As Cimcorp marks its 50th anniversary, we’re proud to celebrate a legacy of innovation, resilience, and excellence across industries. This year also marks a significant milestone in our tire manufacturing efforts, which have evolved since the 1980s, with the 15-year anniversary of our “Dream Factory” solution.
Our success has been about learning and sustainable growth, and we’ve become much more than a technology supplier. We’re a true automation partner, here to lend our expertise from day one on every project. Our mission remains delivering innovative, future-proof solutions that help tire makers thrive in a changing world.
Veli-Matti Hakala, CEO
A look back at the history of Dream Factory
Since our first automation delivery in 1976, Cimcorp has expanded into 25 industries, averaging over 22 automation solutions per year. The 1980s and 90s were marked by exciting expansion as we entered new international markets and expanded our product offerings. By 2000, we developed modular handling systems, bringing unmatched flexibility and scalability to tire manufacturing innovations.
Our journey in tire factory automation ramped up in 2001 when we completed the first intermediate warehouse installation for Nokian Tires. By 2007, tire became our primary focus. First, our work centered on device-based deliveries and automating individual areas of tire plants. But we saw a big problem—tire factories were using disconnected systems, causing bottlenecks, errors, and waste.
We realized tire factories needed a full solution to connect and optimize machines and processes, from building to order fulfillment.
We knew tire makers needed a complete system with modular design, redundancy, and minimal space requirements. We expanded our software to connect entire processing areas, integrating our robotic systems with the tire factory’s process machinery. Here, our Dream Factory concept was born.
Veli-Matti Hakala, CEO
Driving Dream Factory’s success
2010 was a pivotal year. We delivered our first fully integrated Dream Factory solution to a major tire manufacturer in India. By 2015, Cimcorp had partnered with 14 of the top 25 tire manufacturers globally. Projects at Tigar Tyres in Serbia and Qingdao Sentury Tires in Thailand showed Dream Factory’s versatility across companies and markets.
Dream Factory’s success came from our combined expertise in automation hardware and intelligent software. Vesa Latva-Pukkila, Solution Manager, explains, “Our gantry tech and robots handle lifting, but our WCS gives the orders. The physical and digital technologies work together, making production and distribution fast and efficient.”
Dream Factory’s modular design was also to be a key advantage. It allowed manufacturers to automate incrementally, starting with high-ROI areas and expanding as needed. Dream Factory’s space-efficient, flexible design let manufacturers modernize old sites or build new plants with optimized material flow. Plus, the modular setup divided production into independent blocks to maximize uptime. If one block required maintenance, the rest of the plant could continue running smoothly.
Innovation beyond automation
Following Dream Factory’s launch, we continued to innovate and expand our offering for even greater speed and efficiency. In 2015, we introduced an improved Dream Factory design that incorporated raw materials and compounds handling to optimize upstream processes. The enhanced Dream Factory secured big projects with clients like Petlas Tire Corporation, Giti Tire and Saterex.
The role of our software in optimizing production grew exponentially. One of our most impactful innovations has been the Tire Production Dashboard (TPD). Latva-Pukkila explains, “The TPD brings data from all machines, systems, and devices under one umbrella. This provides tire makers with real-time insights to assess production, avoid bottlenecks, and make adjustments to meet goals.”
Cimcorp remains committed to exploring emerging technologies and incorporating the best of the best into our Dream Factory offering. Tapio Korkeamäki, Director of Tire Industry Sales, comments, “We’re closely tracking AI and digital twin trends to stay ahead.”
Our vision for the future
Cimcorp now stands as a leading automation integrator, having supplied 309 solutions to date in the tire and automotive space. Our journey has been fueled by our steadfast commitment to innovation and deep understanding of our clients’ needs. Today, we’re proud to have helped tire makers around the world set new standards for efficiency, productivity, safety, and quality.
As the tire industry evolves with EVs, sustainability, and tech advancements, we’re ready to stay ahead.
Our solutions’ modularity lets manufacturers adapt quickly with minimal disruption, scaling or pivoting as needed.
Pekka Saraketo, Sales Manager
As we celebrate this year’s big milestones, we reaffirm our commitment to shaping the tire industry’s future. We look forward to journeying ahead with our clients, leading the way for the next 50 years of innovation.
