Mechanical Orchard

Mechanical Orchard, a technology company based in San Francisco, California, specialises in modernising legacy business applications. Founded in 2022, it uses AI-driven solutions to update and manage critical systems, helping businesses remain competitive. The company focuses on cloud migration, DevSecOps, and software modernisation, particularly for mainframe-based systems.

Mechanical Orchard follows a structured approach to legacy modernisation. It first analyses existing systems to understand their functionality, recreates them using modern technology while maintaining their behaviour, and then delivers incremental improvements. This reduces risks associated with system migration, such as operational downtime and cost overruns. Unlike traditional methods that either move old systems "as-is" to the cloud or rewrite code using automation, Mechanical Orchard ensures that the modernised system is both functional and adaptable.

The company serves large corporations that continue to rely on legacy infrastructure. Many Fortune 500 firms still use mainframes for their core operations, with these systems supporting approximately $13 trillion in revenue annually. Instead of replacing entire systems at once, Mechanical Orchard updates them gradually, allowing businesses to continue operations while implementing changes.

Rob Mee, the CEO and Founder, previously co-founded Pivotal Labs, which was acquired in 2019. The company’s leadership includes experts in AI, software engineering, and cloud computing. Their expertise ensures a smooth transition for organisations moving away from outdated technology.

Mechanical Orchard has received Series B funding of $50 million and employs between 51 and 200 people. It is known for its use of Extreme Programming (XP), Continuous Integration (CI/CD), Test-Driven Development (TDD), and Agile Software Development. The company’s goal is to help businesses modernise without disruption and prepare their systems for future technological advancements.

Mechanical Orchard was founded in 2022 in San Francisco, California, with the aim of modernising legacy business applications for enterprises. The company was established by Rob Mee, a software engineer with experience in AI and software modernisation. Mee had previously founded Pivotal Labs, which played a significant role in shaping modern software development practices before being acquired in 2019. With a background in extreme programming and agile methodologies, he started Mechanical Orchard to address the growing challenges businesses faced in maintaining and updating critical legacy systems.

The company was created to provide a structured approach to modernisation, focusing on reducing risks associated with updating legacy software. Many large organisations, including Fortune 500 companies, rely on mainframe systems to manage essential operations. These systems process trillions of dollars annually, yet they often limit businesses from adopting new technologies. Mechanical Orchard developed a process that allowed companies to modernise their infrastructure without disrupting operations.

Unlike traditional migration methods, which either move legacy systems "as-is" to the cloud or use automated tools to rewrite code, Mechanical Orchard focuses on understanding system behaviour and rebuilding applications in a modern format. This approach ensures that updated software functions exactly as before while being more adaptable for future improvements. The company’s approach follows three main principles: analysing and comprehending existing systems, recreating and delivering changes incrementally, and accelerating innovation safely.

By 2023, Mechanical Orchard had secured Series B funding worth $50 million and grew to employ between 51 and 200 people. The team consists of former Pivotal Labs members, DevOps specialists, AI engineers, and cloud computing experts. The company has since worked with major corporations to move mission-critical workloads to cloud-based environments while ensuring system integrity.

Mechanical Orchard continues to focus on legacy modernisation, DevSecOps, cloud operations, and software development. The company provides mainframe modernisation, workload migration, disaster recovery, and continuous integration solutions. By following a structured and risk-free process, Mechanical Orchard enables enterprises to improve their software infrastructure without delays, failures, or excessive costs.

Currently, the company is engaged in helping large enterprises transition from outdated mainframe systems to modern, cloud-based solutions. It continues to expand its expertise in agile software development, test-driven development (TDD), and continuous delivery (CI/CD). With businesses increasingly dependent on AI and automation, Mechanical Orchard remains focused on ensuring that legacy systems are updated effectively, allowing organisations to stay competitive in the evolving technology landscape.

Mechanical Orchard’s mission is to help businesses modernise their critical legacy systems with minimal risk. Many large companies rely on outdated mainframe applications that are difficult to update and limit growth. The company provides a structured approach to modernisation, ensuring that legacy software is recreated in a modern, adaptable format while maintaining its original functionality. By using AI, cloud computing, DevSecOps, and agile methodologies, Mechanical Orchard ensures smooth transitions without operational disruptions. The goal is to enable businesses to stay competitive by improving software infrastructure efficiently, reducing downtime, and ensuring seamless integration with modern technologies.

Mechanical Orchard envisions a future where businesses are free from the limitations of outdated software systems. It aims to create a world where organisations can innovate without the constraints of legacy technology. By modernising critical applications in a safe and controlled manner, the company ensures that businesses can adapt to changing market demands. The focus is on making cloud-based solutions accessible, scalable, and secure for enterprises that rely on legacy infrastructure. Mechanical Orchard seeks to be a trusted partner in legacy modernisation, helping companies transition to modern technology while preserving the reliability of their core systems.

Mechanical Orchard has been recognised for its work in modernising legacy applications and helping enterprises transition to modern cloud-based systems. The company has received industry recognition for its AI-driven software transformation, cloud migration, and security modernisation services. It has been acknowledged for its innovative approach in reducing risks associated with legacy system upgrades. Mechanical Orchard’s leadership team, including Rob Mee, has also been recognised for contributions to agile software development and extreme programming (XP). The company continues to be a trusted partner for large enterprises, earning praise for its efficient, secure, and structured approach to modernising business-critical applications.

Mechanical Orchard provides a range of products and services focused on modernising legacy applications, ensuring businesses can continue operations while transitioning to modern technology. The company specialises in legacy system modernisation, cloud migration, AI-driven software transformation, and DevSecOps. It works with large enterprises that rely on outdated mainframe systems, helping them move to secure, scalable, and adaptable cloud-based solutions.

The company’s core service is legacy modernisation, which involves understanding the existing system, recreating its functionality in a modern language, and gradually moving it to a cloud environment. This process ensures that businesses do not experience downtime or disruptions while upgrading their critical infrastructure. Unlike traditional approaches that either transfer old systems to the cloud without changes or use automated tools to rewrite the code, Mechanical Orchard examines system behaviour in detail and rebuilds applications incrementally. This approach ensures that all important business functions are retained while allowing companies to benefit from modern software capabilities.

One of the key products Mechanical Orchard provides is AI-driven software transformation. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, the company analyses legacy applications to understand their structure, dependencies, and data flows. This allows for accurate replication in a new environment while ensuring performance improvements and scalability.

Another major service offered by the company is cloud migration. Many enterprises operate on mainframe-based applications that are difficult to integrate with modern systems. Mechanical Orchard moves these applications to secure and scalable cloud platforms, ensuring that businesses can benefit from improved flexibility and cost savings. The migration process is done incrementally, meaning that businesses can continue operations without interruptions.

Mechanical Orchard also provides DevSecOps and security modernisation. This service ensures that security is integrated into every stage of software development and modernisation. Many legacy applications were built before modern cybersecurity threats existed, making them vulnerable to attacks. The company applies best security practices, including continuous monitoring, automated security testing, and threat detection, to ensure that modernised systems remain protected.

Another important service is workload migration and disaster recovery. Businesses relying on legacy systems face the risk of system failures and data loss. Mechanical Orchard offers secure workload migration, ensuring that all critical business functions are transferred safely to new infrastructure. The company also provides disaster recovery solutions, allowing businesses to restore data and applications quickly in case of system failures.

The company follows agile software development and extreme programming (XP) methodologies. This ensures that software updates are delivered continuously without disrupting business operations. Mechanical Orchard also uses test-driven development (TDD), continuous integration (CI), and continuous delivery (CD) to ensure that software updates are stable, tested, and ready for deployment.

Additionally, Mechanical Orchard supports companies in cloud operations and management. Once an application is modernised, the company provides ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and optimisation services to ensure high performance and security. This allows businesses to focus on growth without worrying about technical issues.

Through its structured and risk-free approach, Mechanical Orchard enables companies to modernise, operate, and innovate without the challenges of outdated software systems. It continues to support large enterprises in modernising mainframes, improving security, and adopting cloud-based solutions, ensuring business continuity and long-term competitiveness.