DC Velocity - April 2018

4 DC VELOCITY APRIL 2018 www.dcvelocity.com inbound

Robotic arms have been put to work repairing space shuttles, assembling automobiles, and even picking orders in warehouses and DCs. But now one company is looking to deploy them for arguably the most important task to date: dispensing frozen yogurt (froyo).

A San Diego-based company called Reis & Irvy’s has developed a robotic froyo kiosk that serves up frozen yogurt on demand. Designed for installation at high-traffic locations like amusement parks, theaters, malls, hospitals, schools, and grocery stores, the brightly colored machines use a robotic arm to dispense the frozen yogurt (or gelato, soft-serve ice cream, or custard) within 60 seconds. Customers can choose from seven different flavors, with a choice of six toppings.

The company, which is offering the machines on a franchise basis, says they “bring the novelty of robotic delivery to the experience of selecting and savoring frozen yogurt.” But novelty’s not the only selling point; convenience and low overhead (no human labor is required) factor into it as well, according to Nick Yates, chairman and founder of parent company Generation Next Franchise Brands. The company’s partners in the venture include Hartfiel Automation, which manufactured the robotic arm; foodservice supplier Dannon YoCream; equipment manufacturers Flex Ltd. and Stoelting Food Service; and installation and servicing specialist Pitney Bowes.

If you happen to find yourself in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas in the coming months, keep an eye out for the robotic kiosks. An investor in the region just bought a $23 million franchise contract and plans to roll the machines out soon.

Here’s our monthly roundup of some of the charitable works and donations by companies in the material handling and logistics space.

; Cookeville, Tenn.-based transportation and supply chain services specialist Averitt

Express said its truck drivers and other employees raised $550,001 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 2017. The funds were largely raised through weekly contributions to Averitt Cares for Kids, the company’s charitable employ-ee-giving program.

; U.S. employees of the German transport and logistics giant Deutsche Post DHL Group raised $50,000 as part of the Bike MS: 2018 Breakaway from Miami to Key Largo fundraiser. Eighty-five DHL

riders and 50 DHL volunteers participated in the event, which raised money to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS).

; Reno, Nev.-based third-party logistics company ITS Logistics announced that Paul Brashier, the company’s director of operations, was named “volunteer of the year” by the University of Nevada, Reno,

College of Business. Brashier was honored for his work mentoring students, working at job fairs, and helping ITS hire more than 30 Nevada grads over the last two years.

; Chandler, Ariz.-based delivery company On Trac said its employees raised $1,640 for the American Cancer Society (ACS) during the firm’s Corporate Relay for Life event. The 162 OnTrac employees who participated in the fundraiser logged a total of 820 laps around the front of the company’s office building.

; Supply chain technology provider Trimble Inc. said it has established a nonprofit private organization called the Trimble Foundation to support the company’s Responsible Corporate Citizen (RCC) and philanthropic efforts. The foundation will concentrate on two primary areas—female education and empowerment, and disaster relief and recovery. It made its first donation to the Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), an international nonprofit organization tackling poverty and inequality.