WRIGHTSTOWN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Wisconsin-based company will soon be incorporating solar-powered robots into their workflow. Drexel Building Supply will build a new facility in Wrightstown with the new technology.
When it comes to robots like putting together roof and floor trusses, it’s uncharted territory for Wisconsin.
“On the west coast right now they’re basically plant built modular homes and they’re built by robots,” said Chris Chris Bayorgeon, a maintenance leader at Drexel’s Little Chute facility.
“If they can build an entire apartment unit with that, we can build roof trusses with that.”
Drexel Building Supply will be bringing the robots to Wisconsin. The technology will build the trusses in a brand-new facility. The trusses can then can be transported to job sites, where certified installers will piece the puzzle of the house together. The company says it’s where the future of construction is heading.
“Construction is going off site, volume metric, basically they want the house built in a plant so they can put it together as fast as possible on the job site everyone can get in there,” said Bayorgeon.
Drexel Building Supply will be building this new facility just across the street from their Wrightstown office. The plan is to break ground in July.
“Being next to the freeway for us being logistics company shipping and delivering material, as well as the railroad within that community was a really big benefit,” said Joel Fleischman, president of Drexel Building Supply.
Fleischman tells FOX 11 it will help solve a crisis in the construction industry.
“In the field carpenters and laborers right now are at an all time shortage so being able to build on site quicker is super important to our industry.”
He says with these robots, not only will it increase production by two-thirds, but also speed up the time it takes to build a house.
“A normal house in the Fox Valley region will take up to three to four weeks all the way to put the shingles and windows in. We can do a typical build in five to six days. ”
The company also says with building trusses indoors, they will eliminate any construction delays that come from Wisconsin weather.
Drexel says it’s not eliminating any employees with this transition. All employees from their Little Chute facility will be re-trained to work and monitor the robots.
