In The News

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Construction industry has burst into a flurry of activity as the most aggressive infrastructure spending initiative since the 1950s was signed into law on Monday. Combined with a skilled labor shortage, the $550 Billion bill calls into question whether contractors have the capacity to meet rapidly growing demand. Innovative contractors across the nation are turning to new technology for help. Robots as a new class of equipment are proving to be an effective complement to human crews and will be essential to completing the projects laid out within the infrastructure bill.

Woman-owned Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Shelby Erectors is an example of the effective usage of robotics on the jobsite to contractors across the country. Contracted for rebar installation on the 512,427 sqft I-95 Express Phase 3C project in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Shelby elected to utilize TyBOT by Advanced Construction Robotics to boost crew productivity. TyBOT, a rebar tying robot, leverages cutting edge artificial intelligence to tie together the rebar grid that commonly reinforces concrete surfaces. While TyBOT is actively tying rebar, Shelby’s laborers are free to handle more skilled tasks better suited for human hands.

Shelby stands tall in the industry as an example of how to adapt to modern challenges, and its President, Jennifer Nix, is positioning her company to meet the labor demands of the new infrastructure bill. “TyBot is definitely a lifesaver when labor availability is lacking. It provides a level of consistency that's difficult to match and is why we’re currently using it on 3 separate concrete bridge construction projects across Florida.” Nix says, “TyBot removes the repetitive, back-breaking work that can cause serious long-term injuries, and anything we can do to improve our crews’ health and safety is a huge priority for us. TyBOT allows us to safely stay on schedule while shorthanded and to move our workforce on to higher-skilled tasks or to another jobsite where they can be better utilized.” The I-95 Express Project has become a landmark in the application of new technologies on major infrastructure projects. It is among the first projects in the world to address the labor shortage with cutting-edge robotic technology.

ACR is excited to call Shelby Erectors our integration partner. For many years our co-founders have observed the industry and have watched the labor gap growing. With this new infrastructure initiative, the shortage is accelerating at an alarming rate. Co-Founder Jeremy Searock is seeing his vision for the company become reality, saying “ACR was founded for moments like this. Our robots will continue to solve today’s construction challenges assisting the workforce to meet rapidly growing demand, such as what will be generated from the infrastructure bill.” ACR believes robotics can and will come to the rescue of crews struggling to close the growing labor gap. In order to complete the Billions in new projects, partnerships like those between Shelby and ACR will be absolutely essential.

Nix says “As the labor gap in construction continues to grow with increasing demand, it is crucial to incorporate solutions like TyBot to mitigate the effects. We have found that TyBOT saves at least 25% on our rebar tying schedule. This provides a crucial edge when bidding projects, and project owners, typically DOT, often like to see innovative tech used. We will likely use TyBot on over half of our projects in the next 5 years.” The effectiveness of jobsite robotics on this project will be sure to be noticed as contractors scramble to address the flood of new infrastructure initiatives coming from Capitol Hill. The lesson is clear, useful robots are no longer science fiction. They are here and ready to do work today.

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A world-leading innovator of autonomous robotic equipment, Advanced Construction Robotics is transforming the construction industry by filling the skilled labor gap and increasing overall productivity. Our robots give construction firms the ability to meet a rapidly growing demand, improve safety, and reduces scheduling risks. TyBOT, ACR’s first product, is a rebar tying robot that self-navigates, self-ties, and does not require programming or build plan input from the working crew. TyBot’s partner, IronBot, will lift, carry, and install rebar when it comes to market in 2022.

The Dave Cooper Live show featured ACR's President and CEO, Danielle Proctor, on June 19. She sat down with Dave Cooper and showed off TyBOT’s capabilities while discussing everything we do and love. Learn about the 3Cs required to achieve enhanced productivity, increased consistency, improved safety, and reduced schedule risk.

The live stream is available on the Dave Cooper Live YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X38awv4WFUw

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Project Intro

The Koppel Bridge project was a $27 Million effort to replace the previous bridge. TyBOT performed bulk tying operations on this project in April of 2019 to assist the crews of Brayman Construction Corporation. The Koppel Bridge is located in rural Western Pennsylvania and serves as a crucial link between the towns of Koppel, and Ellwood City. It is a 4-span bridge that is 43 feet wide and 1,240 feet long. The new Koppel bridge opened in October of 2019.

Role in Project -

TyBOT® is an autonomous rebar tying robot that ties up to 1,000 intersections an hour. TyBOT deploys to any job site that has screed rails in place and will do the work of an average crew. TyBOT easily deploys anywhere in the country to work on horizontal reinforcing steel installation projects. TyBOT performed the bulk tie portion of the Koppel Bridge deck reinforcing steel installation for two out of the four spans of the bridge.

Description of Project -

The Koppel Bridge project, located in Koppel, PA, began in January 2017 and opened to traffic in October 2019. The bridge carries two 12 ft travel lanes and 8 ft shoulders. The deck of the Koppel Bridge consists of 1 million pounds of rebar and 6,000 cubic yards of concrete. The structural steel supporting the deck weighs approximately 4.3 million pounds.

Project Features/Advancements -

Manhour savings: 34%

Schedule savings: 34%

Brayman Construction Corporation (BCC) meticulously recorded production data for the deck reinforcing steel installation of the project so that this case study could provide meaningful results. While self-performing the rebar installation on two spans that did not utilize TyBot, BCC expended 20% of their total manhours on the bulk tie sub-activity that TyBOT would perform on the other two spans.

When TyBOT executed the bulk tie on these two spans, the data showed that BCC not only saved the expected 20% of manhours for bulk tying but also saved another 14% for a total savings of 34% of their budgeted manhours. These additional savings was attributed to a couple of different factors.

BCC chose to augment their deck rebar crew with TyBOT meaning they did not reduce the level of manpower performing the installation. Not having to perform the bulk tie sub-activity allowed the crew to focus manual efforts on the remaining sub-activities associated with deck rebar installation. This allowed these activities such as carrying and placing the rebar to occur faster and more efficiently.

The use of TyBOT also prompted the operations team to perform more pre-planning of the deck rebar work to ensure the time TyBOT was waiting on placed rebar to tie was minimized. Typically, deck rebar work planning is done in the field where the crew often reacts to the daily changes and challenges that are frequent on construction projects. When using TyBOT, the manual labor was very focused on planning the work to make sure that “the robot didn’t catch up to them”. This created a sense of competition between the robotic TyBOT and the crew, pushing the work along faster.

With BCC augmenting their crew with TyBOT, the project realized both a 34% manhour savings and a 34% savings in the duration of the work. Experiencing schedule and productivity improvements that result in manhour savings is a great example of the power of utilizing robots in construction. With widespread shortages in skilled labor, using TyBot to augment and not replace the rebar crew is the best way to accelerate projects, meet tough schedule constraints, and best utilize the skills of workers.

Who was/is Involved:

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation: CLIENT

Brayman Construction Corporation: MAIN CONTRACTOR

Advanced Construction Robotics: SUBCONTRACTOR

Awards

Associated Bridge for Construction & Design awarded the Koppel Bridge Project two awards:

(1) Outstanding New Major Bridge Award (Brayman Construction as the main contractor) (2) Outstanding New Special Purpose Structure Award for Permanent Sheet Pile Wall System – Brayman Construction (Brayman Construction as subcontractor & Trumbull as the main contractor)

Pittsburgh PA: Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR) is excited to launch its second product, IronBOT®, during ConExpo, the largest gathering of construction professionals in North America, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. IronBOT augments construction crews by lifting, carrying, and placing up to 5,000-pound bundles of rebar in a transverse or longitudinal orientation without the need for heavy lifting from crewmembers. When IronBOT is combined with TyBOT®, our rebar-tying robot, this powerful BOT Bundle can typically provide 50% schedule savings during rebar installation.

“We are confident the combination of TyBOT and IronBOT generates a disruptive technology, meaning the time and cost savings are so significant on a job that it will disrupt the way our industry installs reinforcing steel,” said Stephen Muck, Founder and Executive Chairman of Advanced Construction Robotics.

IronBOT successfully completed its inaugural project in February on the Port St. Lucie West Boulevard Bridge in Port St. Lucie, FL alongside Shelby Erectors. The originally estimated duration of the rebar installation was 14 days. By augmenting Shelby’s crew with the BOT Bundle, the same amount of work was completed in only seven days. During the pilot, IronBOT placed 147,032 LB of rebar while TyBOT completed 58,068 ties over 6.5 production shifts. Shelby Erectors, ACR’s Integration Partner, has already been boosting crew productivity with TyBOT for over two years. "We were excited to be able to have IronBOT and TyBOT work together alongside our crews on this project. We were impressed that we could slash our rebar installation schedule in half. We are actively looking for new projects to incorporate the BOT Bundle in our operations," said Jack Nix, COO of Shelby Erectors, Inc.  

"I am so excited to see our initial prediction of cutting schedules by at least 50% come to fruition on IronBOT’s maiden voyage. This was a perfect example of how field teams, working alongside our technology, can form a “modern crew” to unleash disruptive productivity levels," said Danielle Proctor, CEO of Advanced Construction Robotics. "This robotic revolution provides innovative construction firms the ability to become game-changers by adopting and putting their ‘modern crew’ to work.”  

ACR is also excited to announce Brayman Construction and Advantage Steel & Construction are currently the only contractors certified to provide the BOT Bundle solution as part of its newly launched Certified Innovator Program. Certified Innovators have dedicated crews that have gone through hands-on training on how to optimize operations alongside the BOT Bundle and incorporate the technology in their installation pricing. " We are excited to work together to show the construction industry how this adoption of robotics at an organizational and cultural level can lead to overall results that are impossible to ignore," said Zach Rosswog, General Manager of Advantage Steel and Construction.

"Technology is changing the way we approach construction. It helps contractors like us cope with shrinking labor forces and growing demand. We become more productive, efficient, and safer when we pair this technology with an innovative mindset," said Tim Taylor, Vice President – Heavy Civil of Brayman Construction Corporation. "That's why we are proud to be the first Certified Innovator and will continue to work with ACR to weave technology into our company identity."  

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About Advanced Construction Robotics, Inc.:

A leading provider of robotic equipment, ACR is transforming the construction industry by filling the skilled labor gap and increasing overall productivity. Our robots give construction firms the ability to consistently meet growing demand, reduce scheduling risks and improve safety.

About Brayman Construction Corporation:

Brayman Construction Corporation is a leading heavy civil and geotechnical contractor with office headquarters in suburban Pittsburgh. Incorporated in 1947, as a family-owned business with a staff of two, Brayman has grown, diversified, and evolved its construction services from a small bridge and concrete company to a large, nationally recognized provider of complex, heavy civil construction projects servicing both public and private sector clients.

The Company has expertise in a wide variety of projects including large-scale complex bridges, deep foundations, marine and dam construction and rehabilitation, complex and heavy steel erection and rehabilitation, and demolition services.

About Advantage Steel and Construction:

Advantage Steel and Construction is recognized throughout the industry for its expertise in diverse steel construction and fabrication capabilities. Our experience includes complex bridge erection, customized temporary support and jacking operations, bridge rehabilitation, building erection, and other unique steel construction applications. We are unique because we embrace challenges our competition tends to avoid.  

Since 2001, we have been working with both public and private clients throughout the United States.  We hold AISC certifications for Steel Erection and Fabrication for Advanced Steel Bridges with a Fracture Critical Endorsement.

About Shelby Erectors, Inc.:

Shelby Erectors, Inc. has been in business since April 1, 1997. The company is the sole entity of Jennifer Nix, who serves as the Owner and President. We’re a labor subcontractor that specializes in bridge construction – specifically, the installation of reinforcing steel and Stay-In-Place metal decking. Shelby Erectors, Inc. became a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) certified Disadvantaged Business Entity (DBE) on August 6, 2010. This distinction is analyzed and renewed annually and must be qualified for in order to maintain its standing. Shelby Erectors currently has over 200 employees that are on job sites across the state of Florida. We maintain contracts that range in length from several months to over six years and vary from thousands of dollars to millions.

Pittsburgh, PA: Advanced Construction Robotics, Inc. (ACR) completed its first-ever TyBOT project in Wisconsin, marking the robot's furthest travel westward. TyBOT augmented the crew from MKE Iron Erectors Inc. (MKE Iron), a rebar subcontractor, and boosted productivity on the IH-39 Structure B-11-166 bridge in Columbia County. TyBOT accomplished 17,823 ties in two shifts for this project across a 7,775 sq. ft. area. TyBOT ties reinforcing steel at a rate of over 1,100 ties per hour. It was introduced by ACR in 2018 and has since won several innovation awards in the construction industry. With the addition of Wisconsin, TyBOT has now completed 3.5 million ties on jobs in 11 different states and on over 40 projects.

“Resilience is one of our core values, so we are excited to be the first contractor in Wisconsin to deploy this innovative tool,” said Barb Sheedy, President and Owner of MKE Iron Erectors, Inc. “Having TyBOT on our job site was a major asset to our crew as they finished the project on time and on budget. Just as importantly, TyBOT will provide health and safety benefits for our union ironworkers. Less tying means they will experience less physical stress, possibly extending their careers while avoiding strain injuries. We look forward to using TyBOT on future projects.”  

Advanced Construction Robotics is committed to equipping modern crews with state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge equipment. By embracing modern equipment, contractors like MKE Iron Erectors, Inc. are pushing the entire industry forward, setting new standards for productivity and quality. ACR remains unwavering in its dedication to supporting modern crews by providing the equipment they need to thrive in an increasingly tech-driven industry.

"We are really excited to add not only a new customer but a new state to our project portfolio," says Danielle Proctor, President & CEO of Advanced Construction Robotics. "MKE Iron serves as a great example of an innovative contractor that has taken the first step on the path to creating a modern workforce by seeing first-hand how technology can impact their projects."

The successful completion of the TyBOT project in Wisconsin demonstrates ACR's commitment to providing innovative solutions to the construction industry as they continue to work with additional contractors and break into new territories.

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About Advanced Construction Robotics, Inc.:

A leading provider of robotic equipment, ACR is transforming the construction industry by filling the skilled labor gap and increasing overall productivity. Our robots give construction firms the ability to consistently meet growing demand, reduce scheduling risks and improve safety.  TyBOT®, ACR’s first product, is a rebar tying robot that self-navigates, self-ties and does not require programming or BIM plan input from the working crew. TyBOT’s partner, IronBOT can lift, carry, and install a 5,000LB bundle of rebar. Together, TyBOT and IronBOT are cutting rebar installation schedules in half. If you would like more information, please contact us at info@constructionrobots.com

About MKE Iron Erectors, Inc.:

As a full-service, woman owned metal erector MKE Iron Erectors, Inc. works with our business partners to safely provide top-notch subcontracting for division 3 and 5 construction projects, and more.MKE Iron’s deep bench of experienced professionals are your reliable partners ­when safely building the roads and bridges municipalities need to thrive. Our team knows what it takes to construct complicated lift bridges, erect steel, and precast girders, and efficiently install reinforcing steel for all foundations, supports, and decks. Our skilled union ironworkers, and LEAN thinking team understands how to perform precast concrete and metal work using best practices designed to save you time, money, and stress on your next project.

Stephen Muck has once again been named a trendsetting Maverick by BuiltWorlds. This award was given in recognition of his game-changing advancements across the Construction and Robotics industries. Year after year Steve has proven to be an inspirational leader, innovative thinker, and catalyst of change. His dedicated leadership has been instrumental in producing many never-before-seen products and industry advancements. Steve is committed to setting the pace in construction robotics as his state-of-the-art innovations continue to help revolutionize today's jobsites. To learn more about Steve visit our team page.

On June 29th, the Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN), a group of innovators dedicated to growing the region's robotics and artificial intelligence community, came together to declare Pittsburgh the “Robotics Capital of the World.”

Members of the group, known both nationally and worldwide for their contributions to transforming the world through robotics, included many Carnegie Mellon graduates like Advanced Construction Robotics’ co-founder Jeremy Searock and newly appointed CEO Danielle Proctor.

Jeremy said, "I've enjoyed watching the organization and its members grow, many of whom are longtime friends, former classmates, and colleagues.”

ACR Co-founder Stephen Muck said, "It's an amazing opportunity to come together and highlight the incredible talent pool that's growing in our own backyard. I am proud ACR is a Founding Member of the PRN and excited about the future we are making together to bring the next industrial revolution to reality.”

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CONTACT Bryce Nelson

COMPANY Advanced Construction Robotics

PHONE 724-443-1533 x50478

EMAIL marketing@constructionrobots.com

WEB www.ConstructionRobots.com

Pittsburgh, PA, May 25, 2021 - Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR) is pleased to announce that Danielle Proctor has been appointed as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Proctor brings to ACR 25 years of construction, software, technology, new product development and leadership experience, and will immediately assume day-to-day leadership of ACR’s business operations.

Jeremy Searock will continue his role as President and Chief Technology Officer, leading current and future product innovation.  Stephen Muck will remain actively involved as Chairman, providing strategic oversight as ACR continues to bring robotic equipment to the construction industry.

“Danielle has proven herself a valuable difference-maker within our company,” said Searock. “She provides the perfect storm of industry knowledge, entrepreneurial experience, and leadership abilities. Stephen and I couldn’t be more excited to work with Danielle to make robots just another machine at the jobsite.”

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Proctor began her career as a Senior New Products & Industry Manager at Management Science Associates, involved with the product and business development of an automated business intelligence system for the Consumer-Packaged Goods industry. She then joined FreeMarkets, later acquired by Ariba, as part of the product management team that designed and launched the software interface for their auction-based supply-chain management service.  

Proctor’s entrepreneurial spirit quickly took over and, at the age of 28, she founded Amelie Construction & Supply, a certified Woman/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (W/DBE) construction firm providing structural rehabilitation, erection, and foundation services throughout the eastern region where she served as President & CEO for 12 years until selling her ownership in 2015.  Proctor continued to pursue her passion of being involved with start-ups by founding and acquiring several smaller ventures as well as providing private funding and consulting to companies during their critical formation stages.

Proctor’s unique combination of skill sets caught the eye of ACR co-founders Muck and Searock, who invited her to join the ACR Team as the head of Business Development in 2020.

“I’ve watched Danielle over the last 18 years develop and grow from a young entrepreneur into a mature leader capable of succeeding in a male-dominated environment,” said Muck. “I am excited to see this duo innovate and commercialize robots for an industry that is ripe for disruption.”

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About ACR

Pittsburgh-based Advanced Construction Robotics, Inc. (ACR) was co-founded in 2016 by Stephen Muck, CEO of Brayman Construction Corporation and Jeremy Searock, formerly of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center. The co-founders' vision is to utilize robotics and artificial intelligence to innovate and commercialize a wide range of autonomous products to lead the long-term transformation of the construction industry towards enhanced productivity, improved safety, increased profits, and reduced schedule risk.

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We are pleased to announce that in April, TyBot officially reached the 2,000,000th job-site tie milestone. Our world-class team has successfully completed a total of 27 project deployments and has an exciting slate of jobs scheduled to close out 2021. TyBot has worked for a multitude of distinguished General Contractors and Rebar Subcontractors from Boston, MA to Miami, FL.  Check out our new Project Portfolio page to learn more.

Those who have used TyBot on their projects will tell you that it isn't science fiction. TyBot is construction’s most advanced rebar installation equipment that dramatically reduces schedule risk and enhances your workforce’s productivity while keeping them safer! Read EquipmentWorlds coverage of this achievement HERE.

On September 14th, TyBot commenced tying operations on the $93.6 million PennDOT

I-95: Betsy Ross Bridge Interchange Project's BR2 Section in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. By utilizing TyBot to complete the bulk-tying of rebar intersections, LB Construction Enterprises, subcontracted by the General Contractor, Buckley & Company, looks to enhance its crew's productivity while improving safety and reducing overall days on-site.