Robots are Riveting

By Heather Rule

Lund Boats are known to be riveted, just like airplanes. The company has two riveting robots working in tandem to help construct the boats. The robots help with riveting, which is one of the most challenging activities when working on a production line. 

“No matter which model of a boat that we have in there, with precision are able to rivet at just astronomical speeds,” said Amy Aasen, director of marketing for Lund Boats. “The robots have definitely allowed us to take people off of those more challenging positions and be able to have them doing other finishing activities that aren’t quite so hard on their bodies and their ears.” 

A person runs the computer, so once a specific model goes into the robot station, the robot builds it with laser precision as the robots work in tandem. The robot station started in Lund’s north plant, where smaller boats go through, before adding a robot station to the south plant, for bigger boats. A high percentage of Lund Boats are touched, at some point, by the robot stations. 

Lund implemented the first robot in 2020. The company wanted to shift some of the high-impact work away from the operators.

“The process of riveting manually is grueling, hard work,” said Matt Geiser, director of operations for Brunswick New York Mills Operation. “The robots are a way to lessen the physical stress on the arms of our operators.” 

On the finished products that robots had a hand in producing, consumers will notice more consistent looking and higher-quality rivets, Geiser said. The robots aren’t affecting jobs for people but rather improving efficiency with their precision and quality. 

“When humans are involved, there’s room for error, obviously, but there’s a bump in quality that I think our customers can expect as a result of the addition of these additional assets in our operation,” Aasen said. 

Lund planned to add a third robot in January 2026, which would mean about 80% of the rivets will be put in by the robots. 

Lund and its parent company, Brunswick, are consistently looking for innovative ways to build their boats. Adding robots is part of that with an opportunity to ensure they’re doing the best they can to deliver the highest quality product. 

For more information: https://youtu.be/XJyp1m5AQwk.