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World's first autonomous ice microfactory
A pilot project just launched in Plant City, bringing in the world's first autonomous ice microfactory. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.
PLANT CITY, Fla. - We're used to hearing a lot about autonomous vehicles, but what about autonomous factories?
The backstory:
A pilot project just launched in Plant City, bringing ice and innovation to the Bay Area.
An ice ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning at the Winn-Dixie company's Plant City Distribution Center for the world's first autonomous ice microfactory.
It operates just like a traditional factory, except on a much smaller scale and powered by artificial intelligence.
"For every traditional or regional centralized factory, you'll have 20 or 30 microfactories in the local community. So, what that means is when you have a hurricane, a part of the network might go down, but people need ice to keep their food fresh, so now you can ship it along," Wayne McIntyre, CEO and co-founder of the tech company Relocalize, said.
Dig deeper:
Winn-Dixie is partnering with Relocalize, which is producing SE Grocers Party Cubes for all 130 of its Florida stores.
It's expensive to ship and energy-intensive, so it's a huge advantage that the ice is produced locally and on demand.
What they're saying:
Chief of Store Operations Adam Kirk says this process is a lot cleaner, too.
Courtesy: St. John
"Not just a better product that tastes better; it's cleaner packaging. It's safer," Kirk said. "We're eliminating more plastic than we use in this process, and with the trucking reduction, we have the opportunity to reduce our CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. That's why it's important right now, because it's sustainability and our environmental impact."
It also lasts longer in a glass.
"You can certainly get through your old fashioned before the ice melts," said Kirk.
Big picture view:
The microfactory is the second one deployed in the state — the other is in Jacksonville — but the tech company is planning many more.
"I think this is a first step in probably microfactories in many different industries, but especially in food where local is better, but it makes us more competitive on the global stage," McIntyre said.
What's next:
In the coming weeks, two more stores in the Tampa market will be introduced to the program, and then Winn-Dixie will expand it to its other stores across the state.
The Source: This article was written with information from The Winn-Dixie Co. and tech company, Relocalize.