At the beginning of March, Ruukki commissioned a new automated punching line at its Vimpeli plant in Finland. The investment significantly improves safety, efficiency, and product quality in purlin manufacturing. The technologically advanced line enables the production of purlins and facade components with versatile punching features, especially for commercial, industrial, and warehouse buildings. It gives customers more design flexibility, consistent product quality, and more competitive deliveries.

More freedom in design

The new punching line brings greater flexibility to load-bearing purlins as well as various steel facade solutions. Hole shapes, sizes, and positioning can be freely customized, giving architects and designers more freedom to create unique and visually striking solutions for facade cladding and technical structures.

In addition to standard punching, the line enables features such as beveled ends, notches, and a wide range of hole patterns, particularly for fastening and connections. This expands the possibilities for both structural and architectural applications.

In addition to galvanized steel, the line can process materials such as SSAB COR-TEN® steel, stainless steels and aluminum, enabling a wide range of architectural expressions in modern construction projects.

Consistent quality and reliable deliveries

The new, modern line strengthens Ruukki’s ability to deliver high-quality, dimensionally accurate, and consistent purlin products for demanding construction projects.

– This investment was driven by customer needs. We want to offer more options and ensure consistent quality across different types of projects. That’s why we developed the solution together with both the equipment supplier and our own team, says Jukka Joensuu, Pre-Sales and Marketing Manager at Ruukki.

Improved quality and production consistency result in more reliable deliveries and a consistent end-result across projects. At the same time, the production process is now more energy-efficient, supporting a lower carbon footprint as part of overall building sustainability.

In addition to responding to customer needs, the end of the previous line’s lifecycle and recurring disruptions created a clear need for the investment. The line was taken into production in March 2026.

Safer and smoother everyday work in production

The new technology has also changed day-to-day work at the plant.

– With increased automation, the amount of manual work has decreased and safety has clearly improved, says Janne Mustakorpi, line operator at Ruukki Vimpeli.

– The new control system is fast and easy to use, especially when we receive designs directly in digital format. It reduces errors and makes the work smoother, adds fellow operator Vesa Ranta.

The new punching line improves production reliability and provides a strong foundation for further developing production and meeting evolving construction requirements.

– We can respond to our customers’ changing needs going forward, Joensuu concludes.