ENGINEERING TECH, CONSTRUCTION
Canvas | March 17, 2023
Hilti announces a strategic partnership with Canvas, a construction robotics company that has developed a robotic drywalling solution aiming to empower people to build in bold new ways.
The partnership marks the beginning of a significant new step in robotics innovation after Hilti had launched the Jaibot, the world’s first semi-autonomous ceiling drilling robot in 2020. This collaboration brings together leaders in intelligent jobsite robotics who share a common vision: that robotic tools will unlock vastly untapped potential and drive a new era of productivity and safety for skilled trade workers.
Canvas, headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2017 by veterans of Boston Dynamics, MIT and Stanford, leverages advances in collaborative robotics and machine learning to build a new class of tools for skilled tradespeople that harness the power of AI and machine learning. To date, Canvas has focused on drywall finishing which, studies have shown, has among the highest prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorder cases, with as many as one in four workers experiencing such effects.
Canvas’ robot can apply both level 5 and level 4 drywall finishes in a fraction of the time, and at a higher level of safety and reliability, compared to similar traditional methods. In contrast to manual application, the robot applies a single consistent layer of joint compound over wet tape and telescopes to 15.5 feet to do the vast majority of the work at height. It reduces repetitive motion injuries and captures 99.9% of the dust produced by sanding.
As part of the partnership, Hilti will assume the manufacturing responsibilities for future Canvas systems based on the proven Jaibot platform, giving Canvas a reliable and scalable global supply to meet the huge demand for its finishing robots.
“At Hilti, our purpose is making construction better. We do this by focusing our resources on innovative hardware, software and services that help to increase contractor productivity, worker health & safety, and sustainability,” said Thomas Hillbrand, Member of Hilti’s Executive Board. “Our shared values bring Hilti and Canvas together—and we’re excited to support Canvas in reimagining better ways of working through the power of robotics and AI.”
“It’s extremely validating that the demand for our drywall finishing robot quickly outstretched our capacity to produce this year,” says Canvas’ CEO, Kevin Albert. “Contractors continue to struggle with rising costs and labor shortages. The demand we see is testament to the critical need for new tools in the industry to address these challenges and empower our skilled workforce. We’re excited to announce this partnership which continues to push the boundary of what is possible and positions Canvas to meet current and future demand for our machines globally.”
The Canvas-Hilti partnership positions the construction robotics company to scale globally in an industry that is ripe for change. The partnership will enable Canvas to help the drywall industry solve its chronic and growing labor problem, while also making the job site cleaner, safer and less strenuous for the people doing the work.
About Canvas
Canvas is a construction robotics company whose mission is to enable people to build in bold new ways. The Canvas system provides a flexible approach to drywall finishing, combining the skills and expertise of trained workers with technology that, together, enable drywall finishing work to be done better, faster, safer, and more consistently. Canvas has been recognized by Forbes and Fortune on their top AI and start-up lists, respectively, and recently won the Pro Tools Innovation Award for Technology/Robotics.
About Hilti Group
The Hilti Group supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software and services. With about 32,000 team members in over 120 countries, the company stands for direct customer relationships, quality and innovation. Hilti generated annual sales of more than CHF 6.3 billion in 2022. The headquarters of the Hilti Group have been located in Schaan, Liechtenstein, since its founding in 1941. The company is privately owned by the Martin Hilti Family Trust, which ensures its long-term continuity. The Hilti Group’s strategic orientation is based on a caring and performance-oriented culture and the goals of creating enthusiastic customers and building a better future.
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ENGINEERING TECH, CONSTRUCTION
GlobeNewswire | March 24, 2023
Leading design and consulting firm RJC Engineers (RJC) strengthens their capabilities in the United States by acquiring Kordt Engineering Group (KEG).
This acquisition allows RJC to serve the entire North American market better and for KEG to provide clients with the added capacity, depth, and experience of RJC. The firms will continue to provide structural engineering, façade engineering, structural glass engineering, and more. RJC has fourteen locations across Canada and is now in Las Vegas and Reno.
“RJC is excited to further establish ourselves in the United States through acquiring KEG. Our firms and people have worked together for over a decade and share a history of successfully delivering projects throughout the United States,” said Mike Moffatt, Executive Principal of RJC Engineers. “Our strategic expansion into the US allows RJC to bring its expertise in many building sectors and service offerings to a broader client base.”
KEG is a structural engineering firm with offices in Las Vegas and Reno. The firm provides timely, efficient structural designs for many building types, from commercial retail to landmark buildings. KEG has a strong signature client base across North America and into Europe, with a reputation for client service and people-focused culture akin to RJC’s.
Stephan Kordt founded KEG and is now President of US Operations with RJC. A respected engineer and trusted leader, Stephan’s reputation for delivering quality projects within tight deadlines is well-earned. His deep technical knowledge, industry relationships, and ability to develop elegant and appropriate structural solutions make him highly sought after throughout the United States. His projects include The Watermark, Project 63, Crystals at CityCenter, Golden Gate Hotel and Casino Expansion, Venetian Casino Resort and Venezia Hotel Tower, and the World Market Center.
Theodore Droessler (Ted) is Vice President of US Operations with RJC. Ted has a strong background in quality assurance and management. He has helped manage design professionals and technical staff for the delivery of projects ranging from single-storey luxury residential projects to commercial structures. His projects include 5G upgrades to existing communication buildings, load testing of deep foundations and redevelopment of older masonry structures to include change of occupancy.
“We are thrilled to join forces with RJC and look forward to working with an even wider group of clients across the United States,” shares Stephan Kordt, President of US Operations. “We will continue to deliver the high-quality client service and innovative structural engineering solutions we are known for while bringing the expanded depth of expertise, resources, and services offerings now available to us as part of RJC.”
“We are delighted to welcome this talented, passionate team to RJC Engineers,” Moffatt said. “Their depth of knowledge and experience in building structures, combined with their dedication to client success, is a natural fit with us. Together, we’re well-positioned to help our clients thrive.”
About RJC Engineers:
RJC Engineers (RJC) is an employee owned engineering firm that celebrates creative thinking, prompt service, and technical excellence in the design and maintenance of structures. Bringing the best of RJC to every project for over seven decades, the firm integrates ingenuity and practicality to create success for their clients and their projects. RJC provides structural engineering, structural restoration, building science, parking facility design, structural glass engineering, and building energy modeling services.
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ENGINEERING TECH
Businesswire | March 23, 2023
Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, today announced it has entered into a non-exclusive commercial agreement to strategically accelerate the adoption of Infrastructure IoT, further unlocking value for infrastructure designers, constructors, and owner-operators in their use of infrastructure digital twins. To this end, Worldsensing is acquiring from Bentley sensemetrics’ Thread connectivity device business to expand its hardware portfolio offerings. Bentley also becomes the lead investor in Worldsensing’s Series D capital raise.
Worldsensing’s acquisition of the Thread connectivity device business will offer new options to its customers where adaptive sensor integrations or active sensor management are a key requirement. Thread offers broadband sensor connectivity to uniquely connect dynamic, high-power, or high-speed sensors and stream sensor data to the cloud for analysis. Thread is a fully autonomous sensor connectivity device with optional integrated 4G/LTE cellular modem, wireless mesh networking, and battery pack in a weather resistant enclosure. Each broadband device also serves as a gateway for wireless smart sensors. Combined with Worldsensing’s existing market-leading offerings, Thread will be a driver for new growth opportunities. Worldsensing will become a preferred sensor connectivity partner to Bentley and Bentley will become a preferred IoT software partner to Worldsensing offering mutual users a best-in-class fully integrated end-to-end sensor management solution.
“We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Bentley Systems,” said Ignasi Vilajosana, CEO of Worldsensing. “The acquisition of sensemetrics’ Thread connectivity device business will expand our portfolio and allow us to provide more options to our customers. We are pleased to become a preferred sensor connectivity partner for Bentley’s iTwin IoT digital twin cloud services, confirming our position as the reference connectivity platform for mining, construction, rail, and infrastructure monitoring.”
“We are excited to partner with Worldsensing and believe that this strategic agreement will bring significant benefits to our respective user bases,” said Justin Schmidt, Vice President, corporate development with Bentley Systems. “We are confident that the combination of Worldsensing’s expertise in IoT solutions and our leadership in infrastructure digital twin software will create a powerful offering for the market.”
About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the infrastructure engineering software company. We provide innovative software to advance the world’s infrastructure – sustaining both the global economy and environment. Our industry-leading software solutions are used by professionals, and organizations of every size, for the design, construction, and operations of roads and bridges, rail and transit, water and wastewater, public works and utilities, buildings and campuses, mining, and industrial facilities. Our offerings, powered by the iTwin Platform for infrastructure digital twins, include MicroStation and Bentley Open applications for modeling and simulation, Seequent’s software for geoprofessionals, and Bentley Infrastructure Cloud encompassing ProjectWise for project delivery, SYNCHRO for construction management, and AssetWise for asset operations. Bentley Systems’ 5,000 colleagues generate annual revenues of more than $1 billion in 194 countries.
About Worldsensing
Worldsensing is a global IoT pioneer. Founded in 2008, the infrastructure monitoring expert serves customers in more than 70 countries, with a network of global partners to jointly drive safety in mining, construction, rail and structural health. Worldsensing is headquartered in Barcelona and has a local presence in the UK, North and South America, Singapore, Australia and Poland. Investors include Cisco Systems, Mitsui & Co, McRock Capital, ETF, Kibo Ventures, JME Ventures and Bentley Systems.
The solutions by Worldsensing are the market reference for automated monitoring of large-scale civil infrastructure. They enable near real-time data acquisition of geotechnical, geospatial and structural sensors as well as remote device, data and network management. Engineers and experts tasked with civil infrastructure monitoring can capture sensor data through Worldsensing edge devices and send information to the cloud for 24/7 monitoring. With thousands of network deployments connecting over 250,000 sensors around the globe, Worldsensing’s solution has rapidly become the monitoring standard within a growing range of industries.
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