Kelluu is building a new production and R&D factory at GreenPark in Joensuu. It will triple the company's manufacturing capacity and take output to one hundred autonomous airships a year. The factory is due to be completed in summer 2027.
This is no ordinary factory. It will build the world's most advanced airship fleet in series production, a fleet that can form a permanent data-gathering infrastructure in the sky. The technology is used in defence as well as in developing infrastructure and a range of environments.
It also gives Finland something it has lacked until now: a series production line for autonomous aircraft.
"There is a lot of talk in Europe about self-reliant defence and surveillance capability. In Finland, for all the talk, drones have been left on the sidelines, and we lack a credible ability to build autonomous systems at scale ourselves. That is what we are building now. Credibility, and cutting-edge technology that can be integrated into the systems of different countries," says Kelluu CEO Janne Hietala.
Kelluu's entire Joensuu staff will move to the new premises, and at full capacity the factory could employ around 70 to 80 people. The premises are being developed by Joensuun Yrityskiinteistöt Oy, a company owned by the City of Joensuu.
"It's great that we got this over the line and construction can begin. This was a long-term effort, from the initial survey through to the lease, the financing and the other plans. A lot of work went into making it happen, and it's a win for everyone that Kelluu is building its factory right here, as part of GreenPark's high-tech cluster," says Jarkko Purmonen, Managing Director of Joensuun Yrityskiinteistöt Oy.
The reason for the new factory is simple. Capacity has to grow in both production and R&D, and the current premises can't deliver that. Developing a fleet suited to Arctic conditions in particular demands a lot from a factory.
"The new factory takes development to a whole new level, in manufacturing, in building AI capability and in putting the latest camera and sensor technology to work in our airships. At the same time we are building a factory concept that can be replicated in other countries," Hietala says.
Kelluu has made a deliberate choice. Instead of building one large factory that does everything, it is building smaller modular units that can be up and running quickly and still meet world-class requirements. Because the factories are modular, units can be combined on one site or spread around the country, even underground if needed. That way production never depends on a single large, expensive site.
The factory is itself part of critical infrastructure, and in future it can be protected and monitored by Kelluu's own airships.