PitPro Automation

PitPro Automation is a San Francisco company that builds automated tire-changing systems for vehicle service bays. Its co-founder and chief executive, Jeremy Conrad, is an MIT graduate and former US Air Force officer who later started a robotics venture capital fund; head of engineering Gui Cavalcanti previously worked at Boston Dynamics and co-founded the giant fighting-robot maker MegaBots. Former Ford Pro chief executive Ted Cannis is reported as an adviser. Conrad and Cavalcanti obtained Tire Industry Association certification while developing the product.

The PitPro system was unveiled in June 2025. It combines an off-the-shelf alignment lift with two coordinated gantry robots, each roughly the size of an oven, that service all four wheel positions at the same time. The robots locate, loosen and store lug nuts, remove each wheel and fit a new or rotated assembly drawn from an attached carousel, then torque the fasteners to the vehicle maker's specification, within 1 percent according to the company, and record the data as proof of work. They also sense tread depth and tire pressure and detect broken or stripped lug nuts. A technician still controls lift and jack positioning. The company states that a full set of four tires can be changed or rotated in under 15 minutes, which it estimates is 80 to 90 percent faster than manual work.

The system targets Class 3 and smaller vehicles, meaning pickups and vans under 14,000 lb gross vehicle weight rating. As described in 2025, the largest version, sized for 170-inch-wheelbase Sprinter vans, occupies about 15 by 35 feet, runs on 208 V three-phase or 240 V single-phase power, anchors to the floor without other infrastructure changes and can be fitted with an optional laser safety curtain. It integrates with fleet maintenance software and keeps automated service records for predictive maintenance. PitPro sells field support, parts replacement, 24/7 monitoring and hardware and software updates alongside the machine, and lists dealership service, rideshare, tire and auto shops, utility and telecom fleets, last-mile delivery and city and county fleets as target markets. Stated future plans include Class 5 to 8 vehicles, tire balancing and brake changes.

In September 2026 PitPro announced its first production deployment, at a Kal Tire store in Calgary, Alberta, which is also its first installation in Canada, with more systems scheduled for other customer sites that autumn. Kal Tire is one of Canada's largest independent tire service chains. Conrad has said the company focuses on commercial fleets and on tire chains, whose standardised bay layouts suit the system. Funding has not been disclosed.