Junior Kühlkörper
From the first test to 40 cobots: How Junior Kühlkörper automated its machinery fleet
In short
For over 40 years, Junior Kühlkörper GmbH has been manufacturing high-quality precision components and heat sinks made of aluminum. Its customer base is diverse, ranging from solar technology to the railway industry. The same applies to the variety of components and batch sizes. To maintain flexible production and relieve employees, Junior relies on more than 40 collaborative robots. These robots load CNC milling machines, unload parts, and palletize at saw machines. Whether it is a UR5e or a UR30, whether in a standard cell or 3D-simulated, the cobots ensure smooth processes at Junior while giving employees the freedom to develop their own automation ideas.
The challenge
Few providers of precision components have as broad a scope as Junior Kühlkörper. The company strives to meet every customer's specific requirements with the highest quality. Operations Manager Thomas Borchard aimed to make production more flexible and efficient: "We make a lot of things possible for our customers. That requires quick adjustments. Without automation, you won’t get far." At the same time, he wanted to relieve his team of repetitive tasks, while offering them new opportunities to actively shape the production process.
Junior Kühlkörper
Industry Metal & Machining
Country Germany
Number of employees 200+
Cobot used UR5e, UR10e, UR20, UR30
Key value drivers:
Meet highly diverse customer demand Intuitive training for employees Relieve operators of repetitive tasks
Tasks solved by collaborative robots:
Loading CNC machining centers Parts handling at saws and other machine tools Palletizing components
Automation challenges solved:
Shorter cycle times due to flexible machine loading Quick changeover and high flexibility with mobile cells Relief from monotonous tasks, allowing more focus on product quality
How they did it
From an experiment to scaled automation
With a true hands-on mentality, Thomas Borchard implemented the first cobot within 24 hours — buying a used one, picking it up with a trailer, and mounting it in front of a machine the very same night. What began as a spontaneous project has been systematically expanded over the last three years. Today, around 40 cobots operate in Junior’s CNC machining center, loading machines, stacking components, and performing simple handling tasks.
Building in-house expertise to adapt to demand
After completing their online training via the UR Academy, Junior’s machine operators program the cobots themselves. This allows the team to quickly respond to new demands, significantly reducing downtime. Junior has even developed its own standard cobot cell, which can be flexibly moved and reconfigured, wherever a machine is overloaded or an employee needs relief.
For more complex applications, Junior simulates and designs them in 3D before implementation. "For complex applications with UR cobots, 3D simulation gives us planning reliability," explains Borchard.
Thomas Borchard, Operations ManagerCobots have completely changed our daily operations. We used to do a lot of manual loading—now we just teach the task to a cobot. We’re much more flexible, and it’s actually fun, too.
Cobots: An indispensable part of production
Today, collaborative robots are essential at this contract manufacturer in Sauerland. Their durability and reliability also stand out. "UR cobots rarely break down. And if they do, we can fix most issues ourselves," says Borchard.
To stay self-sufficient in repairs, several Junior employees completed Universal Robots’ service training in Munich. They can now diagnose and resolve hardware errors and programming issues independently.
Reliable support for future built on cobots
For more complex technical questions, Junior works closely with Universal Robots’ support team."We have a great relationship with Universal Robots. Their support team is reliable and quick to assist. We collaborate on equal footing and find solutions together."
Although Borchard doesn’t claim to have a "crystal ball," he looks optimistically to the future: "Forty cobots are just the beginning. Monotonous tasks exist in every production facility—you just have to identify them. And if you want to stay competitive as a contract manufacturer in Germany, you can’t ignore cobots."
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