R N A
RNA Automation is a UK-based industrial automation engineering firm, founded 1986 and part of the German Rhein-Nadel Automation Group, that designs and manufactures vibratory feeders, flexible vision-guided robotics systems (FlexType/FlexCube platforms) and bespoke assembly automation for pharmaceutical, automotive, packaging, plastics, electronics and fastener manufacturers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What R N A does
RNA Automation Ltd is a Birmingham-based industrial automation engineering company, founded in 1986 as the UK subsidiary of the German Rhein-Nadel Automation Group. It designs, manufactures and commissions automated feeding, handling and robotic assembly systems for component-intensive manufacturers across pharmaceutical, plastics, automotive, packaging, electronics and industrial fastener verticals. The technology stack is centered on the proprietary FlexType modular automation platform (FlexType P, FlexType P Assembly, FlexType P Pack, FlexType R, FlexType VT, FlexType Clip) integrating intelligent vibration platforms (FlexCube 3-axis feeders), vision-guided 6-axis robotics and the Asyril EYE+ AI vision system, alongside a complementary portfolio of conventional and digital vibratory bowl feeders, EcoType bowl feeders, multi-lane linear feeders (SLA/SLL/SLF/SLC/GL/SLK/SLS), centrifugal feeders, step feeders and VariFeed packaging systems. Supporting standard equipment (hoppers, drive units, control boxes, IoT ConnectBox, rotary indexing tables) and services (bowl relining, refurbishing, spares, servicing) complete the offering, with third-party distribution of Universal Robots cobots and Italplant precision conveyors extending the portfolio.
RNA generates revenue through hardware sales of standard feeding and handling equipment, professional services for bespoke custom automation and robotics projects, spare parts and refurbishment, and ongoing servicing/maintenance contracts. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales led by a UK Sales Director, regional and group-level sales/service coverage across nine European manufacturing facilities, channel partnerships (Universal Robots, Italplant, Gerom Tools in Romania) and event-driven demand generation through Motek and Southern Manufacturing trade shows. Pricing is quote-based for custom solutions and unit-based for standard equipment; no public price list is maintained. Long-tenured enterprise customers include LEGO (30+ year partnership) alongside unnamed pharmaceutical, automotive, packaging, plastics and electronics manufacturers served across the UK and continental Europe.
R N A firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- R N A
- Legal name
- RNA Automation Ltd
- Website
- https://rnaautomation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- RNA Automation is a UK-based industrial automation engineering firm, founded 1986 and part of the German Rhein-Nadel Automation Group, that designs and manufactures vibratory feeders, flexible vision-guided robotics systems (FlexType/FlexCube platforms) and bespoke assembly automation for pharmaceutical, automotive, packaging, plastics, electronics and fastener manufacturers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
R N A industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Automation Equipment
- NAICS
- Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)
- SIC
- General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines) (IMAHAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK), Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)
Keywords
Where R N A is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
R N A business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Automated Feeding & Handling Systems: Sale of vibratory bowl feeders, linear feeders, centrifugal feeders, step feeders, flexible feeders, and associated equipment. Revenue generated from equipment sales with potential for spares and service contracts.
- Custom Automation & Robotics: Design and build of bespoke automation systems including robotic handling, assembly machines, injection moulding automation. Custom solutions tailored to customer requirements.
- Spare Parts & Standard Equipment: Replacement parts, bowl feeder relining, refurbishing, and standard equipment components for existing systems.
- Servicing & Maintenance: Ongoing servicing, maintenance, and support services for installed automation systems.
- Collaborative Robots Distribution: Distribution of Universal Robot collaborative robots (UR3, UR5, UR10) in the UK market.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard off-the-shelf equipment available |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
R N A product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RNA Automation designs, manufactures, and integrates industrial automation equipment focused on automated feeding, handling, and robotic assembly systems. The core portfolio centers on vibratory bowl feeders, 3-axis flexible feeders (FlexCube), modular automation platforms (FlexType P for assembly and bagging), and bespoke custom automation solutions integrating 6-axis robotics with EYE+ AI-driven vision systems. The company also distributes Universal Robot collaborative robots and Italplant precision conveyors in the UK market.
Product overview
RNA Automation designs and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of automated feeding and handling systems and flexible automation equipment. The product range centers around the FlexType™ platform (including FlexType P for assembly and FlexType P Pack for packing), which integrates intelligent vibration platforms (FlexCube™), machine vision (EYE+ from Asyril), and 6-axis robots for flexible robotic automation. Supporting products include vibratory bowl feeders (Conventional, Digital, EcoType™), linear feeders (SLA, SLL, SLF, SLC, GL, SLK, SLS series), centrifugal feeders, step feeders, and VariFeed® for packaging. Standard equipment encompasses hoppers & elevators (BV, BVL, BU-W, BU-S, STF series), control boxes (SCU/Smart Control series), drive units, bowl tops, and IoT ConnectBox for Industry 4.0 data collection. RNA also distributes Universal Robots cobots and Italplant precision conveyors through partnership agreements. Services include digital solutions, bowl feeder relining/refurbishing, spare parts, and servicing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FlexType™: Modular automation platform combining feeding, handling, robotics, and assembly/bagging into unified solutions
- FlexCube™
- FlexType™ P
- FlexType™ P Pack
- VariFeed®
- EcoType™
- EYE+
- RNA Smart Control
- FlexType™ R
- RNA Twister
- IoT ConnectBox
Products and services
- FlexType P Modular Automation Platform Modular automation platform combining feeding, handling, robotics, and assembly for enterprise manufacturers handling parts from 0.1mm to 150mm. Integrates intelligent vibration platforms with vision-guided 6-axis robots.
- FlexType P Assembly Standard flexible assembly solution using intelligent vibration platforms, industrial machine vision recognition, and 6-axis robot to feed and assemble component parts of various shapes and sizes.
- FlexType P Pack Automated Packing System Flexible automatic packing solution combining intelligent vibration platforms, industrial machine vision recognition, and 6-axis robot for high-speed bagging of component parts of various shapes and sizes.
- Vibratory Bowl Feeders Industry-proven vibratory bowl feeding technology for reliably sorting, orienting, and presenting components for downstream processes. Available in Conventional, Digital, and EcoType variants.
- FlexCube 3-Axis Vibration Feeders 3-axis vibration feeders providing high-performance part feeding, pre-orientation, and optimal surface distribution of bulk parts, ranging from FlexCube 50 (0.1-5mm parts) to FlexCube 530 (30-150mm parts).
- Linear Feeders Standard linear feeders for handling irregular supplies of components, creating buffer storage and smooth flow. Includes SLA, SLL, SLF, SLC, GL, SLK, and SLS series.
- Centrifugal Feeders High-speed centrifugal feeding systems for rapid component orientation and delivery.
- Step Feeders Step feeding systems for controlled component delivery and orientation.
- VariFeed Flexible Packaging Feeder Flexible feeding system for high-speed packaging applications, handling wrapped confectionery bars, cereal bars, protein bars, and similar products using multi-lane linear systems.
- RNA Twister Screw Bowl Feeder Specialized screw and rivet bowl feeder with patented height-adjustable sorting ring allowing quick changes to bowl depending on screw size. Feeding rate up to 550 parts per minute.
- FlexType R Flexible Robotic Feeding System Flexible feeding system with robotic technology that separates, orients, and conditions parts ahead of camera-assisted robot picking. Patented catamaran design with dual linear drives in parallel.
- FlexType VT Machine Tending System Flexible feeding system for automated machine tending applications.
- FlexType Clip Robotic Clipping System Robotic clipping systems designed for automated clipping applications.
- MK360 Glass Disc Vision Inspection System Vision inspection system for glass disc components used in manufacturing quality control.
- Universal Robots (UR3, UR5, UR10) Cobot Distribution UK distribution of Universal Robot collaborative robots (UR3, UR5, UR10) for assembly, handling, and packaging applications within RNA's automation systems.
- Digital Solutions (Design Simulation Services) Digital simulation and design services used to develop and optimise RNA's automation products including Digital Bowl Feeders developed via simulation.
- Bowl Feeder Relining Service Service to reline existing bowl feeders with new tooling surfaces, extending equipment operating life.
- Bowl Feeder Refurbishing Service Refurbishing service to restore bowl feeders to working condition for existing installed base.
- Spare Parts Supply Replacement parts supply for installed RNA automation systems to support uptime and reliability.
- Servicing & Maintenance Ongoing servicing and maintenance support services for installed RNA automation systems.
- Custom Automation & Robotics Projects Bespoke design-and-build service for component assembly machines, injection moulding automation, robotic handling systems, and integrated cell solutions tailored to specific customer requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 95% reusability reducing investment in specific tooling
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use R N A
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
R N A technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability3 records
Feature10 records
R N A partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and regional.
- Asyril SAcoreTechnology partner providing EYE+ smart control system with AI-powered vision integration for FlexCube flexible feeders. Exhibited together at Motek 2017 demonstrating FlexType P flexible feeding and assembly cell with integrated Asycube platforms.
- Universal RobotcoreRNA signed agreement to distribute Universal Robot's collaborative robots (UR3, UR5, UR10) in the UK market. Christian Marshall appointed Business Development Manager responsible for cobot sales. RNA is official UK distributor.
- ItalplantminorRNA acts as UK agent for Italplant range of products including precision belt conveyors and rotary indexing tables. Can supply complete projects including precision conveyors, placers, support bases, and fixtures.
- HSH Handling Systems AGcoreSister company in Switzerland providing extensive bowl feeder training programs for RNA UK staff. Ryan Green and James Healy completed six-week training program in pharmaceutical-grade bowl feeder manufacturing. Part of RNA group knowledge sharing.
- Gerom Tools SrlregionalCooperative partnership established for Romanian market. Gerom Tools (part of Sesto International Group) provides sales, consultation, technical support, after-sales services, and spare parts supply. Founded 2002, well established in automobile, screw, and electrical industries.
- Rhein-Nadel Automation GroupcoreParent company headquartered in Germany. RNA UK is part of the group which traces roots back to the nineteenth century. Joint Managing Director Benedict Borggreve based at Germany head office. Group includes multiple manufacturing facilities across Europe.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
R N A competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Asyril SA: Swiss specialist in flexible part feeding using 3-axis vibration platforms (Asycube) and the EYE+ AI vision system. RNA integrates Asyril technology and exhibits alongside them, making Asyril the closest direct comparable in flexible feeding.
- Afag: Swiss-German manufacturer of feeding, handling, and assembly automation systems including vibratory feeders, linear feeders, and flexible feeding platforms. Highly comparable product portfolio targeting the same industrial automation buyers.
- Performance Feeders: UK-based specialist in vibratory bowl feeders, linear feeders, and centrifugal feeders for parts feeding automation. Direct competitor in RNA's home UK market across similar customer verticals.
- AGR Automation: UK-based manufacturer of bowl feeders, linear feeders, and custom automation systems. Comparable UK-focused competitor with overlapping product range in feeding and handling automation.
- Hoosier Feeder Company: US-based manufacturer of vibratory feeder bowls, centrifugal feeders, and automated parts feeding systems. Comparable product portfolio serving similar industrial automation end-customers in the North American market.
Regional players
- TADIRAN Group: Israeli manufacturer of vibratory bowl feeders, linear feeders, and automation systems. Comparable feeding technology portfolio serving similar applications but primarily operating outside RNA's European core.
Broad incumbents
- Eriez: Established global manufacturer of separation, feeding, and material handling equipment including vibratory feeders. Overlaps with RNA on feeding technology but operates as a much larger, diversified industrial equipment supplier.
- Festo: Major German industrial automation and pneumatics supplier offering feeding, assembly, and handling components and systems. Overlaps with RNA on industrial automation customer relationships but at much greater scale.
- ABB Robotics: Global industrial robotics and automation incumbent offering feeding, handling, and assembly systems at scale. Competes with RNA on integrated automation projects where large OEMs prefer single-vendor solutions.
Others
- Universal Robots: Global collaborative robot manufacturer and RNA's UK distribution partner. Adjacent ecosystem player whose cobots are integrated into RNA's FlexType systems and resold through RNA's UK channel.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
R N A social profiles
Digital presenceR N A compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
R N A financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
R N A leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
R N A subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
R N A funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
R N A M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about R N A
What does R N A do?
RNA Automation designs, manufactures, and integrates industrial automation equipment focused on automated feeding, handling, and robotic assembly systems. The core portfolio centers on vibratory bowl feeders, 3-axis flexible feeders (FlexCube), modular automation platforms (FlexType P for assembly and bagging), and bespoke custom automation solutions integrating 6-axis robotics with EYE+ AI-driven vision systems. The company also distributes Universal Robot collaborative robots and Italplant precision conveyors in the UK market.
Is R N A a public or private company?
R N A is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was R N A founded?
R N A was founded in 1986. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is R N A based?
R N A is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does R N A make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Automated Feeding & Handling Systems are the primary driver. The others are custom Automation & Robotics, spare Parts & Standard Equipment, servicing & Maintenance and collaborative Robots Distribution.
Who are R N A's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Asyril SA, Afag, Performance Feeders, AGR Automation and Hoosier Feeder Company. TADIRAN Group is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Eriez, Festo and ABB Robotics. Universal Robots is listed as an others.
Does R N A have an API?
No public API is recorded for R N A.
What industry is R N A in?
R N A's product category is Industrial Automation Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAHAL, Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines), with a secondary code of IMAHAOAK, Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines). Its NAICS code is 3339 and its SIC code is 3569.