SUPPLYLINE
Welbilt and Apex plan to manufacture and distribute the Flow-Thru 10,000 line of pickup lockers .
WELBILT , APEX PARTNER ON CONTACTLESS PICKUP LOCKERS
Welbilt entered into a worldwide licensing partnership with Apex Supply Chain Technologies to manufacture and distribute the Flow-Thru 10,000 line of food order pickup lockers under Welbilt ’ s Merco brand . The move broadens the solutions Merco offers to restaurant operators in a mercurial market . The food order pickup system can integrate into a restaurant ’ s existing digital ecosystem , providing deeper data and analytics to improve planning and efficiency . The Apex Cloud platform handles millions of transactions daily and offers data insights to help restaurants operate more efficiently across multiple locations .
“ For more than 50 years , Merco has given leaders in the foodservice industry innovative ways to deliver quality food to [ customers ],” says Bill Johnson , Welbilt ’ s president and chief executive officer . “ Partnering with Apex gives us new ways to respond to changing demands brought on by the long-term trends towards takeout and delivery , which have accelerated during the pandemic .”
MAIDBOT SECURES FUNDING FOR ROBOTICS
Maidbot , a company developing commercial service robotics , closed a series B funding round , accelerating production and deployment across North America , Europe and Asia Pacific . The funding is led by Reckitt Benckiser ( RB ), a health hygiene and nutrition company that makes brands Maidbot creates automated solutions for the including Lysol , Dettol , Harpic , hospitality and industrial cleaning industries . Finish and Mucinex . RB recently established a global business solutions division to help businesses such as Delta , Hilton and Avis serve their customers with enhanced hygiene standards . Maidbot and RB plan to collaboratively develop cleaning solutions that drive the commercial “ robotics revolution .”
Maidbot was founded and is led by Micah Green , its 24-year-old chief executive officer . Green came up with the idea when he was a student working as a room attendant at The Statler Hotel at Cornell University in Ithaca , New York .
“ We are very excited to partner with RB to provide more robots to enhance hygiene in the hospitality and commercial service industries . [ COVID-19 ] has had an unprecedented impact on these sectors , and we are confident robotics can be a part of the non-pharmaceutical solutions that make the physical world a healthy and safe place again ,” said Green .
Alessia Genova ( l .) and Adam Tihany of Tihany Design
TIHANY DESIGN INTRODUCES MANAGING PARTNER
Tihany Design , a luxury design studio founded in 1978 by Adam Tihany , named Alessia Genova the company ’ s first managing partner . Genova began her career at Tihany Design , joining the team first as an intern , later rising to senior designer and then studio director . As managing partner , Genova will oversee the studio ’ s overall operation and is responsible for ensuring each project is attended to from initial concept to completion . She will also mentor the firm ’ s next generation of designers .
36 hotelsmag . com January / February 2021