“As an automation supplier, we get called to take a look at alternative methods for building, but nobody really addresses the alternative materials. That’s what Quantum’s doing.”
Challenge
Brave is an automation innovation company established in 2008 in Warren, Michigan. The company’s motto, “think brave,” summarizes its bold approach to using automation to address some of the world’s toughest challenges head-on and revolutionize legacy industries like construction and modular housing. Vice President Cooper Lane and the Brave team are working with Quantum Assembly to modernize offsite building methods and accomplish alternative methods of construction. They were inspired to connect with Quantum Assembly after seeing its success in Portland with Otak.
Solution
Quantum Assembly is helping Brave source alternative materials and modernize the construction process instead of relying on traditional construction methods. “We’re very much aligned in the need for modernization in offsite construction,” Lane says, “But then Quantum goes a step further.”
When it’s time to select specific methods and materials, Quantum Assembly works in harmony with Brave to make the best and most innovative choices. Lane explains, “As an automation supplier, we get called to take a look at alternative methods for building, but nobody really addresses the alternative materials. That’s what Quantum’s doing.”
Lane and the team at Brave have been unable to get what they need from many other potential partners and suppliers. Quantum Assembly serves a need for what Lane calls “extreme modernization.” Conventional building products and processes just can’t match what Quantum Assembly offers.
“What we build doesn’t necessarily speak very well to conventional building products,” Lane says. “A piece of drywall is four by eight, so two guys can bring it up a staircase. But if you are calling me to a factory and you want to start to use robots, why aren’t we talking about changing that product as well? There’s a need to change the material so that these modern methods of manufacturing are going to work even better.”
Results
Although the partnership is still in its early stages, Lane is pleased with the progress so far. “We’ve hit the ground sprinting in,” he says. Currently, the Brave team is preparing for state-of-the-art production in a major construction project.
Lane says one of the biggest successes has been changing the traditional mindset he encounters in making basic materials selections. Take drywall, for example. “One of the advancements that they’re working on at Quantum is that drywall issue. And that’s the biggest hindrance in offsite construction. We’re building state-of-the-art technology. Robots can give you four or five times productivity throughput very easily.”
Not only is the production process faster and easier with Quantum Assembly, but it also brings significant savings in resources. Lane says, “We can reduce your workforce from ten welders welding a frame. We could do that with two operators, but it always ends up that somewhere down the line, somebody’s sitting waiting for paint to dry, or mud to dry, or sanding to happen. Quantum understands that it goes beyond drywall.”
When asked if he would recommend Quantum Assembly, Lane says, “Wholeheartedly. It’s a game-changer.”
