Krispy Kreme CEO Michael J. Tattersfield says that the company is experimenting with automation that could fill donuts, take them off the assembly line, and put them in a box.
The business announced earlier this week that it plans to start integrating robots into its workforce in order to meet demand while speeding up production, Gizmodo reports.
These Robots Could Help Produce More Donuts In Less Amount Of Time
In a statement by Tattersfield, he claimed that within 18 months, Krispy Kreme is automating its process of icing, filling, sprinkling, and packaging donuts.
Robotic installation is a component of a plan to expand the reach of deliver-fresh-daily (DFD) to grocery stores, convenience stores, quick-serve restaurants, and other locations.
The donut company took this action in order to fully capitalize on the new hub and spoke model opportunity in the US.
Customers can also use this system to buy locally produced, full-sized doughnuts without going to a Krispy Kreme location.
According to the CEO, Krispy Kreme has huge factories that have over 12,000 access points at present, and the automation will help it fulfill grocery demands from next year.
Krispy Kreme projects having 5,400 points of access in 30 countries by the end of its fiscal year in 2022 and making $475 million in total sales, according to Bolly Inside.
By 2026, it expects to have more than 12,000 points of entry in 45 countries, bringing in more than $660 million.
However, the company did not provide any more comments on whether the robots will be rolled out only to the factories or whether they will be on storefronts as well.
Josh Charlesworth, the COO and interim CFO of Krispy Kreme, reportedly said that adding robots to both factories and storefronts over the coming years is a possibility, Nation's Restaurant News writes.
Charlesworth added that Krispy Kreme was experimenting with automation that could fill donuts, remove them from the production line, and put them in a box.
On a $6 million investment, automated lines are expected to generate 18% more Krispy Kreme doughnuts over the next 18 months, saving $2 million annually.
Read More: Amazon Announces First Fully Autonomous Mobile Robot for Its Warehouses
Krispy Kreme Says That Its Employees Will Remain The Center Of The Company
Krispy Kreme is one of many restaurants that are reorienting toward automation and other technological advancements as the fast food industry receives a robotic facelift.
Despite this, Tattersfield emphasized that Krispy Kreme employees, also known as Krispy Kremers and Insomniacs, are still at the core of the business despite these automation plans.
The company emphasized that the automation is only happening to cut the tedious and repetitive task that donut and cookie production puts on employees, Yahoo News says.
"I always find that when companies do a great job, they're balanced in how they try to do that and you try to get the repetitive task out of the business," the CEO says.
According to Tattersfield, Krispy Kreme stands out in a market where it is challenging to draw and retain talent because of its capacity for professional development.
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