Construction could be the next major focus for robotics investments. Here in America, our $2 trillion industry employs about 8 million people, the equivalent of one New York City. But even in times of financial boom, these jobs can be difficult to keep filled due to physical demands and other potential hazards.
Industrial painting is ready for automation. After all, large projects involve quite a bit of heavy equipment. As evidenced by the video published by PaintJet, this kind of old technology remains in place, despite some automated twists. Announced in October, the Nashville startup Bravo’s robotic paint sprayer more or less resembles a cherry picker.
CEO Nick Hegeman told TechCrunch that even though it looks like a fairly standard piece of heavy equipment, “we developed 100% of the robotic system. The parts come from industry suppliers. paint Hoses, nozzles and pumps. “We can non-invasively connect to the platform and control both the lift and the robotic system,” he added. “This allows us to expand to our widely established network of equipment rental providers.” can.”
Today, the company announced a $10 million Series A led by Outsiders Fund with participation from Pathbreak Ventures, MetaProp, Builders VC, 53 Stations, and VSC Ventures. This round follows his $3.5 million seed led by Dynamo Ventures and brings his total funding to date to $14.75 million.
Image credits: paint jet
Co-founder and CEO Nick Hegeman has understandably put ongoing staffing issues at the center of the pay increase. “It’s not just about automation. It’s about redefining industry standards, addressing labor shortages, and introducing cost-effective solutions that break the traditional paint mold,” he said in a release. There is. “We are grateful to our investors who support our mission and enable us to expand geographically and into new areas.”
Alongside Bravo’s announcement in October, the company also announced Alpha Shield paint. This is claimed to reduce standard wear and tear from the elements and allow for increased repainting intervals.
Image credits: paint jet
Of course, Paintjet isn’t the only company vying to bring robots into the world of industrial painting. Gray Matter offers painted his arms in a variety of scales. Japanese robotic arm giant Fanuc has also introduced solutions, but so far they cannot reach the heights of the kinds of buildings that Paintjet is working on at Bravo.
The startup targets construction companies as its primary user base. Current client list includes Prologis, Clayco, Layton Construction, and Brinkman Constructors.
Paintjet’s workforce remains small, with 24 full-time employees. A portion of the new funding will be used to increase sales and operations staff. The company also moved its headquarters from Nashville to Virginia “to support our entry into the marine business and to increase our engineering headcount to expand our technology stack and distribute more broadly,” Hageman said. That’s what it means.
Source: techcrunch.com
