Latest news with #JohnMorris
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish auction house on course to hit record turnover
Since Prime Property Auctions was set up in 2022 by Glasgow businessmen John Morris and Luis Guarin it has seen revenues build consistently, with the current financial year 'promising to be the best yet'. Turnover at year end October 31, 2024 was £1.5 million which represented 90.5 per cent growth on the firm's first year, at £764,700. The trajectory for the same time this year is sitting at £2.4m, and is 'buoyed by a strong performance' from the turn of the year. READ MORE: Housebuilding giant purchases land in Scotland Plans for homes in Scottish village Prime offers listings on commercial, residential and land and operates throughout Scotland as well as England and Wales from its headquarters in West Regent Street in the centre of Glasgow. It has a database of more than 20,000 buyers with more than 600 auction lots sold in the UK since 2022. Mr Morris said: 'When Luis and I started out on this journey our intention was to demonstrate that auction is a route that people can go down for selling property. Not every property is appropriate for auction but it does serve a purpose and is becoming increasingly popular as is evidenced by our strong financial position as we move through our current financial year. 'Our growth has been pretty much organic and based on referrals, which is very pleasing and shows that people put their trust in what we do – and that is selling their property quickly for the price they want. 'We have doubled in size every year but we are not stopping here. We are consistently investing back into the business, including our systems and staff. We have grown steadily since forming and we want to continue that trend. 'With the people we have working for us and the application we all put in, we are confident that is going to happen. This is only the beginning of what is going to be an exciting journey.'
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Record £2m growth on cards for property auction house
Prime Property Auctions, a leading Scottish auction house, is set to register record growth for the third year in a row since its formation. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Set up in 2022 by Glasgow businessmen John Morris and Luis Guarin, the firm has seen revenues build consistently, with the current financial year promising to be the best yet. Turnover at year end 31 October 2024 was £1,457,187, which represented 90.5 per cent growth on the firm's first year (£764,700). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Buoyed by a strong performance since the turn of the year, trajectory for year end 31 October 2025 is sitting at £2.4m. Popular: Luis Guarin (l) and John Morris. Prime offers listings on commercial, residential and land and operates throughout Scotland as well as England and Wales from its headquarters in West Regent Street in the centre of Glasgow. It has a database of more than 20,000 buyers with more than 600 auction lots sold in the UK since 2022. Director John Morris said: 'When Luis and I started out on this journey our intention was to demonstrate that auction is a route that people can go down for selling property. Not every property is appropriate for auction but it does serve a purpose and is becoming increasingly popular as is evidenced by our strong financial position as we move through our current financial year. 'Our growth has been pretty much organic and based on referrals, which is very pleasing and shows that people put their trust in what we do – and that is selling their property quickly for the price they want. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We have doubled in size every year but we are not stopping here. We are consistently investing back into the business, including our systems and staff. We have grown steadily since forming and we want to continue that trend.
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
John's story: A lighter look at life after losing your prostate
Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Senior reader John Morris. So, I have recently joined the ranks of prostate-free men. There are a couple of downsides and quite a few upsides. To start with, at my regular health check-ups, there will be no need for the doctor to digitally examine my prostate. For some reason in the past, I seemed to annually get the doctor with exceptionally large hands for this procedure. But I digress, the beginning of this story was a couple of years ago when a slightly elevated PSA score had me sent off for the least elegant procedure a man can do (and yes, I know that women are clear leaders in the Inelegant Procedure Stakes). A biopsy where multiple core samples are taken from the area just behind the testes - it is done under a general anaesthetic so that the biopsy recipient is not awake or aware of the awkward positioning required for access. The initial results were good, and so this was followed by a lengthy and indulgent holiday in France, whereupon our return, I thought it wise to have my bloods tested. Having consumed by body weight of croissants, cheese and baguettes, my concern was the cholesterol score might be somewhat raised. The tests came back surprisingly clear in the cholesterol score, but not so fortuitous in the prostate area. So once again, I enjoyed the delights of a digital examination, followed by multiple scans, another biopsy, and then a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Accordingly, I joined the ranks of the many thousands of men with this condition. Interestingly, when telling male friends of this diagnosis, every single one had a friend or colleague also with prostate cancer, or had had it themselves! Interestingly, this is a "good" cancer to get and given the successful treatment and recovery statistics, it definitely falls into this category. The main problems with prostate cancer are twofold. One is the location - it is basically intertwined with the launch pad for sexual function and, as such, can interfere with said function in a variety of ways, ranging from "not very much" to "it wasn't getting much use anyway". The second problem is incontinence - again, the results vary widely and often this is related to how much you exercise and strengthen your pelvic floor pre-prostatectomy. Full disclosure - I didn't even realise I had a pelvic floor prior to my diagnosis. At one end of the incontinence scale is being as dry as the Sahara Desert and at the other end is doing a reasonable impression of a sprinkler in your pants. Be aware that once you look up "Incontinence" online, your social media will be flooded (excuse the pun) with ads for Depends and other adult incontinence products. In my case, I have a stronger empathy with women who, after childbirth, report mini leaks when laughing or sneezing. The operation itself is an unusual experience as it is robotic and known as a Radical Robotic Prostatectomy. The surgeons are in the same room but nowhere near you as they sit at computer screens showing them their little magnified robotic pincers as they go about the job. Waking up is not your gentle ease-back-into-the-world experience you might think, it comes with an overpowering urge to pee, even though your bladder is empty (it is confused post op and doesn't know it is empty). Then you notice the medieval torture device known in medical circles as a catheter, exiting your manhood, which given its condition should probably be renamed your infanthood for the next week. As a constant companion it is fairly noticeable with most movements being somewhat restricted and, accordingly, when it is removed, this is normally accompanied with beams of heavenly light and the Hallelujah chorus sung by angels. Recovery takes time, but does happen. The seven to eight torso wounds from the operation gradually healed and the post-op shuffle with catheter in place gives way to tentative walking and then regular striding. Erectile function for most men moves from a memory to a reality and your recent exercise strengthened pelvic floor ensures leakage is at a minimum. Considering the worst potential outcome, the experience and results for the vast majority of men who experience prostate cancer are pretty good. Life post op can be relatively close to normal, and you join an ever-expanding cohort of prostate-free men and, so long as you have a self-deprecating sense of humour, quite a few stories to tell family and friends. While there is not much you can do to prevent prostate cancer, rest assured that while most men die with it, very few men die of it, and the treatment success rates are incredibly good, with the ten-year survival rate being 98 per cent. Do yourself a favour and take steps to ensure you identify any potential cancer early with regular check-ups - and PSA tests are invaluable tools in this area. There are around 130 support groups nationwide who are affiliated with Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). All are run by volunteers, the majority being men and their partners who have been directly impacted by the disease. To find one near you, visit: Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Senior reader John Morris. So, I have recently joined the ranks of prostate-free men. There are a couple of downsides and quite a few upsides. To start with, at my regular health check-ups, there will be no need for the doctor to digitally examine my prostate. For some reason in the past, I seemed to annually get the doctor with exceptionally large hands for this procedure. But I digress, the beginning of this story was a couple of years ago when a slightly elevated PSA score had me sent off for the least elegant procedure a man can do (and yes, I know that women are clear leaders in the Inelegant Procedure Stakes). A biopsy where multiple core samples are taken from the area just behind the testes - it is done under a general anaesthetic so that the biopsy recipient is not awake or aware of the awkward positioning required for access. The initial results were good, and so this was followed by a lengthy and indulgent holiday in France, whereupon our return, I thought it wise to have my bloods tested. Having consumed by body weight of croissants, cheese and baguettes, my concern was the cholesterol score might be somewhat raised. The tests came back surprisingly clear in the cholesterol score, but not so fortuitous in the prostate area. So once again, I enjoyed the delights of a digital examination, followed by multiple scans, another biopsy, and then a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Accordingly, I joined the ranks of the many thousands of men with this condition. Interestingly, when telling male friends of this diagnosis, every single one had a friend or colleague also with prostate cancer, or had had it themselves! Interestingly, this is a "good" cancer to get and given the successful treatment and recovery statistics, it definitely falls into this category. The main problems with prostate cancer are twofold. One is the location - it is basically intertwined with the launch pad for sexual function and, as such, can interfere with said function in a variety of ways, ranging from "not very much" to "it wasn't getting much use anyway". The second problem is incontinence - again, the results vary widely and often this is related to how much you exercise and strengthen your pelvic floor pre-prostatectomy. Full disclosure - I didn't even realise I had a pelvic floor prior to my diagnosis. At one end of the incontinence scale is being as dry as the Sahara Desert and at the other end is doing a reasonable impression of a sprinkler in your pants. Be aware that once you look up "Incontinence" online, your social media will be flooded (excuse the pun) with ads for Depends and other adult incontinence products. In my case, I have a stronger empathy with women who, after childbirth, report mini leaks when laughing or sneezing. The operation itself is an unusual experience as it is robotic and known as a Radical Robotic Prostatectomy. The surgeons are in the same room but nowhere near you as they sit at computer screens showing them their little magnified robotic pincers as they go about the job. Waking up is not your gentle ease-back-into-the-world experience you might think, it comes with an overpowering urge to pee, even though your bladder is empty (it is confused post op and doesn't know it is empty). Then you notice the medieval torture device known in medical circles as a catheter, exiting your manhood, which given its condition should probably be renamed your infanthood for the next week. As a constant companion it is fairly noticeable with most movements being somewhat restricted and, accordingly, when it is removed, this is normally accompanied with beams of heavenly light and the Hallelujah chorus sung by angels. Recovery takes time, but does happen. The seven to eight torso wounds from the operation gradually healed and the post-op shuffle with catheter in place gives way to tentative walking and then regular striding. Erectile function for most men moves from a memory to a reality and your recent exercise strengthened pelvic floor ensures leakage is at a minimum. Considering the worst potential outcome, the experience and results for the vast majority of men who experience prostate cancer are pretty good. Life post op can be relatively close to normal, and you join an ever-expanding cohort of prostate-free men and, so long as you have a self-deprecating sense of humour, quite a few stories to tell family and friends. While there is not much you can do to prevent prostate cancer, rest assured that while most men die with it, very few men die of it, and the treatment success rates are incredibly good, with the ten-year survival rate being 98 per cent. Do yourself a favour and take steps to ensure you identify any potential cancer early with regular check-ups - and PSA tests are invaluable tools in this area. There are around 130 support groups nationwide who are affiliated with Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). All are run by volunteers, the majority being men and their partners who have been directly impacted by the disease. To find one near you, visit: Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Senior reader John Morris. So, I have recently joined the ranks of prostate-free men. There are a couple of downsides and quite a few upsides. To start with, at my regular health check-ups, there will be no need for the doctor to digitally examine my prostate. For some reason in the past, I seemed to annually get the doctor with exceptionally large hands for this procedure. But I digress, the beginning of this story was a couple of years ago when a slightly elevated PSA score had me sent off for the least elegant procedure a man can do (and yes, I know that women are clear leaders in the Inelegant Procedure Stakes). A biopsy where multiple core samples are taken from the area just behind the testes - it is done under a general anaesthetic so that the biopsy recipient is not awake or aware of the awkward positioning required for access. The initial results were good, and so this was followed by a lengthy and indulgent holiday in France, whereupon our return, I thought it wise to have my bloods tested. Having consumed by body weight of croissants, cheese and baguettes, my concern was the cholesterol score might be somewhat raised. The tests came back surprisingly clear in the cholesterol score, but not so fortuitous in the prostate area. So once again, I enjoyed the delights of a digital examination, followed by multiple scans, another biopsy, and then a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Accordingly, I joined the ranks of the many thousands of men with this condition. Interestingly, when telling male friends of this diagnosis, every single one had a friend or colleague also with prostate cancer, or had had it themselves! Interestingly, this is a "good" cancer to get and given the successful treatment and recovery statistics, it definitely falls into this category. The main problems with prostate cancer are twofold. One is the location - it is basically intertwined with the launch pad for sexual function and, as such, can interfere with said function in a variety of ways, ranging from "not very much" to "it wasn't getting much use anyway". The second problem is incontinence - again, the results vary widely and often this is related to how much you exercise and strengthen your pelvic floor pre-prostatectomy. Full disclosure - I didn't even realise I had a pelvic floor prior to my diagnosis. At one end of the incontinence scale is being as dry as the Sahara Desert and at the other end is doing a reasonable impression of a sprinkler in your pants. Be aware that once you look up "Incontinence" online, your social media will be flooded (excuse the pun) with ads for Depends and other adult incontinence products. In my case, I have a stronger empathy with women who, after childbirth, report mini leaks when laughing or sneezing. The operation itself is an unusual experience as it is robotic and known as a Radical Robotic Prostatectomy. The surgeons are in the same room but nowhere near you as they sit at computer screens showing them their little magnified robotic pincers as they go about the job. Waking up is not your gentle ease-back-into-the-world experience you might think, it comes with an overpowering urge to pee, even though your bladder is empty (it is confused post op and doesn't know it is empty). Then you notice the medieval torture device known in medical circles as a catheter, exiting your manhood, which given its condition should probably be renamed your infanthood for the next week. As a constant companion it is fairly noticeable with most movements being somewhat restricted and, accordingly, when it is removed, this is normally accompanied with beams of heavenly light and the Hallelujah chorus sung by angels. Recovery takes time, but does happen. The seven to eight torso wounds from the operation gradually healed and the post-op shuffle with catheter in place gives way to tentative walking and then regular striding. Erectile function for most men moves from a memory to a reality and your recent exercise strengthened pelvic floor ensures leakage is at a minimum. Considering the worst potential outcome, the experience and results for the vast majority of men who experience prostate cancer are pretty good. Life post op can be relatively close to normal, and you join an ever-expanding cohort of prostate-free men and, so long as you have a self-deprecating sense of humour, quite a few stories to tell family and friends. While there is not much you can do to prevent prostate cancer, rest assured that while most men die with it, very few men die of it, and the treatment success rates are incredibly good, with the ten-year survival rate being 98 per cent. Do yourself a favour and take steps to ensure you identify any potential cancer early with regular check-ups - and PSA tests are invaluable tools in this area. There are around 130 support groups nationwide who are affiliated with Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). All are run by volunteers, the majority being men and their partners who have been directly impacted by the disease. To find one near you, visit: Voice of Real Australia is a regular newsletter from the local news teams of the ACM network, which stretches into every state and territory. Today's is written by The Senior reader John Morris. So, I have recently joined the ranks of prostate-free men. There are a couple of downsides and quite a few upsides. To start with, at my regular health check-ups, there will be no need for the doctor to digitally examine my prostate. For some reason in the past, I seemed to annually get the doctor with exceptionally large hands for this procedure. But I digress, the beginning of this story was a couple of years ago when a slightly elevated PSA score had me sent off for the least elegant procedure a man can do (and yes, I know that women are clear leaders in the Inelegant Procedure Stakes). A biopsy where multiple core samples are taken from the area just behind the testes - it is done under a general anaesthetic so that the biopsy recipient is not awake or aware of the awkward positioning required for access. The initial results were good, and so this was followed by a lengthy and indulgent holiday in France, whereupon our return, I thought it wise to have my bloods tested. Having consumed by body weight of croissants, cheese and baguettes, my concern was the cholesterol score might be somewhat raised. The tests came back surprisingly clear in the cholesterol score, but not so fortuitous in the prostate area. So once again, I enjoyed the delights of a digital examination, followed by multiple scans, another biopsy, and then a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Accordingly, I joined the ranks of the many thousands of men with this condition. Interestingly, when telling male friends of this diagnosis, every single one had a friend or colleague also with prostate cancer, or had had it themselves! Interestingly, this is a "good" cancer to get and given the successful treatment and recovery statistics, it definitely falls into this category. The main problems with prostate cancer are twofold. One is the location - it is basically intertwined with the launch pad for sexual function and, as such, can interfere with said function in a variety of ways, ranging from "not very much" to "it wasn't getting much use anyway". The second problem is incontinence - again, the results vary widely and often this is related to how much you exercise and strengthen your pelvic floor pre-prostatectomy. Full disclosure - I didn't even realise I had a pelvic floor prior to my diagnosis. At one end of the incontinence scale is being as dry as the Sahara Desert and at the other end is doing a reasonable impression of a sprinkler in your pants. Be aware that once you look up "Incontinence" online, your social media will be flooded (excuse the pun) with ads for Depends and other adult incontinence products. In my case, I have a stronger empathy with women who, after childbirth, report mini leaks when laughing or sneezing. The operation itself is an unusual experience as it is robotic and known as a Radical Robotic Prostatectomy. The surgeons are in the same room but nowhere near you as they sit at computer screens showing them their little magnified robotic pincers as they go about the job. Waking up is not your gentle ease-back-into-the-world experience you might think, it comes with an overpowering urge to pee, even though your bladder is empty (it is confused post op and doesn't know it is empty). Then you notice the medieval torture device known in medical circles as a catheter, exiting your manhood, which given its condition should probably be renamed your infanthood for the next week. As a constant companion it is fairly noticeable with most movements being somewhat restricted and, accordingly, when it is removed, this is normally accompanied with beams of heavenly light and the Hallelujah chorus sung by angels. Recovery takes time, but does happen. The seven to eight torso wounds from the operation gradually healed and the post-op shuffle with catheter in place gives way to tentative walking and then regular striding. Erectile function for most men moves from a memory to a reality and your recent exercise strengthened pelvic floor ensures leakage is at a minimum. Considering the worst potential outcome, the experience and results for the vast majority of men who experience prostate cancer are pretty good. Life post op can be relatively close to normal, and you join an ever-expanding cohort of prostate-free men and, so long as you have a self-deprecating sense of humour, quite a few stories to tell family and friends. While there is not much you can do to prevent prostate cancer, rest assured that while most men die with it, very few men die of it, and the treatment success rates are incredibly good, with the ten-year survival rate being 98 per cent. Do yourself a favour and take steps to ensure you identify any potential cancer early with regular check-ups - and PSA tests are invaluable tools in this area. There are around 130 support groups nationwide who are affiliated with Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). All are run by volunteers, the majority being men and their partners who have been directly impacted by the disease. To find one near you, visit:
Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Seagate confirms shipping of 40TB HAMR HDDs
Seagate has quietly shipped limited samples of its new 40-terabyte hard drives, marking a significant step forward in storage technology. The 40TB drives use Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology, specifically Seagate's Mozaic 4+ platform, achieving 4TB per platter across ten platters. This innovation promises substantial gains in storage capacity and efficiency, especially for data centres handling large-scale operations. At a recent investor conference, Seagate's Chief Technology Officer, Dr John Morris, confirmed that engineering samples have already been delivered to select customers. 'We do plan to initiate qualifications next quarter, continuing into 2026, where we will bring a broad portion of our customer base onto the Mozaic 4 platform,' he said. Full production and commercial availability depend on the pace at which data centres integrate and validate the new drives. The company aims to shift a significant proportion of its exabyte-level shipments to HAMR-based drives, which offer improved capacity and operational efficiency. Seagate CEO Dr Dave Mosley highlighted the benefits for data centres: 'Ten disks give you 40 terabytes, offering better efficiencies at the fleet level, which is how our customers think.' Looking ahead, Seagate plans to expand capacity further, targeting 44TB drives by 2027 and 50TB models by 2028. These ambitions reflect ongoing challenges in scaling HAMR technology, with the 50TB drive launch delayed from an original 2017 projection to 2026. These ultra-high-capacity drives primarily target enterprise and data centre clients, rather than typical consumer markets, due to their specialised nature and cost. Seagate's early shipments underscore its technical lead in the race for the largest hard disk drives, though commercial rollout remains cautious amid the complexities of advanced storage technologies.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WM President John Morris on AI, autonomous equipment and tech investments
This story was originally published on Waste Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Waste Dive newsletter. WM President and Chief Operating Officer John Morris remembers driving his first waste vehicles in college, a time when riding on the back of the truck was standard and 'the only air conditioning was rolling the windows down.' Today, Morris oversees field operations for the company, which has a fleet of over 18,000 collection vehicles and a suite of technologies to make those vehicles safer and more efficient. 'The technology that's in these trucks is light years ahead of where it was,' he said. Morris was appointed president of WM last week. He'll continue his field operations role, and multiple executives, including those leading sustainability, customer experience and enterprise strategy, will now report to him. Morris has previously served as market area general manager of New York City, area vice president of the greater Mid-Atlantic Area, chief strategy officer, and senior vice president of field operations. Morris says the company has been strategic about how it adopts and rolls out the latest tech upgrades. The industry struggles to retain labor, he said, and the right investments are helping WM become less labor dependent. At the same time, it also provides opportunities to retain employees by providing vehicles and facilities that are safer and more comfortable than before. 'When we buy more expensive, sophisticated trucks, it costs more to maintain them, but the overall benefit to the business is something we're comfortable with,' he said. 'First and foremost, I want to be safe. But we're also in business to be profitable, not just efficient.' Morris sat down with Waste Dive on May 6, during WasteExpo in Las Vegas, to discuss how WM is adding AI upgrades to its existing technology, improving on longtime cab technology and piloting new programs for heavy equipment operators. He also discussed pilot programs for using autonomous vehicle technology at landfills. WM CEO Jim Fish has previously called for a 'significant percentage' of WM's heavy equipment fleet be autonomous by 2030. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. JOHN MORRIS: AI is helping inform the business better and helping us operate more efficiently. We've had forms of artificial intelligence in the business for probably eight or 10 years. If you go into our recycling facilities, what was once a manual sorting role has been automated over the years. When you look at those optical sorters, that is a form of artificial intelligence. It's reading the material and sorting without us ever having to touch it. AI is also helping us from a safety perspective to avoid things like repetitive motion injuries, as well as from an efficiency standpoint. When you look inside some of our cabs, it's interesting to see why [we first adopted AI-assisted technology in trucks]. We had a very prohibitive labor agreement on the West Coast [about 15 years ago], and we were having a problem with our drivers taking pictures if the cans were overloaded. They were supposed to take a picture and send it to a mailbox so we could send the sales rep out [to talk to the customer.] We could not get folks in that particular labor union under that labor agreement to take pictures. We started looking for ways to augment what they wouldn't do by using technology. What that has morphed into is now every one of our commercial front-load trucks gets still or video images of every transaction. When we service a container, we can see what's happening as we're going into the container, both the outside and what's inside, and we have cameras on the hopper. We probably pick up about 700 million yards a year of commercial material. That gets us data on every one of those transactions, so you really start to understand customer behavior to see what's working, not working, or you can address safety issues. Virtually none of those images are processed by a person. There's still a human in the loop, but it's more of a [quality control] thing. We have a team in India, and if we have to send [an image] to somebody in operations or sales, that information will come back overnight, so there's a lot of power in that. The other area where I've been thrilled with the progress we're making is really from a safety perspective. We were an early adopter of Lytx [a fleet management and telematics technology]. We have that technology in every one of our collection vehicles and all our supervisory vehicles. We've been using artificial intelligence and recognition technology to be able to identify [potentially unsafe driving behavior]. That information, gathered through AI, is coaching people in a positive way, as opposed to disciplining them. It's so hard to hire drivers. So when we look at that technology, we see a coaching opportunity and a development opportunity. You can sit down with one of your drivers and say, 'Hey, listen, here's what we've been noticing about your behavior. You should be following at three seconds, because if you don't, you're 40% more likely to have a collision.' We've had routing engineers and different forms of routing software. Everybody in the industry has for a lot of years, but there was really never a software program that was built specifically for the waste industry. With the number of transactions we do a year, certainly, we want to make sure that our folks are efficient. We also found that when you have 'routine breakers,' meaning you have to deviate from a schedule for some reason, the risk of having an incident goes up. We run about 4,000 industrial roll-off routes. How we route on Monday is entirely different on Tuesday. So there's a dynamic nature in that industrial line of business that's unique — more so than commercial, and certainly more so than residential. We saw the opportunity to build out an [industrial] routing technology through our internal ops research team. The key is that it's dynamic. There are about 72 attributes that go into making a decision on how to service an industrial roll-off container, things like container type, truck type, disposal type, location. We just made another improvement that we're rolling out. We've had tablets in our trucks and onboard computers for over a decade, but when you pull up to a container, drivers have to [interact with the screen multiple times]. What we're trying to do is find ways to make the technology passive. … We want them to focus on safely servicing their customers and not get distracted. So we went back with our software engineers and reworked it so that now we'll use the latitude and longitude of the truck and actuators on the arms to be able to automatically confirm that we've serviced the container. I often talk about total cost of operation. [For example,] we have more sophisticated trucks now, with a lot more technology, so they're going to be more expensive to maintain. I'm more interested in knowing the total cost of operation. We can look at how we allocate dollars on capital, and what we've been cautious about is making sure that we're not putting technology in for technology's sake. When you talk about AI, it means 50 different things to 50 different people. I talk about it in terms of, how are we going to use technology broadly to modernize our business model and structurally get our cost down? Even though the pressure on the labor market has eased from where it was a few years ago, I think over the long term, if you sort of follow the math, those labor scarcity issues are going to persist. I sit on the board of the National Association of Manufacturers, and there are stats [from that business sector] that say in the next five years we're going to need 4 million folks to fill manufacturing jobs. We'll be lucky to get half of them. There's something we are piloting right now [in Arizona and in the Pacific Northwest]. We've done some work with some heavy equipment folks on remote control operations. If you have a facility in the middle of nowhere, a very hard-to-access place, it's gonna be hard to get labor. However, maybe you can put someone in a chair in what looks like a gaming room, they can run the equipment from anywhere. That certainly is going to help from a labor perspective. An example could be automating operations like [loading dirt at a landfill]. Heavy equipment is probably a near-term application for those reasons. I could see an application where we might be able to do some form of autonomous movement of long-haul waste. But are we right around the corner from having a fully autonomous refuse vehicle running through neighborhoods and school zones? I think that [will take longer]. As far as labor training, we've had training centers for years, and we train about 85 to 90 drivers every week and about 15 to 20 technicians every week. We are just now rolling out the [program] for heavy equipment operators. Our training facility in Florida is on a closed landfill, so it's an ideal spot for heavy equipment operators. We are going to continue having labor scarcity and facing the cost of labor, and we continue looking to the advancement of technology [to help] outstrip that labor pressure. At the same time, everybody in the industry is trying to figure out how to hang on to their employees. Recommended Reading WM says tariffs unlikely to affect RNG, MRF plans for 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
