Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Buffalo Automation

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was speedy keep‎. Procedurally. We're not wasting community time here. Any established editor is welcome to open a new AfD if they see merit. Star Mississippi 00:53, 26 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Buffalo Automation

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Improperly transcribed. See rationale below by Technobuf CNMall41 (talk) 20:35, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

This article does not meet Wikipedia's notability criteria for companies (WP:CORP, WP:GNG).

Most sources are routine coverage: local business journal blurbs, university press releases, funding announcements, and startup competition results. These are considered routine news and do not establish lasting encyclopedic notability.

Mentions in Wired, Vice, Daily Telegraph, and similar outlets are about the broader topic of autonomous boats and maritime automation, not in-depth, independent profiles of Buffalo Automation itself.

Per WP:CORP, companies must have significant coverage in reliable, independent secondary sources that provide substantial analysis of the company’s impact. This article fails to meet that standard. Recommend deletion. Technobuf (talk) 02:52, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Just following up with a source audit:

Although the article cites a large number of references, the majority are routine funding announcements, local business blurbs, award mentions, or institutional PR. The handful of mainstream sources (Wired, Vice, Telegraph, PlymouthLive, AI Business) are industry-wide features in which Buffalo Automation is a passing example, not the subject of in-depth analysis.

Quantity of references does not equal notability. Per WP:CORP and WP:GNG, a company requires multiple, reliable, independent secondary sources that provide significant, sustained coverage of the company itself. That threshold is not met here. Recommend deletion. Technobuf (talk) 04:02, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Keep – Buffalo Automation meets WP:NCORP and WP:GNG. The company has received significant, independent coverage in reliable sources that goes beyond routine funding announcements or press releases:

– Wired (Jack Stewart, 2018) – “Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat” – national feature that directly highlights Buffalo Automation’s AutoMate system as a concrete case of maritime autonomy.

– Vice (Tracey Lindeman, 2018) – “Autonomous Boats Will Be On the Market Sooner Than Self-Driving Cars” – mainstream coverage explicitly citing Buffalo Automation’s work in the context of the field’s leading innovators.

– Daily Telegraph (Yohannes Lowe, 2020) – “Britain’s first robot water taxis to be unveiled” – UK national press coverage of Buffalo Automation’s European trials.

– AI Business (2021) – “Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service is a yellow ferry…” – international trade press coverage describing Buffalo Automation’s partnership in launching Europe’s first commercial autonomous ferry.

– Plymouth Live (William Telford, 2020) – coverage of real-world pilot deployments of Buffalo Automation technology in the UK.

– Buffalo Business First (Dan Miner, multiple articles 2016–2020) – reporting on Panasci prize, funding, growth, and UB’s $250,000 venture investment.

– UpstartNY (Joel Lehman, 2018) – “The journey to funding: Buffalo Automation’s story” – profile of company milestones.

– WBFO (Chris Caya, 2017; Mike Desmond, 2020) – NPR affiliate coverage with interviews and reporting on the company’s innovations.

This is not just routine “funding blurbs”: the company has been the subject of detailed discussion in both mainstream outlets (Wired, Vice, Telegraph) and international trade/industry sources (AI Business, Great Lakes Boating, Professional Mariner). The Telegraph and AI Business coverage in particular are about Buffalo Automation’s projects, not passing mentions. Coverage spans more than a decade, across multiple countries, documenting not only funding but also deployment of real-world technology trials in the US, UK, and Europe. That constitutes significant, sustained, independent coverage under WP:NCORP. Therefore, Buffalo Automation meets the notability requirements for companies. The article may benefit from trimming weak or promotional references, but deletion is not warranted.

The AfD nomination was made by a single-purpose account created only to target this and the related Thiru Vikram article (see WP:SPA, WP:POINT). ChiranjiviVyasa (talk) 04:13, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Speedy keep per the sources provided above, showing clear GNG, and the fact that this was made by a SPA targeting these articles. DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 04:25, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Most of the cited sources are either routine funding/award coverage (Buffalo Business First, UpstartNY, WBFO) or industry-wide features where Buffalo Automation is a passing example (Wired, Vice, Telegraph, AI Business). WP:GNG and WP:NCORP require significant, in-depth, independent coverage of the company itself. Passing mentions and routine local press do not meet this threshold (see WP:ROUTINE, WP:CORPDEPTH).

Claims of SPA/POINT are irrelevant per WP:AFD#NOTABOUT; discussions are judged on article content. Despite numerous references, the article lacks multiple substantial, independent profiles providing sustained analysis. Recommend deletion. Technobuf (talk) 04:41, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Another notable aspect is that no new substantial independent coverage appears after mid-2021—Buffalo Automation’s own news page has been inactive since then. This aligns with the pattern of dated, one-off startup publicity rather than sustained media interest. Under WP:GNG and WP:CORP, notability requires coverage that continues over time. The lack of ongoing sources reinforces that the subject no longer meets notability criteria.

Technobuf (talk) 04:59, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Keep – Buffalo Automation clearly meets WP:GNG and WP:ORG based on significant, independent coverage in multiple reliable sources. The company’s technology has been widely reported and recognized for its innovation in autonomous maritime navigation, sustainable transport, and global deployment.

Independent sources establishing notability include: – Wired (2018) – “Forget Robo-Cars and Hit the Water on an Autonomous Boat” → Wired – Vice (2018) – “Autonomous Boats Will Be On the Market Sooner Than Self-Driving Cars” → Vice – WBFO (2017) – “Are self-navigating boats on the horizon?” → WBFO – UpstartNY (2018) – “The Journey to Funding: Buffalo Automation’s Story” → UpstartNY – Buffalo Business Journal (2018) – “Buffalo Automation starting to scale its maritime-tech business” → Buffalo Business Journal – Plymouth Live (2020) – “Robot water taxis to be trialled by US tech giants in Plymouth” → Plymouth Live – AI Business (2021) – “Europe’s First Commercial Robotaxi Service” → AI Business

Additional coverage includes trials and partnerships across the U.S. and Europe: – Knoxville, Tennessee → Self-driving water taxi demonstration covered by [WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/tech/company-demonstrates-autonomous-water-taxi-at-volunteer-landing/51-d5326c5f-02b9-4e1d-acba-7d198ce158d8). – Plymouth, UK → UK’s first **robot water taxi** trials using Buffalo Automation’s AutoMate platform. – Netherlands → “Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service” launched in partnership with Future Mobility Network and South Holland provincial government.

Buffalo Automation’s work has also been recognized through multiple awards, including: – Winner of the **Panasci Technology Entrepreneurship Competition** – AUVSI **XCELLENCE Award** for Detect & Avoid Solutions – Named among **“Five Startups to Watch”** by Buffalo Business First

Given the breadth of reliable coverage, patents, international partnerships, and industry recognition, Buffalo Automation meets the threshold for **encyclopedic notability** under WP:GNG and WP:ORG. Any issues around article tone or sourcing can be addressed through content improvements rather than deletion. Mohit ak (talk) 08:37, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Companies, Technology, and New York. CNMall41 (talk) 20:37, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Automated comment: This AfD was not correctly transcluded to the log (step 3). I have transcluded it to Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/2025 August 25. —^{cyberbot I}_{Talk to my owner:Online} 20:42, 25 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.