When a fire destroyed Vauhti Speed Oy’s facilities and machinery in November 2021, new and functional equipment was urgently needed. Robotmation took on the challenge, and in less than a year from the accident, new customized machines were ready for production. Today, Vauhti Speed’s ski waxes and care products are once again being delivered to winter sports enthusiasts worldwide.
Vauhti Speed Oy, a manufacturer of ski waxes and care products, began its collaboration with Robotmation out of catastrophe. The company’s factory and production equipment were completely destroyed in the fire of November 2021.
“It was by no means an ideal start. We had no choice but to restart operations on a very tight schedule. Less than two weeks after the fire, we were already negotiating with Robotmation about new equipment,” recalls Esa Puukilainen, CTO of Vauhti Speed Oy.
By September 2022, a new bottling line was operational, even as the factory premises were still under construction, allowing the company to restart its operations.
“Even before the fire, our equipment was no older than seven years, but with these new machines we’ve gained many new functions and more advanced technology,” Puukilainen explains.
New equipment enabled more commercial bottle sizes
Around two-thirds of Vauhti Speed’s sales come from exports, with the rest going to the domestic market. While the busiest season runs from December to February, production and deliveries continue year-round to meet global demand.
Robotmation supplied two special machines customized for Vauhti Speed’s needs. The first system handles the company’s liquid products in two bottle sizes.
“We had similar equipment in the old facilities, but the new machines are much more versatile. Previously, we could only process one size – 100 ml bottles. It was a major improvement to also add 200 ml bottles, which have significantly higher commercial demand,” Puukilainen notes.
The second delivery, recently installed at Vauhti Speed, is a robotic casting cell for producing solid paraffin waxes in all packaging sizes.
“We’ve been very satisfied with how Robotmation has managed to stay on schedule despite the challenges. Along the way, they even brought up development and improvement ideas, despite having no prior experience with ski wax production. These were things we hadn’t even noticed ourselves. Very professional and skilled people. Everything was implemented according to our needs and wishes – but in an even better way than we had imagined,” Puukilainen says.
Collaboration will continue in the future. Discussions have already been held about additional orders and upcoming investments.
“We are a constantly growing and developing company. It may well be that new investments will be needed sooner rather than later. When building the new production facilities, we already allowed extra space, so we won’t be running into walls anytime soon,” Puukilainen reveals.
