

Matti Metsähonkala, CEO
+358 20 741 6210
matti.metsahonkala@metecno.fi

Metecno Oy has signed a contract with the world’s leading lifting equipment company Konecranes for the overall delivery of a robot cell to the company’s production plant in Hämeenlinna. The cell includes two robots, two machine vision systems and two MeteMAN® special purpose machines – a press and a bearing magazine.

MetePRE® predesign of the cell has been completed and the actual designing has started. Estimated time of completing the project is in the autumn of 2020.

This agreement reinforces Metecno Oy’s ambition and expertise to serve as a special purpose machine manufacturer for different types of industry in demanding projects.

Further information

Mikko Similä, Project Manager
+358 20 741 6213
mikko.simila@metecno.fi

Welcome to our new website! We updated it since there have been some major changes in our services and to make sure everyone understands what kind of a service provider Metecno Oy actually is. Providing our website in English is a brand new service.

References is a section we have had before, but now it takes a slightly different angle. Now our customers have their say and reveal how they feel about the business relationship we’ve had with them.

The News and Insights section is another innovation. We will continue to share information via our social media channels, but adding this helps you stay in touch with us more effectively.

We aim to be an open and reliable company with a strong desire to design and build special purpose machines. Hopefully these pages reflect that – welcome once more!