Kane Robotics Names Board of Directors

Albuquerque, NM, October 1, 2020

Kane Robotics (KRI), a leader in designing and developing collaborative robotic systems for essential manufacturing applications, is pleased to announce the addition of two new directors to its Board.

Effective immediately, Richard Milford and Glenn Renner will lend their combined 40+ years of experience to accelerate the growth of KRI’s capabilities and market reach.

Founded in 2019 by aerospace and defense industry veteran John Spruce, KRI was founded to deliver next-generation robotic automation to help aerospace and defense manufacturers meet high-mix/low-volume production needs. Now, KRI plans aggressive expansion into the manufacturing and construction sectors, with innovations that improve lagging productivity and inefficiencies.

Renner is CEO of HomeSphere, a technology platform connecting residential homebuilders and building product manufacturers. He has spent his 30-year career serving the residential new construction industry, including 16 years building HomeSphere into a centralized data platform to improve supply chain inefficiencies. Early on, he recognized the potential for KRI’s technology to improve homebuilding.

“I firmly believe KRI’s robotics and the principles they apply to manufacturing can solve labor issues and the poor productivity that has impacted the construction industry for many years,” said Renner. “I always remind the team that construction is manufacturing, just not confined to the four walls of a factory, and I look forward to providing guidance as they expand beyond their four walls.”

Milford previously served as a technology advisor to KRI and is transitioning onto KRI’s Board of Directors. He remains committed to providing technology and strategy oversight as the company expands.

“KRI’s solutions embody Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, in which the collaboration between human and machine become standard operating practice,” Milford said. “I see immense opportunity to increase productivity and efficiency as we leverage machine learning and data captured by robots to drive continuous improvement. KRI’s expertise enables rapid implementation of robotic systems that have already been proven to yield immediate results in commercial production environments.”

Dr. Richard Milford, Director

Milford has more than 25 years of experience successfully leading advanced technology and product development in Aerospace & Defense at both large and small companies. He is currently a Senior Director of Systems Engineering at Virgin Orbit where he leads the Mission Management, Systems Engineering and Integration of the air-launched LauncherOne rocket system and has played a key role in the transformation from research and development to production and first flight. He has held numerous leadership roles at Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems (formerly Hughes Space & Communications) including as Flight Controls & Software Department Manager leading 150+ engineers and Platform R&D Portfolio Manager and Chief Systems Engineer for the $1B 702 Satellite Product Line. He has also served as COO of Enigma Science, an R&D Instrumentation startup, and has lectured courses, published papers and patents in control systems, software, and product line strategy. He has a doctorate in Robotics and Controls from the University of Queensland Australia and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.

Glenn Renner, Director

Renner brings to KRI a combination of corporate experience and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as more than 30 years of construction industry experience. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of HomeSphere where he leads the company’s strategic direction and inorganic growth, with oversight of organizational development for the 60+ person team, product planning and financial health. He has spent 30 years serving the building products industry, using his experience to harness technology and the power of data to revolutionize the homebuilding supply chain.

Prior to HomeSphere, Renner was Vice President of Architectural Marketing for Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW), where he oversaw product management and new product development for the company’s multi-billion-dollar architectural product line, sold nationally through more than 2,600 company-owned stores. Renner improved sales force effectiveness for the team of 1,700 field sales representatives and drove double-digit sales increases within the multi-million-dollar National Accounts program.

Renner is a noted expert in the building product industry and has been named a Who’s Who in Homebuilding for five consecutive years. KRI will tap his breadth of contacts in a wide range of sectors—including OEM, industrial and marine, architectural, and the 10+ building product categories HomeSphere customers represent—to expand its reach into the construction sector.

About Kane Robotics

Since Kane’s founding in 2019, the robotics developer has collaborated with manufacturers in aerospace, defense and other industries to simplify material removal processes through automation. Kane’s reconfigurable and easy-to-operate collaborative robots (cobots) work alongside humans to perform safe and precise sanding, grinding and finishing. The compact, mobile and affordable cobot solutions are accessible to all sizes and types of manufacturers and offer a pragmatic way to dramatically increase productivity, improve safety and fill job vacancies for dangerous, repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. With extensive experience in aerospace and defense, Kane’s industry experts are considered some of the top minds in the world for automation in sanding and composites. Learn more about Kane’s cobot solutions at https://kanerobotics.com/.