TMA Automation has opened a new automation and robotics plant in Gdańsk. The facility was built on a 3-hectare site, directly adjacent to the airport, in a location providing convenient access for customers and international partners. The new headquarters includes a 1,500 sq m production hall and 800 sq m of office space.
The opening of the plant marks another stage in TMA Automation’s development following the company’s entry into the ENGEL Group. The ceremony was attended by, among others, Dr Stefan Engleder, CEO and co-owner of the ENGEL Group, Dr Gerhard Dimmler, Chief Technology Officer of the ENGEL Group, Walter Aumayr, Vice President Automation and member of the Management Board of TMA Automation, as well as Marek Łangowski and Piotr Orlikowski, co-founders of TMA Automation. The presence of senior management representatives from the ENGEL Group and TMA Automation underlined the importance of the Gdańsk investment for the further development of the group’s automation capabilities.
Ceremonial opening of the TMA Automation plant. From left: Dr Gerhard Dimmler, Piotr Orlikowski, Walter Aumayr, Marek Łangowski and Dr Stefan Engleder.
From investment plans to a new headquarters
The new plant in Gdańsk is an extension of TMA Automation’s previously announced project to build office and production hall space. The airport location is important both organisationally and commercially. It facilitates service for international customers, the organisation of project meetings and the further scaling of the company’s operations.
The completed production hall represents around one-tenth of the building potential offered by the 3-hectare site. This means that the current investment does not conclude TMA Automation’s development plans in Gdańsk, but rather creates a base for subsequent expansion stages as the scale of operations grows.
At the new facility, TMA Automation can carry out design work, assembly, testing, adjustments and system programming in one location, directly next to the workstations and automation lines being built. For a company delivering solutions tailored to customers’ specific production processes, such integration is of significant practical importance.
During the opening, it was emphasised that the current scale of the investment results not only from TMA Automation’s own growth, but also from its cooperation with the ENGEL Group. Thanks to this, the project gained a broader dimension from the outset - not only as the company’s new headquarters, but also as a base for the further development of automation capabilities within the group’s structure.
TMA in the ENGEL Group
ENGEL acquired a majority stake in TMA Automation in 2022. Through this strategic investment, the Austrian group strengthened its position in the field of automation for injection moulding processes. TMA Automation retained its market independence, while the company’s founders - Marek Łangowski and Piotr Orlikowski - remained on the company’s management board. Walter Aumayr joined the management team.
The partnership between the two companies began even before the capital transaction. ENGEL and TMA Automation had previously cooperated on projects for mutual customers, and TMA’s competencies complemented the ENGEL Group’s offering in integrated and automated production solutions.
– I was greatly impressed by TMA’s technology, the team’s mindset and the way they work together. We share the same values, and quality is at the centre of this approach. It was a very good fit, which is why we decided to join forces - emphasised Dr Stefan Engleder, CEO and co-owner of the ENGEL Group.
The new plant in Gdańsk is therefore not only a local production investment, but also part of the broader development of automation within the ENGEL Group. It gives TMA Automation the ability to carry out larger projects while at the same time strengthening the group’s base in the Central and Eastern European region.
Automation centre of competence
TMA Automation specialises in the development and implementation of automation solutions for industry, especially for injection moulding processes. The company’s competencies include, among others, in-mould labelling (IML) systems, side-entry robots, Cartesian robots, palletising systems, vision inspection systems, assembly stations and autonomous production lines.
In practice, this means designing complete workstations and lines that combine part take-out from the machine, handling, quality control, assembly, marking, packaging or palletising. Such solutions are particularly important where short cycle times, process repeatability, scrap reduction and stable continuous operation matter.
Within the ENGEL Group, TMA serves as an important centre of competence in the field of automation. The company brings integration expertise to the group as well as the ability to create solutions tailored to the requirements of a specific process, product and customer business model. Automation is not treated here as a standard catalogue product, but as a response to a specific production challenge.
TMA’s solutions combine robotics, vision systems and process control within one production environment. Their purpose is to support production efficiency, stability and quality, while also adapting the line to the actual operating conditions at the customer’s plant.
Larger scale and new markets
TMA Automation currently employs 40 people. Over the next two to three years, the company plans to double the scale of its operations and increase employment to around 80 staff. About half of the current team works directly in the production and assembly of systems.
The plant’s development is also intended to support international expansion. TMA Automation is already present in, among others, the German, Hungarian, Czech and Belgian markets, and is currently entering the US market. For the company, this means the need to deliver larger and more complex projects, as well as to further develop its technical and organisational capabilities.
Workforce development
Cooperation with local technical universities, secondary schools and vocational schools remains an important element of TMA Automation’s strategy. Each year, the company accepts students for internships, although at the previous location the scale of such activities was limited by the available space and the number of staff able to supervise trainees.
The new plant is expected to gradually increase opportunities in this area. For TMA Automation, access to young specialists and the development of its own workforce are important because automation projects require a combination of mechanical, electrical, programming and process competencies.
The opening of the plant in Gdańsk marks another stage in TMA Automation’s development - from a company specialising in dedicated automation projects to an important centre of competence within the ENGEL Group’s structure. The new headquarters means more space, better work organisation and the possibility of further growth, both on the domestic and foreign markets.
