Kaunas facility building the robotics for Husqvarna lawn mowers

Husqvarna, the producer of forest and gardening outdoor power tools, will have the electronics for their robotic lawn mowers made in a facility in Kaunas, Lithuania. The Kitron UAB plant is part of Kitron Group, a Norwegian electronic manufacturing services group.

Kitron recently announced in Nasdaq Norway the signing of a five-year contract with Husqvarna worth 600 million Norwegian Krone (€63.25 million). According to the contract, the group’s facility in Kaunas will be responsible for producing the electronic components for Husqvarna’s robotic lawn mowers.

Mindaugas Šeštokas is the Managing Director of the Kaunas plant, Kitron UAB, which specialises in producing electronic equipment and cable looming. According to Mr Šeštokas, the plant has already produced various types of electronic equipment for Husqvarna.

“We produce electronic equipment for Husqvarna,” explains Mr Šeštokas. “To be more exact, we produce robotic lawn mowers. As Husqvarna’s strategic supplier, we received one of the biggest supply contracts for new electronic equipment. These lawn mowers have electronic units – like an electronic brain – installed and we are the ones who make it,” says Mr Šeštokas.

Mr Šeštokas also points out that Husqvarna works with only two suppliers of this kind of equipment in the world: due to confidentiality reasons Kitron UAB’s Managing Director could not disclose the name of the other European producer. Kitron UAB will already start working on the new Husqvarna order this autumn.

Kitron’s facility in Kaunas goes from strength to strength. Today, it employs around 700 people having added 150 new positions last year. And according to Mr Šeštokas, there are plans to establish another 100 new jobs this year.

Kitron produces electronic equipment for the likes of Volvo, Kollmorgen, SAAB, Bombardier, Emerson, and HemoCue.

Source: DELFI