Equipment Report

Photo courtesy of Terex Corp.

Terex Materials Processing (MP) has acquired the assets of ZenRobotics Ltd., a company based in Helsinki, Finland, that designs and creates robots that sort recyclables using proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) software.

ZenRobotics will retain its name and become a Terex brand. The business unit will report to Tony Devlin, who leads the Terex MP environmental businesses, according to a news release issued by Terex Corp., headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.

ZenRobotics was started in 2007. With its technology, operators can upgrade their recycling infrastructure to meet modern requirements, Terex says.

In 2009, ZenRobotics began using AI-based robots to sort recyclables, which led to the introduction of the ZenRobotics Recycler in Helsinki. In 2015, ZenRobotics launched its Heavy Picker, which is designed to sort bulky construction and demolition (C&D) debris.

ZenRobotics’ Heavy Picker is a multipurpose sorting robot for bulky material. Equipped with sturdy arms, various sensors and AI, Terex says it provides “a simple, unstaffed sorting process and makes waste sorting more accurate, safe and profitable.”

Its other offerings include the Fast Picker, a high-speed sorting robot designed for maximizing material recovery. It is compactly designed for easy integration into existing processes and conveyors in material recovery facilities, and it increases profits by enabling fully automated sorting and higher output purity, Terex says.

ZenRobotics will add to the Terex portfolio in global waste, where it will continue to be operated as a stand-alone business while also benefiting from MP’s broader market presence and from efficiencies enabled by MP’s global scale, Terex says.

“ZenRobotics is an exciting, modern company that lends itself perfectly to our pre-existing environmental expertise, and their ethos of making a circular economy more possible aligns perfectly with our goals and targets for the future of Terex MP,” Devlin says. “We’re excited to see the many ways that we can apply this technology and what potential this acquisition can bring Terex MP with the application of this technology. The journey that we’re about to begin with ZenRobotics and Terex MP is one that we look forward to starting, and we extend a warm welcome our new colleagues into the Terex MP team.”

Jarmo Ruohonen, CEO of ZenRobotics, says he’s “delighted” to join the Terex team.

“As a company, we have worked hard for the past 15 years creating technology that helps companies efficiently deal with different types of waste materials, helping to chase down targets that propel us towards a more circular economy,” he adds.

Toyota Material Handling acquires PennWest Toyota Lift

Toyota Material Handling (TMH) has acquired PennWest Toyota Lift, a Pennsylvania-based forklift dealership with locations in Mount Pleasant, Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania. The acquisition was finalized July 1. The company will continue to be known as PennWest with no change in management or staffing.

“PennWest has been a respected part of the Toyota dealer network for years and [is] a terrific representative of everything Toyota stands for,” TMH Director of Marketing and Dealer Development Steve Tadd says. “This acquisition will ensure Toyota’s continued representation in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio and [will] offer continued dependable support to PennWest’s customers.”

PennWest’s management will remain with the company and continue to manage the business on behalf of TMH for the foreseeable future.