Former Amazon Robotics operations and M&A leader joins Rigorous board ahead of RGS OS’s commercial launch.
BURLINGTON, Vt. Rigorous Technology, Inc, developer of RGS OS, the operating system for factory robots, today announced the appointment of Kelly Riedel to its Board of Directors.
Riedel began her career practicing M&A law, eventually leading the Legal function at Amazon Robotics, where she later transitioned into operations and rose to Director of Global Operations. She went on to serve as Chief Operating Officer of LightForce, guiding the company from scale-up to industry leader in mass-customized orthodontics.
Riedel joins Rigorous as it launches RGS OS, an integrated robotics platform built for high-mix, variable-production manufacturing. Dynamic production environments have traditionally been harder to automate than mass-production environments, where a single robot can run one job in one location for the duration of its useful life.
“Rigorous Technology stands out for its incredible discipline, high say-to-do ratio, and deep understanding of what modern manufacturers actually need,” says Riedel. “Colin and Diane have cut through the noise, replacing rigid, overly complex automation with something flexible and practical enough for customers to run every day meeting whatever various demands each new day brings. With more than twenty deployments in the field, their strongest advocates are their own customers. Enabling the success of U.S. manufacturing is a meaningful opportunity, and I’m proud to join the board and support the team as they accelerate their strategic mission”.
In the United States, 98% of manufacturers are small and medium-sized businesses, many of which have thrived amidst decades of offshoring by staying specialized and adapting quickly to customer needs. Traditional automation has historically been too rigid, costly, and complex to serve their most foundational needs well. Rigorous’ robotic platform decouples the manufacturing Task from the hardware, facilitating easy customization at scale for dynamic product mixes, as well as quick-change Tasks to get the most use out of every robot.
“Kelly’s track record of guiding deep tech businesses through high-growth phases makes her an ideal addition to our board,” said Colin Riggs, CEO and co-founder of Rigorous. “Her strategic insight has been critical as we commercialize RGS OS and redefine what’s possible on the factory floor.”
About Rigorous
Rigorous builds RGS OS, the operating system for factory robot Tasks, and the RIG, a configurable robot base that changes Task on demand. Rigorous’ robots and platform enable manufacturers to deploy automation across high-mix production: work that’s made up the majority of U.S. manufacturing but has been out of reach for traditional, single-task robots. Rigorous is based in Williston, Vermont. For more information, visit www.rigorous.co.
Media Contact: Julia Fitzgerald, julia@rigorous.co, 802 870 3700