PitPro Automation, the startup behind the first automated wheel-changing system, has deployed its first production unit at a Kal Tire location in Calgary, Alberta.

The system, which fits inside one bay and comprises an alignment lift flanked by two gantry robots, is designed to ease the physical burden on tire technicians and increase shop throughput.

The gantry robots perform fastening and lifting movements simultaneously on both sides of the vehicle, much like a NASCAR pit crew would on the racetrack. In demonstrations, the PitPro system has removed and replaced four tires in under 15 minutes, or up to 90% faster than a human, the company said. The current system can accommodate Classes 1-3 vehicles.

The system’s sensors can also measure tread depth and tire pressure, and detect broken and stripped lug nuts. The automated system also precisely torques fasteners to within 1% of OEM specs and digitally logs that data.

Read more: Tired of tire service? Robot wheel changer is on the way

For Kal Tire, a major Canadian independent tire dealer with more than 280 stores, the deployment of this first-of-its-kind shop equipment, the timing could not be better, as 78% of Canadian drivers use snow tires, according to the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada. Though Alberta gets less snow than in the eastern provinces, any increased demand in tire service usually transfers directly into more physical strain on the techs. A Ford F-150’s tire/wheel assembly weighs 70 lbs. (31 kg).

"Tire service is physically demanding work, and Canadian winters create intense demand spikes," said Kenneth Chaun, SVP of strategy & innovation at Kal Tire. "We see automation as a force multiplier for our team members, not a replacement for them. It takes the heaviest, most repetitive lifting off our technicians and frees them to focus on the diagnostic and customer work where their expertise matters most.”

Chaun added that if the PitPro system consistently performs as designed, the shop will be able to work on more vehicles without adding bay space or headcount. A tech still positions the vehicle, lift, and jacks, of course.

Training the staff to work with the robot is ongoing, according to PitPro co-founder and CEO Jeremy Conrad, who added the first production unit is doing what it’s supposed to: “It’s still early, but all the core metrics are meeting our expectations.”

The unit was shipped by truck in separate custom crates 1,300 miles from California.

He called the successful install “a defining moment for PitPro and proof that our technology is ready for the real world."  

The team is already collecting data and finding ways to make the process more efficient, as demand for automating physical, monotonous labor will likely climb as shops struggle to fill roles.

“As it was the first install, we learned a lot and are making changes to how we pack and ship,” Conrad said.

PitPro has at least one other install slated for this year, and Conrad said they are in talks to schedule more.