Burro Announces American Horticultural Supply as Latest Distributor in Growing Worldwide Network
(PHILADELPHIA; August 10, 2023) – Philadelphia-based Burro, an autonomous mobility company providing solutions for the agriculture industry, announced today that it has added California-based American Horticultural Supply (AHS) to its expanding list of distributors worldwide. For 40 years, AHS has been a leading supplier of horticultural hard goods to wholesale growers, contractors and government institutions along the U.S. West Coast.
Burro is the leading plug-and-play autonomous people-scale robot available that increases productivity in conventional production environments. It also features patent-pending Pop Up Autonomy™, which means the technology works immediately out of the box and empowers anyone on a job site to be an operator with very little training. Burro does not require a centralized control or installation of burdensome infrastructure. Instead, the robots use computer vision (cameras) and AI to learn and to navigate autonomously from points A to B while carrying loads, as well as mowers and partner technology applications, such as artificial pollinators. Burro is proven to help agricultural clients realize improvements in efficiency by up to 40 percent.
“At AHS, we strive to be the preferred distributor amongst growers by way of partnership, superior customer service and dedication to provide the highest quality of products and services,” said AHS’ Omead Jafroodi, president. “Aligning with Burro allows us to offer leading-edge robotic solutions to our greenhouse and nursery clients so they may leverage automation to improve their operational outcomes. It’s one more way we can add value.”
“We are thrilled to partner with AHS on the sales and support of Burro products,” said Don Black, vice president of growth, Burro. “AHS has developed a highly respected reputation in the horticulture industry and we are proud to provide their clients with our collaborative, force-multiplying robots that translate to labor savings and greater productivity. One key feature in development now for nurseries and greenhouses is our ability to tow very heavy trailers. Called the Advanced Towing Pack, this option will enable a towing capacity of up to 2,500 lbs., with added balance weights and stability to ensure safety.”
Burro’s Advanced Towing Pack will also feature enhanced LiDAR-based computer vision to ensure Burro’s ability to safely stop while towing very heavy trailers. This pack has three times the battery capacity to ensure operational reliability.
Two significant operational challenges facing the horticulture industry today are an unprecedented shortage of laborers and reliance on conveyor belts, which help to move plants from one site to another or to perform small-batch work. Conveyor belts are heavy, cumbersome and can pose an injury risk to workers during set-up and break-down. Burro mitigates labor shortages by enabling force multiplication of workers and taking on the burden of carrying and towing heavy loads, while also boosting profitability. Using Burros instead of conveyor systems increases plant movement by 28 percent. Several Burros working together are proven to move an average of 17 plants per minute versus just 13.3 per conveyor belt. Further, Burros won’t pinch fingers or cause back injuries like conveyor systems can, and they won’t block nursery access points with bulky infrastructure.
Burro is one of only a few autonomous robotic solutions available for this purpose. In addition to recently achieving the milestone of having traveled almost 60,000 autonomous miles, the company also has hundreds of robots actively deployed around the world in support of farms, greenhouses and nurseries.
Learn more about Burro’s uses in nurseries and greenhouses here.
About Burro
Burro, formally known as Augean Robotics, is a Philadelphia-based robotics company building an autonomous platform designed to free growers and their workforce from tedious tasks, while building the modular base for greater autonomy. Founded in 2017, the company offers the only fully autonomous, plug-and-play collaborative farming robot on the market. To learn more about Burro, visit burro.ai or or follow us on Twitter or Instagram.
About American Horticultural Supply
American Horticultural Supply, Inc. (AHS) is a leading distributor of greenhouse and nursery supplies in the Western United States. Founded in 1984, the company provides a wide range of products and services to help growers, garden centers and horticultural professionals effectively manage their operations and cultivate plants. AHS offers an extensive catalog of products including automation equipment, greenhouse structures, nursery supplies, irrigation systems, growing media, fertilizers and more. The company is recognized for its commitment to innovation, quality and customer service. AHS supports the growth and success of various horticultural businesses across the country. To learn more about AHS visit www.americanhort.com or IG @AmericanHorticultural or X @AHS_Inc .
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