The article reviews hidden damage inspections, insurance approvals, and the factors affecting collision repair estimate costs.

PATCHOGUE, N.Y., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- What should drivers understand about collision repair estimates after an accident?

HelloNation has published an article featuring Gil Phillips of Big n' Littles Auto Body in Patchogue, NY, explaining how technicians evaluate collision damage, prepare repair documentation, and work with insurance companies throughout the repair process.

The article explains that many drivers view a collision repair estimate as simply a list of repair costs, but the process involves a detailed inspection of both visible and hidden damage. According to the article, understanding how a collision repair estimate is created may help drivers feel more informed when discussing repairs with an insurance company or an auto body repair estimate specialist after an accident.

One of the primary topics discussed throughout the article is the initial vehicle inspection process. Technicians typically begin by examining damaged bumpers, doors, headlights, fenders, and exterior panels while documenting visible collision damage through notes and photographs. The article explains that collision repair estimates often include both cosmetic concerns and structural issues that may not be immediately visible. During this stage, the auto body repair estimate may also be used to support insurance company documentation requirements and repair planning decisions.

Hidden damage is another major focus covered in the article. A vehicle may appear to have only minor exterior problems while underlying systems such as alignment components, suspension parts, or structural supports have also been affected. According to the article, hidden damage can sometimes remain undiscovered until technicians begin disassembling the vehicle during the repair process. Structural repairs involving the frame, mounting points, or safety systems may significantly affect both repair timelines and total repair costs.

The article also explains how technicians use specialized software, measuring tools, and manufacturer repair procedures when preparing a collision repair estimate. The estimate generally includes labor costs, paint materials, replacement parts, refinishing procedures, and projected repair times based on the severity of the collision damage. Labor charges may vary depending on the complexity of structural repairs and the extent of hidden damage discovered during inspection.

Part replacement is another important factor influencing both repair costs and repair timelines. Depending on the severity of the accident, technicians may recommend part replacement for damaged bumpers, mirrors, lights, support structures, or body panels. The article explains that some repairs involve original manufacturer parts while others may use aftermarket or recycled components based on insurance company guidelines and customer preferences. Delays involving specialized or difficult-to-source parts may also affect repair completion schedules.

Paint and refinishing procedures are also discussed throughout the article. Modern vehicles often use advanced finishes requiring computerized color matching systems and detailed blending techniques. The article notes that paint preparation, refinishing labor, and curing procedures all contribute to the final collision repair estimate. Vehicles with specialty finishes or complex paint systems may require additional refinishing work compared to standard paint applications.

Insurance company approval is another important step reviewed within the article. Depending on the claim process, an insurance company may inspect the vehicle directly or review repair documentation electronically before authorizing repairs. The article explains that supplemental estimates are common when additional hidden damage is discovered after disassembly begins. In these situations, technicians submit updated documentation and revised repair costs so the insurance company can approve additional structural repairs or part replacement work before repairs continue.

Repair timelines are also discussed throughout the article. Minor cosmetic repairs may move through the process quickly, while extensive collision damage often requires additional inspections, insurance company approvals, and specialized parts ordering. Drivers are encouraged to review every auto body repair estimate carefully and ask questions regarding labor charges, repair methods, and expected timelines before repairs begin.

The article concludes by emphasizing that a collision repair estimate creates a roadmap for restoring a vehicle safely and properly after an accident. From hidden damage inspections and structural repairs to refinishing and insurance company approval, every stage plays an important role in determining repair quality and overall repair costs.

How Do Collision Repair Estimates Work After an Accident? features insights from Gil Phillips, Auto Repair Expert of Patchogue, NY, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation

HelloNation is America's Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative "edvertising" approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

www.hellonation.com

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KaMin and CADAM Announce Global Price Adjustment Effective December 1, 2026

MACON, Ga., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- KaMin and CADAM today announced a price increase of up to 9.5% on their kaolin products depending on specific grades and regions, effective December 1, 2026.

The companies continue to face broad inflationary pressures across mining, purchased raw materials, and labor. As with all companies, significant increases in energy costs continue to affect our business. Disruptions in key maritime routes, extended shipping times, higher fuel prices, and increased insurance premiums have also placed additional pressure on freight-related costs impacting final delivered costs.

KaMin and CADAM remain focused on efficiency improvements and cost-control initiatives to help offset rising mining, energy, chemical, logistics, environmental, and regulatory costs. However, inflationary market pressures continue to exceed these savings, making this price adjustment necessary to sustain product quality, supply reliability, and long-term customer support.

Customers will be contacted directly with details of their price adjustments, including any specific logistics or handling costs, which may require additional increases and/or applicable surcharges. For additional information, please contact your local business manager or email [email protected].

About KaMin and CADAM – KaMin and CADAM are recognized as global leaders that enhance the performance of everyday products through innovative mineral solutions. With more than 100 years of experience and ~800 employees worldwide, the companies deliver performance mineral solutions for a broad spectrum of end-use markets including building & construction, automotive, agriculture, health & beauty, packaging, and specialty and graphic paper. From 11 production and converting facilities, KaMin and CADAM create solutions from the ground up for customers in more than 70 countries.

Media Contact: Cynthia Peterson | 1 478-750-5445 | [email protected]

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Distributed Energy Infrastructure Celebrates Harvest of Groundbreaking Cranberry Agrivoltaic Wetlands

Two first-of-their-kind solar sites are producing energy over cranberry bogs

KINGSTON, Mass., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI), a leading EPC provider for utility-scale solar and storage projects, announces the harvest of two groundbreaking cranberry agrivoltaics projects: the Black Cat Agrivoltaics Project in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Ring Road Agrivoltaics Project in Kingston, Massachusetts. Together, these projects have produced the first-ever agrivoltaic cranberry harvests – a milestone for expanding agrivoltaic applications into challenging wetland environments.

The projects are owned by developer Greenbacker Renewables were installed by Distributed. Cranberry farmer Iain Ward, who manages the bogs, was closely involved throughout design and construction to ensure that the sensitive wetland environment remained intact.

"The DEI team was phenomenal at understanding and adapting solar construction so that energy production could coexist without damage to the perennial cropping system," says Iain Ward. "These projects prove that with the right approach, dual-use solar can be applied to a wide variety of agricultural environments. If we can build over such challenging wetland areas and have successful harvests, we can build almost anywhere."

Farmer-focused agrivoltaics, or dual-use solar, offers a predictable income stream for landowners and tenant farmers while safeguarding farmland from the permanent changes of urban development. Before the solar installations, the Black Cat and Ring Road cranberry bogs had become financially unviable and lay fallow for many years. The solar projects now provide the landowner with additional income through land leasing, making the bogs' cultivation economically viable again. Iain Warde is paid for agricultural management, in addition to his income from selling the cranberry crops.

"Building solar projects over active perennial wetland crops was an exciting challenge, and we're thrilled to see the success of these harvests," says Prateek Tare, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of DEI. "Iain's collaboration and input at every stage was essential for us to ensure a reliable, cost-effective build while safeguarding the productivity of these heritage bogs."

The 1 MW Black Cat project features an energy storage system with a rated power of 500 kVA and an installed energy capacity of 2700 kWh. The 4.4 MW Ring Road project is paired with a 13.5 MWh battery energy storage system. The projects provide clean energy through a community solar model paired with battery storage, boosting local grid resilience, expanding the local tax base through new revenue, and supporting Massachusetts' SMART and Clean Peak Standard goals.

Both projects were finalists for the North American Agrivoltaics Awards, and both Ward and DEI are founding members of the Solar & Farming Association (SAFA). SAFA is a coalition of organizations representing the interests of the agrivoltaics industry, including developers, agricultural producers, livestock producers, and affiliated organizations.

About Distributed Energy Infrastructure

Distributed Energy Infrastructure (DEI) is an integrated renewable energy infrastructure platform providing EPC and battery integration services across the United States. Built to take execution risk, DEI combines experienced leadership, technical expertise, disciplined project controls, and field execution to deliver solar and energy storage projects with confidence.

Backed by best-in-class surety and insurance programs and decades of renewable energy and construction experience, DEI provides the financial and operational strength customers need from preconstruction through commercial operation. With specialized expertise in stand-alone and solar-coupled battery storage, DEI is focused on reducing risk, creating accountability, and delivering infrastructure that performs.

Media Contact

Allison Ruedig

872-870-1302

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MachineryMax Announces Two-Day Online Auction of Late-Model Cabinet Manufacturing Equipment from Volumetric Building Companies

TRACY, Calif., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) expands its modular manufacturing capacity, the company is releasing an extensive collection of late-model, high-performance cabinet manufacturing equipment through a two-day online auction conducted by MachineryMax in conjunction with Holland Industrial Group.

Featuring 700+ lots from VBC's Tracy, California manufacturing facility, the auction offers cabinet makers, millwork shops, furniture manufacturers and panel processors a rare chance to acquire state-of-the-art production equipment from a modern, professionally run facility, all in one event.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for buyers to acquire late-model production equipment, including Biesse CNC machinery, edge banders, automation, dust collection and material handling equipment," said Charles Swafford, Executive Vice President of MachineryMax. "With 700+ lots being offered over two auction days, the sale provides buyers with a broad selection of machinery, materials and support equipment to expand or upgrade their operations."

The sale includes an extensive selection of machinery and production assets geared toward cabinet manufacturing, woodworking, millwork and related industries.

Among the highlights are late-model Biesse CNC machining centers, with precision and automation built for high-volume production, edge banding and panel processing equipment, along with Nederman dust collection systems, robotic automation, conveyors and material handling equipment. The auction also features factory-sealed materials, hardware, supplies and facility support equipment.

The breadth of the offering gives industry buyers the opportunity to acquire individual machines or multiple assets to enhance their existing manufacturing capabilities.

"There is a lot here for buyers looking for quality equipment and production assets, whether they are expanding an existing operation or looking to add specific capabilities," said Stafford. "The combination of CNC equipment, automation, material handling and supporting assets makes this a particularly comprehensive offering."

Bidding opens October 9.

Day 1 – Bidding Closes October 28 at 9:00 AM PT | 480+ Lots

Day 2 – Bidding Closes October 29 at 9:00 AM PT | 200+ Lots

The auction is online only, with worldwide bidding available. A 15% buyer's premium applies.

The complete auction catalog, photographs, equipment specifications and bidding information are available at MachineryMax.com.

About MachineryMax

MachineryMax is a global online marketplace and auction platform specializing in industrial machinery, equipment and assets. The company connects buyers and sellers through online auctions and direct sales across a wide range of industries.

About Holland Industrial Group

Holland Industrial Group provides industrial auction and asset disposition services, helping companies maximize the value of surplus machinery, equipment and other industrial assets through strategic marketing and auction solutions.

Contact

Jack Ragan

[email protected] 

866-988-4667 (Ext 700)

MachineryMax.com

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Vallar Brings American-Made Alternative to Asphalt to Kenya, Targeting the Continent's Unpaved Road Challenge

U.S. clean-chemical company meets with Government of Kenya, civil society leaders and the U.S. Embassy during AmCham Kenya visit in Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vallar Advanced Systems, Inc. ("Vallar"), an American company that makes environmentally clean chemical technology for road building, has finished a visit to Nairobi. The team attended the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Kenya event and met with senior leaders from government and civil society.

During the visit, Vallar presented its alternative to asphalt to the Government of Kenya. The company also put forward a plan for one of the most persistent infrastructure problems across Africa: unpaved secondary and rural roads. These roads link farms to markets, children to schools, and patients to clinics. Without a stable surface, many become impassable in the rainy season and throw up harmful dust in the dry season. Keeping them in shape takes constant regrading, which costs a great deal.

Vallar's technology works on the native soil itself. It turns earth roads into durable, all-weather surfaces without the cost, heavy equipment or environmental burden of conventional asphalt. Vallar's products are non-toxic and water-based, so they offer governments a cleaner way to extend road networks where they are needed most.

"Kenya's secondary roads carry its economic future, from agriculture to trade to access to basic services," said Jeremy Flynn, Chief Executive Officer of Vallar Advanced Systems. "We were proud to present to the Government of Kenya a solution that is affordable, environmentally responsible and built to last. Unpaved roads are a challenge across the entire continent, and we believe Kenya can lead the way in solving it."

The Vallar team also met with the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. Vallar's technology is 100% developed and manufactured in the United States. The company sees its work in Kenya as a direct expression of the commercial partnership between the two countries: American innovation serving the people of Kenya.

"As an American company, it meant a great deal to engage with the U.S. Embassy and the AmCham community," Flynn added. "We came to Nairobi to build long-term partnerships, and we look forward to continuing these conversations with our Kenyan counterparts."

Vallar plans to continue its talks with Kenyan government stakeholders and partners in the coming months.

About Vallar Advanced Systems, Inc.

Vallar Advanced Systems, Inc. is an environmentally friendly chemical company specializing in dust palliatives, geosynthetics and alternative-asphalt liquids. Through its Civil Works Division, Vallar supplies governments and industry with soil stabilization and road-surface technology that is engineered, made and proven in the United States. Learn more at vallaradvanced.com.

Media Contact

Jeremy Flynn

907-415-9176

[email protected]

vallaradvanced.com 

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Heavy-duty repair shops can now run their books in the same system as their work orders, invoices, and payments

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ShopView today announced the launch of AccountingHub, a native accounting add-on for its heavy-duty repair shop management platform. AccountingHub gives independent truck, trailer, diesel, and equipment repair shops the option to manage their books without transferring transactions into separate accounting software.

Most repair shops rely on separate shop management and accounting systems, requiring office teams to transfer transactions, reconcile records, and maintain parallel account structures. AccountingHub eliminates much of that work by connecting invoices, payments, purchases, deposits, fees, and refunds directly to a general ledger through configurable account mappings.

AccountingHub automates several recurring accounting tasks. Shops can schedule customer statements, review aging reports with invoice-level detail, and manage bills, vendor credits, and payments with clear visibility into upcoming due dates.

The platform also automates routine adjusting entries and provides fiscal-period controls to protect completed accounting periods from unauthorized changes. When corrections are required, reversal records preserve the accounting history and audit trail.

For multi-location operators, AccountingHub provides consolidated financial statements alongside reporting by shop or class. Operators can compare effective labor rates, gross margins, and financial performance across facilities without maintaining separate spreadsheets.

Role-based permissions allow owners, office staff, and outside accountants to access the information appropriate to their responsibilities. Shops that prefer to continue using QuickBooks can retain ShopView's existing QuickBooks integration.

ShopView is also introducing bookkeeping services for shops that would rather hand the work over entirely. Shops can run AccountingHub themselves, or have ShopView's team keep the books for them using the same system their work orders already live in.

AccountingHub is available immediately to ShopView users as an add-on to the ShopView platform.

Existing customers can enable AccountingHub through their ShopView settings. New customers can start a free trial without a contract or credit card.

For more information or to schedule an accounting demonstration, visit https://shopview.com/accounting-hub

About ShopView

ShopView is a heavy-duty repair shop management platform built by shop owners for independent truck, trailer, diesel, and equipment repair facilities. The platform supports shops with three to more than 50 technicians, including multi-location operations across North America. ShopView has earned the highest ratings in its category across G2, Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice, based on more than 160 verified customer reviews.

Media Contact

Cody McCarthy

888-830-5029

[email protected]

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As AI workloads increase in volume and complexity, Texas Instruments is delivering the essential solutions needed to power, monitor and optimize AI data centers

News highlights:

- TI's ADC34DSO75 is the industry's highest performance 3 gigasamples per second ADC, enabling 24/7, low-power, event-based remote monitoring at nanosecond resolution – thousands of times faster than what current solutions offer.

- The LMI800PS is the industry's first 800V isolated hot-swap controller, replacing a complex discrete solution requiring five integrated circuits with a single high-density package that delivers in-rush current and power path protection.

- The LMK6B is a bulk acoustic wave-based oscillator that delivers best-in-class jitter performance and power-supply rejection ratio.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit, Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) debuted the first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to enable 24/7, low-power, event-based remote monitoring at nanosecond resolution.

As AI workloads rapidly increase, data center operators face significant challenges around power instability, inadequate real-time monitoring and signal degradation, all of which can lead to costly downtime. TI is addressing these challenges through its new ADC device and other analog solutions designed to tackle the challenges of scaling artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructures. Demonstrations on display in TI's booth, No. E45, at OCP include:

- Real-time nanosecond-level telemetry: TI's ADC34DSO75 is the industry's highest performance 3 gigasamples per second (GSPS) ADC, enabling 24/7, low-power, event-based remote monitoring at nanosecond resolution – thousands of times faster than what current solutions offer. Existing monitoring solutions often fail to detect the nanosecond-level power-rail glitches that cause costly, unplanned downtime in data centers. By combining ultra-high-speed sampling with advanced on-chip digital signal processing in a small form factor, the ADC34DSO75 detects and captures transient fault events in real time.

As the industry's first solution to offer fully remote, event-based telemetry, the device eliminates the need for on-site debugging and oscilloscopes. By providing continuous, high-resolution monitoring of low-voltage, high-current power rails, the ADC34DSO75 helps data centers minimize downtime – which can cost operators hundreds of thousands of dollars an hour – while optimizing grid power efficiency. This compact, efficient solution offers hyperscalers unmatched remote diagnostic capabilities at a fraction of the size and cost of conventional monitoring methods.

- Reliable high-voltage power delivery: The LMI800PS is the industry's first 800V isolated hot-swap controller, replacing a complex discrete solution requiring five integrated circuits with a single high-density package that delivers in-rush current and power path protection. The integration of an isolated bias supply and PMBus telemetry reduces board area by more than 60% and simplifies high-voltage designs. The LMI800PS enables safe power insertion and fast fault isolation, meeting safety standards with 5kVrms reinforced isolation and more than 8mm creepage. This prevents a single load failure from disrupting the shared power bus and maximizes data center stability. Supporting both ±400V and 800V distributions, the device provides a scalable solution for diverse rack architectures, accelerating the deployment of high-efficiency power systems required for next-generation AI infrastructures.

- Ultra-low jitter signal integrity: The LMK6B is a bulk acoustic wave (BAW)-based oscillator that delivers best-in-class jitter performance and power-supply rejection ratio (PSRR). As data center transmission rates approach 3.2Tbps, the margin for timing error shrinks significantly, and even minute jitter can increase bit error rates and cause system instability. The LMK6B provides industry-leading jitter performance of 9.6fs at 625MHz, ensuring reliable performance and preserving signal integrity for next-generation, AI-driven networking infrastructures.

"As AI workloads drive massive scale, the need for real-time visibility and architectural stability has never been greater," said Karthik Vasanth, vice president and general manager for TI's Data, Converters and Clocks business unit. "By delivering industry-leading solutions for high-speed telemetry, advanced power protection and precision timing, TI is enabling hyperscalers and operators to design the next generation of AI data centers with optimized performance and minimal downtime."

More details

Also at OCP, TI Power Electronics Engineer David Reusch will present "800V Data Center DC/DC Design Considerations, Topology Comparisons and Trade-Offs," on Oct. 15 at 2:45 p.m. in room 230A. See ti.com/ocp for more information.

For more information on the ADC34DSO75, read the technical article "The power glitches AI data centers can't see."

About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated (Nasdaq: TXN) is a global semiconductor company that designs, manufactures and sells analog and embedded processing chips for markets such as industrial, automotive, data center, personal electronics and communications equipment. At our core, we have a passion to create a better world by making electronics more affordable through semiconductors. This passion is alive today as each generation of innovation builds upon the last to make our technology more reliable, more affordable and lower power, making it possible for semiconductors to go into electronics everywhere. Learn more at TI.com.

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Senior appointment underscores the firm's continued focus on enhancing technology and data capabilities to support investment platform evolution

DALLAS and NEW YORK, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Canyon Partners ("Canyon"), a $30 billion global alternative investment manager, today announced the appointment of Chris Hansen as Partner and Chief Information Officer.

Based in New York, Mr. Hansen oversees the firm's technology strategy and infrastructure, including information technology, business technology, engineering, data architecture, and the integration of artificial intelligence and alternative data across Canyon's investment platform. He will work closely with Canyon's investment and operating teams to further integrate technology and data across investment research, underwriting, portfolio management, and firmwide operations.

Mr. Hansen joins Canyon from TPG Angelo Gordon, where he served as Managing Director and Head of Product and Application Development. During his twelve-year tenure at the firm, he led the modernization of the firm's technology stack, including its cloud migration and the rebuilding of its portfolio analytics platform. Mr. Hansen also drove the early adoption of AI and alternative data across the firm. Prior to TPG Angelo Gordon, Mr. Hansen was Managing Director for Global Markets Electronic Trading Technology at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

"Chris brings to the firm significant experience at the intersection of technology and investment management," said Jonathan Kaplan, Co-Chief Operating Officer. "Technology and data are integral to our investment process, helping our teams identify opportunities, evaluate risk, and deliver value for clients. We are excited to welcome Chris to Canyon and look forward to further leveraging his expertise across the entire platform."

About Canyon Partners, LLC

Founded in 1990, Canyon employs a deep value, credit intensive approach across public and private corporate credit, asset-backed credit, and real estate. The firm seeks to capture excess returns available to those investors with specialized expertise, rigorous research capabilities, and the ability to underwrite complexity. Canyon invests on behalf of a broad range of institutions globally. For more information visit www.canyonpartners.com.

Media Contact

Canyon Partners

[email protected]

203-745-2523

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New behavioral health category recognizes case management excellence in mental health

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enlyte has named a record nine winners of its 2026 Heart of Case Management Awards, including the first recipient in a new behavioral health category that recognizes the role mental health services play in recovery and return to work.

Now in its 11th year, the Heart of Case Management Awards recognize Enlyte case managers who go above and beyond to help injured employees rebuild their lives. The awards are presented in conjunction with National Case Management Week, Oct. 11–17.

Winners of this prestigious honor were recognized for their judgment, communication, adaptability, trust and impact on injured employees. They were nominated either by Enlyte managers (Colleague Division) in five categories, which also include catastrophic, field, disability and telephonic case management, or by Enlyte's client partners (Customer Division), including Broward (FL) Sheriff's Office, Continental Tires and First Student this year.

"A diagnosis tells only part of a person's story," said Helen Froehlich, Enlyte's senior vice president of Utilization Management. "Enlyte's case managers take time to understand what someone is facing at home, at work and throughout recovery. This year's winners show how that whole-person approach can help people regain confidence, independence and a path forward."

The following are synopses of the award-winning entries. To hear the winners talk about their cases in their own words, watch their inspiring videos here.

Heart of Case Management Award Winners – Colleague Division

Catastrophic Case Management

Sumer Khachab, RN 

A 33-year-old employee sustained a catastrophic injury after a 3,500-pound steel beam fell on him, severing his femoral artery and causing multiple orthopedic and internal injuries. Khachab arrived at the hospital while he was still in surgery and immediately became a source of support and advocacy for his family. She helped ease their fears and

communicated updates as she received them, maintaining a constant presence throughout his recovery. It was during this process that the employee reported increasing heaviness in his leg and a growing mass near the site of his vascular graft. Khachab recognized signs that warranted further evaluation. Her efforts led to an emergency vascular assessment that revealed a large femoral aneurysm requiring immediate surgery, a complication that could have been fatal if left untreated. Her vigilance resulted in this injured employee surviving a life-threatening injury and returning to work.

Field Case Management

Jennifer Theriot, RN, CCM, DOLCM-CTR

While attempting to dislodge a boulder from a rock-crushing machine, two industrial employees were knocked into the crusher and ejected onto a large pile of rocks incurring life-threatening injuries. One sustained a traumatic brain injury, lacerations and fractures to the spine, femur and ankle. His injuries led to cardiac shock requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, an advanced life-support device that pumps blood outside the body to remove carbon dioxide, add oxygen and return it to the bloodstream. His colleague also sustained catastrophic multiple pelvic fractures resulting in significant functional impairment and mobility limitations. While both were initially unable to communicate, she built trust with their families and kept treatment moving without unnecessary delays. As recovery progressed, she discussed rehab options, setting realistic goals and working through fear and uncertainty that often accompanies catastrophic injuries. Despite this, both employees remained committed to returning to work. Through Theriot's guidance, the less-injured employee progressed to light duty in approximately 77 days and full duty within five months. For the other, Theriot collaborated with the employer to create a modified position, supporting his return to work 14 months after the accident.

Telephonic Case Management

Lauri Tinelle, MSN, RN, CCM

Years after receiving surgery for an upper extremity work injury, an employee continued to experience significant pain and recurring symptoms which prevented her from performing key aspects of her job. Tinelle was assigned to the case and identified inconsistencies in the treatment plans, helping facilitate communication between the claimant's treated physician and specialist. In reviewing the medical files, she also noticed an unaddressed rheumatology referral which led to discovering the underlying cause of the employee's pain. Although the condition was unrelated to the workers' compensation claim, Tinelle helped the employee transition treatment to her primary insurance and ensured modified duty remained available until she could resume her position.

Disability Case Management

Jennifer Fieberg, MA, CRC, CEAS 

Six years removed from the workforce, an engineer with adjustment disorder and mixed anxiety and depression entered the Medicare Ticket to Work program hoping to resume his career. The case was complicated by the nature and severity of the participant's mental health conditions, which affected motivation, concentration, stress tolerance, decision-making and ability to maintain consistent participation in employment-related activities. Through consistent coaching, disability case manager Fieberg coordinated mental health services and encouraged the individual to engage in treatment. He was hired and achieved self-support and maintained competitive employment for more than three years. Through Fieberg's assistance, the beneficiary is currently pursuing expedited reinstatement while focusing on treatment and caregiving responsibilities.

Behavioral Health Case Management

Corrine Carter, MSN-Ed, RN, CCM 

An employee working for a convenience store company was held at gunpoint during an armed robbery while visiting one of the stores. Though left physically unharmed, the employee experienced severe post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, disrupted sleep and fear of returning to work. Her frustration in trying to navigate behavioral health services through workers' comp was evident during Carter's first meeting with the employee. The employee initially hoped to manage her symptoms with medication, but Carter encouraged her instead to meet with a therapist to help uncover and cope with psychosocial triggers. The employee made incremental progress toward her functional goals, developed coping strategies and regained the confidence to return to full duty in a new career. She ultimately reached maximum medical improvement and began a new chapter after a traumatic experience.

Customer Division

Field Case Management

Gerd Thomas, RN, BS, CCM, DOLCM-CTR

When an employee's recovery stalled, Thomas questioned the existing course of care and helped arrange an evaluation with another provider. That persistence proved critical when the second physician discovered a serious knee infection that had previously gone undetected. Through his actions, Thomas helped the injured employee receive the treatment he needed while potentially preventing a far more serious medical event.

Mary Perez, RN

A second-career older employee sustained serious injuries following an unprovoked attack by a stranger while working outdoors. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures and internal injuries. Perez immediately stepped in communicating the family's concerns with medical providers, the employer and adjuster. As the man's recovery progressed across multiple specialists, Perez carefully coordinated treatment, helped prevent gaps or duplicative services and made sure the family understood the care plan. As the full impact of his injuries became clear, the focus shifted from return to work to meeting maximum medical improvement. Through close collaboration with the employer, providers and family, Perez helped keep recovery moving and supported the injured employee as he slowly regained function and independence.

Telephonic Case Management

Sarah Black, RN, BSN, CCM

For seven years, Sarah Black has built trusted relationships with employees and the workers' compensation team at Continental Tires. She provides reliable follow-up throughout recovery, helping employees navigate appointments, provider changes, rehabilitation and evolving treatment needs. Her communication keeps injured employees supported and the worksite informed, but it's the relationships she builds that make her such an important part of the workers' compensation program at Continental. This is reflected in the feedback she receives from employees, who regularly commend Black for consistently exceeding expectations.

Belinda Land-Davis, RN, CCM, WCCM

Across the country, First Student bus drivers are entrusted with transporting school children in a safe and timely manner. As a dedicated case manager to these drivers, it's Land-Davis' job to ensure injured drivers get back on the road quickly. Working with a wide range of drivers who are often older and live with comorbidities, Land-Davis uses a holistic approach, identifying potential barriers and developing individualized treatment and return-to-work strategies. This helps reduce unnecessary delays and ensure treatment is focused on functional improvement and long-term well-being. Through consistent communication with injured employees, providers, adjusters and other stakeholders, Land-Davis keeps everyone aligned around a shared goal: helping the injured employee achieve the best possible recovery.

About Enlyte

Enlyte is a P&C industry leader, providing claims technology innovations and connectivity solutions, specialty networks, case management, pharmacy benefit and disability management services. Serving over 2,000 entities, including a majority of Fortune 500 employers, Enlyte leverages its portfolio of solutions to simplify processes and improve outcomes for auto, workers' compensation and disability claims.

Benewake Introduces NOVA20 LiDAR to Close the Near-Field Gap in Robot Safety Perception

BEIJING, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Benewake has officially launched the NOVA20, a next-generation solid-state multi-point LiDAR designed for robotic platforms. As robots move from controlled environments into increasingly complex real-world applications, reliable close-range perception, obstacle avoidance, and human-robot safety have become critical requirements. NOVA20 focuses on the one-meter space around robots, providing direct physical distance sensing to address near-field perception challenges in existing robotic sensor architectures.

The Challenges of Near-Field Robot Perception

Current robotic perception systems face limitations in close-range scenarios:

- Blind Zones of 360° Spinning LiDAR: While conventional 360° spinning LiDARs excel at long-range mapping and global localization, their sensing coverage can be limited within tens of centimeters around the robot, leaving a gap in near-field safety perception.

- Occlusion and Lighting Limits in Vision: Cameras mounted on the head or torso can be occluded by the robot's own chassis or articulating limbs. Furthermore, vision-based perception can be affected by challenging lighting conditions and requires compute-intensive processing.

- Coarse Resolution of Legacy Sensors: Ultrasonic and single-point infrared sensors offer limited measurement points, making it difficult to reliably resolve low-profile obstacles or sharp drop-offs.

How NOVA20 Addresses These Limitations

NOVA20 is designed to overcome these challenges through a compact solid-state sensing architecture.

- The sensor features a 20-point detection array with a 40° field of view, enabling multi-point distance sensing across a detection range of 0.05-1m (1m @ 10% reflectivity under 100 klux ambient light).

- Weighing less than 5g and consuming less than 1W of power, NOVA20 adopts a compact design with no mechanical moving components, enabling flexible deployment across different parts of robotic platforms, including the chassis, body, wrist, waist, knee, and ankle areas.

- NOVA20 supports operation under strong ambient light conditions up to 100 Klux and directly outputs physical distance information without generating 2D images, reducing unnecessary image data collection and host-level vision processing requirements.

By providing an independent near-field sensing layer, NOVA20 complements existing LiDAR and vision systems to improve robotic safety perception.

Primary Applications of NOVA20

- Lateral Edge-Following and Narrow Passages: Provides multi-point lateral distance measurements for AMRs, commercial cleaning robots, and robotic mowers, supporting more precise wall-following and reducing the risk of side collisions in narrow environments.

- Ground Edge Recognition and Anti-Drop: Detects negative obstacles, staircase edges, and sudden elevation drops for bipedal humanoids, quadrupeds, and wheeled platforms, helping reduce the risk of step-off accidents.

- Human-Robot Proximity and Pre-Contact Deceleration: Provides near-field distance measurements for delivery robots, patrol robots, and collaborative robotic platforms, supporting deterministic speed reduction before physical contact.

About Benewake

Founded in 2015, Benewake specializes in LiDAR technology and physical-world AI perception. The company has delivered more than 3 million units across over 90 countries, supporting developers and manufacturers in building safer robotic systems.

Organizations interested in technical integration, evaluation opportunities, or robotic platform collaboration can visit Benewake's official website for more information.

Media Contact

Benewake (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

400-880-9610

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://en.benewake.com/

SOURCE Benewake

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