Columbia/Okura celebrates 25 years in business

Columbia/Okura, an end-of-line automated palletizing and material handling solutions provider, celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.

The company sold its first robotic palletizer in 1996, and only recently was that very machine replaced with a current-generation palletizer offering higher throughput.

The original robot was still operational and was repurchased by Columbia/Okura as a memento.

The early years of the business were challenging,” the company says in a statement. “Focusing the business on robotic palletizing solutions brought clarity and expertise over time, and ultimately provided confidence to expand the scope and complexity of applications.”

As a fourth-generation joint venture business between Columbia machine and Okura Yusoki Co., “we’ve achieved this historic milestone with the support and strategic vision of our owners and through the hard work and dedication of our employees,” says Brian Hutton, Columbia/Okura president, in a statement.

“Our culture of caring, flexibility and responsive customer service exists throughout the entire organization.”

The focus of the business remains on end-of-line automation, and the scope of offerings and integration services has grown to include large, complex, multi-line, multi-robot systems as well as high-speed, automated bagging lines, and collaborative palletizing and depalletizing solutions.

Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, Columbia/Okura serves clients primarily in the agriculture, animal feed, seed, pet food, chemical, mineral, milling, food, building materials and medical industries.