Last month, Johnson Controls completed a major $7.5 million investment into new automation equipment at its commercial HVAC manufacturing plant in Norman, OK. The new equipment will increase capacity, while improving product quality, safety, and assembly productivity at the 900,000-square-foot facility, known as Johnson Controls Rooftop Center of Excellence.

“Johnson Controls is committed to surpassing our customers’ expectations through the continuous improvement of our manufacturing plants and investment into our product lines,” said Doug Schuster, Vice President & General Manager, Global Ducted Systems, Johnson Controls. “We continue to invest in the improvement activities at the Norman facility to modernize and expand the plant, automate the manufacturing process, improve safety for our employees and ensure our products are built to the highest quality standards possible.”

In 2019, the Norman Economic Development Coalition received a Project of the Year Award for Excellence in Economic Development from the Oklahoma Economic Development Council for its role in the expansion of Johnson Controls’ Rooftop Center of Excellence in Norman, OK. (Source: Johnson Controls)

The new automation equipment includes the following:

• Punch and Roll Forming Machine: A new punch and roll forming machine will produce all base rails from coils to finished product in one process, supporting Select and Premier commercial rooftop units. This all-in-one machine will take approximately 45 seconds of cycle time per rail, resulting in productivity gains and reduced material handling, while giving the operators an ergonomically sound process for fabricating rails. The machine also features kitting capabilities, which increases speed and reduces human error.
• Robotic Press Brakes: Three new robotic press brakes have been installed at the facility. The robotic arm in each machine moves parts to and from the press break before being placed on an exit convey. Three of these machines can be operated by one operator, resulting in productivity gains, improved quality and repeatability.
• Turret Laser Machines: Two new turret laser machines will punch and cut sheet metal for three newly installed assembly lines. Each machine features an eight-shelf loader for raw materials and finished parts, a 220-tool automatic tool changer and a part sorter. These machines will support growth plans by increasing capacity, providing redundancy for the laser cutting process and improving sorting productivity.
• Auto Brazer: The new auto brazer will increase output of fin and tube coils for large rooftop units and address the new coil lengths being introduced on future products.

The new equipment will increase facility capacity and streamline the manufacturing process, making employees jobs safer and more efficient, but jobs will not be impacted.

The most notable expansion of the 50-year-old Norman facility was in April 2019. It now features nearly 400,000 square feet of incremental laboratory and manufacturing space, which includes a two-story, 52-foot-high testing lab roughly the size of one-and-a-half football fields. The extensive laboratory allows Johnson Controls to conduct on-site development, regulatory compliance, performance, safety, and reliability testing, including the ability to test a 150-ton rooftop unit in climates ranging from -30ºF to 130ºF. The 2019 expansion also included renovations to more than 150,000 square feet of office and meeting space. Today, the facility manufacturers commercial HVAC systems for Johnson Controls, YORK®, TempMaster®, Luxaire®, Coleman® and Champion® brands.

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Walmart Inc. WMT, + 0.57%, announced an investment in San Francisco-based self-driving vehicle company, Cruise, on Thursday. Walmart has not disclosed the size of the investment.

The two companies began working together on a pilot delivery program in Scottsdale, AZ last November.

Cruise’s fleet of vehicles is also fully electric, which is another step in Walmart’s efforts to meet its environmental goals. This week the retail giant announced its efforts to protect pollinator populations.

“As delivery has become an integral part of our customers’ lives, we are focused on building our last mile ecosystem to benefit everyone – customers, businesses and the planet,” wrote John Furner, CEO from Walmart US, in a post on the Walmart website.

Read: Walmart is shifting more employees to full-time employment

Consumer businesses are paying attention and increasingly investing in the efficiency of their delivery service. Over the past year, customers have relied on household goods to grocery deliveries as COVID-19 has restricted store operations and restaurant capacity.

“Working from home and the growing desire to shop online are challenging retailers and consumer goods companies to fundamentally rethink how they serve the pandemic-adapted consumer,” Accenture wrote in a recent report following a global survey of 9,650 consumers.

Even as the vaccine adoption and recovery continues, experts expect some consumer behaviors to persist, including those that emphasize comfort.

“Leading retailers have adapted quickly to the rise of e-commerce and are using technology to serve customers in new ways,” said Jill Standish, director of Accenture’s global retail group, in the report.

Likewise: Lowe’s is making a bigger game for professionals with the introduction of new amenities

“Even in a post-pandemic world, companies need to satisfy consumers’ appetites for online shopping with fast delivery and invest more consciously to empower their people, supply chains, physical stores and digital channels. positioned to drive growth. “

Last month, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. CMG, +1.83%, announced its investment in Nuro, another autonomous delivery company.

Kroger Co. KR, +0.63% and Ocado OCDO, -1.00% unveiled their first high-tech facility in Ohio on Wednesday that will help fulfill customer orders.

See: Kroger launches high-tech facility as digital competition between grocers intensifies

And Home Depot Inc. HD, + 0.36%, announced Thursday morning that it will add five distribution facilities by next year to serve the South Florida area only.

Electric vehicles were also in the spotlight with the IPO of TuSimple, a Tesla Inc. TSLA, + 0.14% rival, and a new vehicle from Mercedes-Benz.

Do not miss: Tesla’s self-driving truck rival TuSimple receives more than $ 1 billion in IPO and valued it at $ 8.5 billion

Walmart stock is down 2.8% year-to-date, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA is up + 0.44% over the reporting period, up 11.2%.

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