WAYPOINT ROBOTICS ACQUIRED BY MASSACHUSETTS COMPANY

Fast-growing Wilmington, Mass.-based Locus Robotics, a manufacturer of robotic systems used for warehousing and logistics, has acquired Waypoint Robotics of Nashua, which also produces robots for material transport.

Waypoint’s flagship products are the Vector and MAV3K, flexible mobile robot platforms that feature omnidirectional mobility and can be fitted with a wide variety of modules and attachments for use in industrial settings. The robots are interoperable with other robots and can communicate with machines and Internet of Things devices within facilities.

Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus, said his company’s products aim to “efficiently solve our customers’ needs for total warehouse optimization.” He added that, “as order fulfillment and labor shortages continue to grow around the world, the acquisition of Waypoint Robotics will accelerate our ability to meet these global needs in just months rather than years, helping us drive the digital transformation of the warehouse.”

The combined company will have over 200 employees and will be managed as a single operation, the company said. Waypoint executives will join Locus.

Waypoint was founded in 2018 after spinning off from Stanley Elevator company. Locus’s largest customer is DHL, which has announced plans to add 2,000 robots by 2022.

On Sept. 15, Locus announced that it had received an additional $50 million investment from Tiger Global Management, on the heels of a $150 million Series E round in February.

WIRE BELT MOVING TO FORMER WALMART BUILDING IN BEDFORD

After 30 years in its Londonderry facility on Harvey Road, and having outgrown its current space, the fourthgeneration, family-owned Wire Belt Co.

is moving to a new facility in Bedford.

The company, which makes wire mesh conveyor belting primarily for the food industry, has signed a lease for the former Bedford Walmart building at 17 Colby Court and will begin renovating the 123,000-square-foot space for light manufacturing.

Wire Belt Company will immediately occupy about 70,000 square feet, and ultimately grow into about 100,000. The remainder 23,000 square feet will be leased out, the company said.

It will also allow Wire Belt to hire more people and reduce the amount of overtime required of the workers. Some are working up to 40 hours of overtime over their regular 40 hours, according to the company.

CONSOLIDATED DROPS PETERBOROUGH’S $262K INTERNET BUILD-OUT REQUEST

The town of Peterborough will not have to pay to help connect residents to a new high-speed broadband network being installed by Consolidated Communications.

Town Administrator Nicole MacStay told the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript that Consolidated initially proposed an agreement in which the town would provide $262,000 to support the work of connecting customers, and be reimbursed over time through fees.

But that portion of the plan has changed because Consolidated now expects Peterborough will qualify for broadband grants that would reduce or eliminate the cost. MacStay said that waiting for those grants to come in might slow down the work that is currently ahead of schedule, so Consolidated will be moving forward with the work without Peterborough’s financial participation.

Currently, the project is about 12 to 18 months ahead of schedule, and MacStay said that the town’s liaison with Consolidated estimated that they may be able to start connecting customers as soon as December.