Pemamek: Future Proof Your Manufacturing Through Welding Automation

Built from humble beginnings in Finland in 1970 with the goal of safely and more efficiently moving heavy industrial products, a manual welding positioner venture has evolved into a world leading manufacturer in welding automation. Pemamek is leading the way in providing welding automation to assist manufacturers in narrowing the skills and labor gap, and also providing more capacity. 

Pemamek’s leadership understands that upcoming generations of workers are digital natives and takes those foundations into consideration as they develop automation solutions for their customers. “The great thing is our technology is able to appeal to the ‘joystick generation,’” said Michael Bell, director of sales for Pemamek LLC, located in Mason, Ohio.  

Regardless of company size or industry, Pemamek’s welding automation solutions empower manufacturers to boost productivity, enhance weld quality, and address skilled welder shortages while minimizing costly rework.  

One of Pemamek’s main segments is shipbuilding. The company has engineered and delivered automation solutions to known shipyards such as Huntington Ingalls and Navantia. The latest demonstration of Pemamek’s leadership in the industry was Smart Yard Summit, hosted at Pemamek in Finland in October 2025. The event gathered shipbuilders looking to automate their manufacturing from 18 countries. “Our solutions not only streamline production but also provide shipyards with the data and control needed to make operations more agile and future ready,” said Jukka Rantala, vice president and key accounts at Pemamek. 

One-Stop Automation Solution 

Pemamek Oy Ltd. in Loimaa is a family-owned automation welding company that provides engineering and welding automation for heavy industries. Since 1988, Pemamek has been owned by the Heikonen family. As a vertically integrated supplier of automation, Pemamek conducts its own engineering, design and manufacturing, as well as builds its own software solutions. The €150 million manufacturer employs 420 people and has a presence in 10 locations worldwide. The manufacturing and assembly of Pemamek’s products is conducted at the headquarters in Finland. Pemamek is a custom solutions provider, where up to 70% of its revenues come from providing specific solutions to customers, noted Emilia Vuorela, global head of marketing, Pemamek LTD.  

“The greatest thing about us is that every time I sell something it gets an upgrade,” Bell said. “Generally, we standardize a small portion of our solution portfolio. So, the majority of our automation solutions are engineered and customized to meet our customers’ production demands.” The company is on the advancement curve, he said, using the latest technologies while at the same time being completely reliable. 

Pemamek serves a variety of industries including wind energy, shipbuilding, offshore and process equipment, power generation, earthmoving industries and general fabrication. Pemamek’s automated welding solutions include robotic stations, assembly and welding stations, columns and booms, roller beds, welding positioners and software. 

Among its operations worldwide is subsidiary Pemamek LLC. From Mason, Ohio, Pemamek tests and demonstrates welding samples for customers, Vuorela said. She noted the customer base in the United States is diverse, and includes the power generation industry, shipbuilders, and trailer manufacturers, among others. “Oil and gas are really hot and heavy in the United States right now,” Bell said. “So, we’ve been tailoring our offerings for the oil and gas industry to help those people that are looking to advance themselves in that manufacturing protocol.” 

Bell said Pemamek’s customers in the oil and gas industry manufacture products used in oil exploration, oil extraction, and for the base skids used to cleanse or purify crude oil. He said the skids are daisy-chained together to reach the desired outcome for the raw product. The skids are difficult to manufacture because fabricators are working within a compact footprint. “We’ve worked really hard with our customers to develop solutions to make sure that they can automate the production of those types of things,” Bell said. 

Pemamek built a product that enables the customer to weld the base skid in a flat position and then flip it over to weld the backside of the skid. An operator is able to simultaneously weld three skids without external intervention such as cranes. All of this is done in a safe manner. “We take safety very seriously,” Bell said. 

With this solution, Pemamek has taken what has traditionally been a manual process of cutting parts to make a framework or a piping network for these skids to identifying what can be done in the prefabrication process to build the blocks for automated welding. Bell said Pemamek partners with companies such as Davi Inc., a manufacturer of rolling equipment, and HGG Profiling Equipment, to develop predictable, reliable raw materials to support customers. 

Bell said that means the material has been rolled to a consistent diameter. If the material needs a nozzle or an offset added, Pemamek works with HGG Profiling Equipment to profile the material or plasma cut it to create accurate openings. “From there we take over and we scan the openings and make sure that we do what’s called adaptive welding,” Bell said. “So, we can adapt the fill rate on that weld joint geometry based upon what is actually present for the weld skin.” 

Automation is for Everyone — Really 

The biggest misconception of robotic welding is it is best used for mass production, Vuorela pointed out. “But if you consider, for example, subcontractors’ workpieces change every now and then,” she said. Offline welding robot software from Pemamek significantly boosts adaptability and flexibility in the production process so that once one workpiece is in production the next is ready to be worked on.  

Bell said Pemamek develops its own software solutions. “If a client buys robotic welding from us, we build the solution based on what they need,” he said. “I tell our clients, oftentimes, the larger the object you need to weld the better we are equipped to help you.” 

At this year’s FABTECH in Chicago, visitors to Pemamek’s booth explored products and software including PEMA WeldControl 300 Offline Software, and the PEMA CellControl software. The WeldControl 300 Offline Software is designed for operators of all skill levels to simplify robotic welding so fabrication shops can maintain high levels of productivity. Features include offline programming capabilities, which allow operators to plan and simulate welds without stopping production; laser seam scanning, which detects and corrects weld imperfections; and PathPlanner, which generates collision-free welding paths in seconds.  

PEMA CellControl features an intuitive, browser-based touchscreen interface, and the software streamlines workflow management, enabling operators to oversee robot stations with ease and efficiency. By simplifying complex operations, PEMA CellControl empowers shops of all sizes to harness cutting-edge automation, reinforcing Pemamek’s commitment to accessible, high-performance solutions. 

“PEMA Skytrack and CellControl make automation approachable for any shop, with our local team guiding operators every step of the way,” Bell said. “All PEMA solutions feature easy-to-learn software and rock-solid technology which, when combined with this hands-on local U.S. support, ensure a smooth integration into any shop’s workflow.” 

The PEMA Skytrack is a compact robot welding station that integrates a robot track and PEMA Skyhook positioner into a single, easy-to-relocate unit. The automation solution facilitates welding of transmission housing, gearboxes, drive units, hydraulic units and more. Servo-driven axes ensure precise, synchronized movements, positioning welds in the optimal flat position for superior weld joint penetration and deposition.  

When it comes to its software offerings, Pemamek works to pioneer solutions. To that end, Bell pointed out that in the next year Pemamek expects to launch a new software program that has been in development for a few years. He said the software will be a singular platform that will feature different sections for different processes.  

Customization and Flexibility Transform Robotic Welding 

Bell said he encourages customers to embrace automation, where welders become operators, performing fewer physically demanding tasks. “I encourage our clients to invest in the automation and then capture their existing welders’ skill sets in the software suite,” he said. “If you understand welding, you can utilize our software suite.” 

By capturing a welder’s knowledge, for example how they would approach different weld joints, what type of heat inputs they would use, what type of speeds they would use with the welding torch, and so forth, the Pemamek software captures and stores the data for future generations of workers to reference. Bell said this approach takes manufacturing to the next level because companies are able to capture data that would be lost forever once people retire or move on. 

Case in point. For one U.S. Department of Defense contractor, capturing data was critical so they could transition from a manual welding process to an automated process. The contractor makes a specialized portion of military weaponry, and by qualifying robotic welding procedures and processes, they were able to take welders out of working in confined spaces. Not only was a huge risk factor eliminated by using a robot arm to weld in confined spaces instead of a person, but it also launched the contractor into a realm of manufacturing that no one else had yet done, Bell said. 

“It required a significant amount of front end work to get the qualifications done,” Bell said. And, again, by capturing the data during the qualification process, the contractor’s information could be stored and it is repeatable. The bonus is that the contractor, which operates five different welding automation cells doing five different things, has accelerated its effect on the marketplace with its existing staff and skill sets. The contractor didn’t hire additional staff to handle the added capabilities and capacities.  

For a heavy equipment manufacturer outsourcing the production of truck-mounted frames with a series of components mounted to the different configurations of its equipment, Pemamek created two automation cells that perform two different functions. One of the cells makes tanks to mount on the back of the manufacturer’s trucks. The other cell is dedicated to welding the frames for the trucks.  

The welding automation cells allow the manufacturer to be more competitive in the marketplace. Pemamek was able to capture, in a digital nature, the existing skills of the manufacturer’s workforce so that the company’s production processes wouldn’t slow down upon losing personnel. Bell pointed out that the manufacturer is able to introduce newcomers to its automated welding protocol. 

“Automation is affordable and for everybody,” Bell said. “You have to pick your automation supplier very carefully, and in saying so, it should be a collaborative effort, not a forced effort.” Pemamek works within a customer’s manufacturing environment, tailoring its solutions to meet a customer’s needs. “We want  to tailor the solutions to meet your ever changing and ever growing needs, and in a flexible manner,” he said.  

Vuorela added that as a turnkey provider of software and training, machine installation, etc., Pemamek not only supports manufacturers as they transition to welding automation but also as they scale up to the next levels of automation thanks to the flexibility of the automation systems, opening the doors to additional capacities and new opportunities.  

From its start manufacturing simple weld positioners to hold workpieces for manual welding, Pemamek is committed to advancing welding automation on a global scale.  

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