Canvas announced today that Pacific Systems Interiors (PSI) recently signed a multi-machine / multi-year lease to deploy its drywall finishing machines on projects across Southern California. PSI, based in Los Angeles, has become known in the industry for its commitment to leveraging business systems and technologies that will strengthen project outcomes for its venerated clients, which include Bank of America, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, USC and multiple retailers.

PSI company differentiators include: Union/Training: PSI maintains a union-trained and highly skilled workforce, and has a strong bench of experienced foremen to expertly navigate any issues that might arise on a project. Lean: With more than half a billion worth of work under its belt in 60+ years in business, PSI was among the first wall and ceiling contractors to leverage Lean construction to enhance project efficiencies, particularly during preconstruction. BIM/AR: The firm was an early adopter of building information modeling (BIM) and augmented reality (AR) to make the work more accurate and minimize costly issues in the field. Innovation: PSI has established a dedicated team to investigate and evaluate new technologies that can enhance project safety, schedule, budget and quality.

“PSI checked all of the boxes for an ideal Canvas customer,” says Chief Revenue Officer Chris Peterson. “The company has a sophisticated client base that demands precision and quality, and it has a highly trained and experienced crew that it wants to retain and protect. PSI also understands that the current construction industry landscape is only going to become more competitive in the coming years–due to a growing labor shortage, increasingly fast-tracked schedules, and tighter budgets–and that our robotics drywall finishing solution can definitely help.”

“We believe Canvas is the key to revolutionizing wall systems,” says PSI Sr. Vice President Dino Romero. “The drywall trade already operates with razor-thin margins, and that is going to get tougher in this volatile economic environment. We need systems and technologies like Canvas that can provide us with greater reliability, precision and consistency. Using the Canvas robots will be a key innovation differentiator for us.”

Romero adds that his teams will be using Canvas’s Level 4 Targeted Spray on a number of upcoming projects, including its Ocean + Cherry project in Long Beach, CA, a mixed-use beachfront building that will include a 40-room hotel and 56 flats / townhouse units. 

While the Canvas machine can also provide Level 5 finishes, its Level 4 Targeted Spray system sprays the seams only to the exact specifications of each seam profile. After being trained on the system, PSI’s Canvas Certified Finishers will use the machine’s camera systems to detect and map the walls’ seams and create spray sections. The operator will then position the machine and instruct it to execute. After one dry cycle (typically 24 hours), the wall will be ready to be sanded. 

The Canvas machine “is pretty amazing right now,” says Romero, “and Canvas is working on ways to make it even more useful for our teams and our projects.”