Delivery bot beats traffic to reach technicians and slash lift maintenance time

Broken lifts need fixing quickly, as anyone who has been stuck in one will know. City traffic can delay technicians coming to the rescue, but now two companies hope an autonomous robot could provide a solution. Thyssenkrupp Elevator displayed its delivery robot from TeleRetail at the Washington Auto Show last week, where they highlighted its use in a research project aimed at making lift maintenance in cities quicker and more efficient. The droid, which is just 85cm wide and can avoid road congestion by travelling on pavements, can deliver up to 35kg of spare parts and other materials. With rapid urbanisation and rising traffic levels in cities around the world, the companies hope the project can slash job times and show autonomous technology’s wide potential in logistics. “Fast-growing American metropolitan areas need intelligent solutions to cover the last mile in delivering spare parts to our technicians,” said Ivo Siebers from Thyssenkrupp Elevator. “With driverless delivery robots we could fill a gap and get spare parts from our warehouses to the job site faster, more efficiently and with less impact on the environment.”

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Comfort Systems USA Announces Acquisition

Business Wire | February 01, 2024

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. today announced that it has closed its previously announced transaction to acquire Summit Industrial Construction, LLC (“Summit”) headquartered in Houston, Texas. As previously disclosed, Summit is a specialty industrial mechanical contractor offering engineering, design-assist and turnkey, direct hire construction services of modular systems serving the advanced technology, power, and industrial sectors. Summit’s capabilities encompass a wide range of modular and site-based construction, including process piping, equipment setting, large pipe rack trestles, and related steel erection and specialty concrete work. Summit is a trusted supplier to some of the world’s largest advanced technology, power and industrial companies and is currently deployed on several major chip fabrication projects. Initially, Summit is expected to contribute annualized revenues of approximately $375 million to $400 million, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $35 million to $40 million. In light of the amortization expense, Summit is expected to make a neutral to slightly accretive contribution to earnings per share in 2024 and 2025. Brian Lane, Comfort Systems USA’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to announce the closing of our agreement to acquire Summit, an extremely capable provider of modular and other complex mechanical services. Summit brings a stellar reputation as a modular technology leader in growing end markets, including multiple ongoing and large semiconductor projects. We are happy to welcome Summit’s wonderful leadership team and excellent production and craft workers across many states, and we are confident Summit will continue to innovate and grow as a part of our network of world-class contracting companies. We are grateful that Summit has chosen to become part of Comfort Systems USA.”

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