Robots to Rail

**This story originally appeared in the April 2026 edition of AMT Magazine**

Robotic Automation system supports first locally built iron ore rail cars in the Pilbara

A large-scale Motoman Yaskawa robotic welding system has played a crucial role at Gemco Rail’s purpose-built Karratha facility, as the region’s first locally built rail wagons go into service.

Supplied and commissioned by local distributor Robotic Automation, the welding system sits within a A$150 million local manufacturing partnership between Rio Tinto, Gemco Rail and CRRC Qiqihar Rolling Stock Co. Ltd, aimed at delivering 100 heavy‑duty iron ore wagons to projects in the region.

The investment is designed to strengthen regional supply chains, expand domestic fabrication capability and reduce reliance on overseas wagon manufacturing.

Robotic Automation says the advanced welding system was engineered specifically to meet the scale and demands of rail‑car production in one of the most challenging industrial environments in the country.

“By enabling local production of high-quality iron ore rail wagons, robotic welding improves weld consistency, enhances safety and supports sustainable regional growth,” the company says.

Gemco Rail required a system capable of producing large, fatigue‑critical structural components with absolute repeatability — a task traditional manual welding could no longer meet at the required volume or precision.

The company needed to maintain weld integrity on load‑bearing wagon structures and improve safety by reducing reliance on manual welding for critical joints, while helping with broader aims of supporting reliable production in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The Motoman Yaskawa robotic welding system has been optimised for heavy fabrication, enabling precise, repeatable welding across large steel assemblies, lifting overall production capacity and ensuring a high baseline of quality across all units.

The broader regional impact has been just as significant. With the robotic system in operation, the Karratha facility has become the first in the Pilbara to manufacture iron ore rail cars locally — a breakthrough that has created up to 25 skilled jobs and strengthened long‑term supply chain resilience in the north-west of WA. The wagons are already in active service hauling ore from Pilbara mines to port.

Robotic Automation says that the system has not only delivered consistent, high‑quality welds across all wagon builds, it has also helped increase throughput and process efficiency.

“By enabling local production of high‑quality iron ore rail wagons, robotic welding improves weld consistency, enhances safety and supports sustainable regional growth,” the company says.