Problem solvers both at work and in free time

In Norway alone, he is responsible for 150 customers. But as KUKA Nordic's certified technician for medical robots, he also gets to travel to Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Despite a busy work schedule, Arve Vangen manages to work more or less half-time for the Red Cross in Norway. - I am responsible for the organization's drone operations in the country, he says.

26 November 2024

Saved several people

For many, he is probably something of a cliché image of a Norwegian. Arve Vangen is happiest in functional clothing that can withstand a little rain and close contact with both snow and moss. Ever since he was a teenager, he has volunteered with the Red Cross to rescue people who have become lost in the mountains and deep forests. What I do is probably most similar to mountain rescue. There is an international organisation in Norway too, but that's not what I do,’ he says. With the help of snowmobiles and quad bikes, he has been involved in rescuing several people who have fallen overboard in contact with nature.

Responsible for the organisation's drone activities

The area he works with covers, among other things, central inland Norway, where the country's largest lake Mjösa is located. - ‘This means a substantial area that covers the large mountainous areas around the lake,’ he says. But in recent years, it has been Arve Vangen's expertise as a robot technician rather than his experience of forests and nature that has been put to use in the organisation. When drones became a popular product, the Norwegian Red Cross quickly recognised the potential and Arve Vangen became responsible for that part of the operation.
- ‘The type of drone we use is equipped with an with optical sensor with infrared camera. It's an effective tool for finding people in the treetops,’ he says.
He spends up to 20 hours a week on his voluntary work: ‘Previously, I was often in a command centre or out on a snowmobile searching, but now I work almost exclusively on drone operations,’ he says.

–The feeling when you leave the customer after helping them. They are usually happy to see me, but even happier when I leave. It's a bit like when I work for the Red Cross and help someone who is lost in the woods, who is found and restored, Arve Vangen, responsible technician at KUKA Nordic in Norway

KUKA - the Rolls Royce of robots

He is a trained service technician and has been working with robots for most of his working life. He has been with KUKA for a total of eleven years. ‘It may sound like marketing talk, but working for KUKA is a bit like working with the Rolls Royce of robots. In fact, I used to say that even before I started at KUKA,’ he says.
The quality of the products provides a sense of security, says Arve Vangen.
- ‘We have now passed 300 robots in service agreements in Norway that I am responsible for servicing and troubleshooting. Of course, I have the help of another technician. But it would never have worked if the robots weren't so good and rarely caused problems.

In addition to his long experience, Arve Vangen also has specialised expertise. He is trained and certified to handle robots used in healthcare, for example in X-ray diagnostics and surgery. To get the training at all - which takes place at KUKA's headquarters in Germany - you have to have been a certified KUKA technician for three years.
While we take our work with industrial robots just as seriously, it carries a special responsibility in medtech. The consequences can be so much worse if something goes wrong.
What is the best part of the job?
- The feeling when you leave the customer after helping them. They are usually happy to see me, but even happier when I leave. It's a bit like when I work for the Red Cross and help someone who is lost in the woods, who is found and rescued.

Arve Vangen, a robotics technician at KUKA Nordic with medtech certification, has been called to Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg to give their X-ray robot some care - a Siemens system called ARTIS pheno, which is based on a KR270 R 2700 MED AX. The consequences can be serious when it comes to handling people,’ he says.

Arve Vangen
Age: 43 years.
Occupation: Responsible technician at KUKA Nordic in Norway.
Lives: Gjövik in Norway.
Family: Wife and son.

Interests: Outdoor life and volunteering for the Red Cross.
Listening to Ashley McBryde and Luke Combs.
Curiosities: Earlier this year, he received a Medal of Merit from the Norwegian Red Cross Auxiliary Corps for his work with drones and search and rescue.