NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Welbilt, Inc. (NYSE: WBT) announced today that it has 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 the company’s Merco® brand.
The move brings together two leaders in the foodservice industry and broadens the solutions Merco can offer restaurant operators around the world in a rapidly changing market. The food order pickup solution can be integrated into a restaurant’s existing digital ecosystem, providing deeper data and analytics to improve planning and efficiency.
Apex self-serve order pickup solutions have helped make food pickup easy, contactless and convenient for restaurants and their customers. The Apex Cloud platform handles millions of transactions daily, while offering valuable data insights to help restaurants operate more efficiently across multiple locations.
Bill Johnson, Welbilt’s President and CEO, commented: “For more than 50 years, Merco has given leaders in the foodservice industry innovative ways to deliver quality food to its customers. 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.”
Mike Wills, Apex CEO, said: “This partnership combines our expertise in self-serve automation with Merco’s deep understanding of the industry. We will be able to offer innovative products to a broader global market by leveraging Merco’s industry leading, global distribution network. Our companies’ dedication to providing the best solutions to the industry comes at a time when restaurant operators require innovative ways to safely deliver product without sacrificing quality.”
More details on the partnership, along with product details, will be available on both Merco and Apex websites in due course.
About Welbilt, Inc.
Welbilt, Inc. provides the world’s top chefs, premier chain operators and growing independents with industry-leading equipment and solutions. Our innovative products and solutions are powered by our deep knowledge, operator insights, and culinary expertise. Our portfolio of award-winning product brands includes Cleveland™, Convotherm®, Crem®, Delfield®, Frymaster®, Garland®, Kolpak®, Lincoln®, Manitowoc® Ice, Merco®, Merrychef® and Multiplex®. These product brands are supported by three service brands: KitchenCare®, our aftermarket parts and service brand, FitKitchen®, our fully-integrated kitchen systems brand, and KitchenConnect®, our cloud-based digital platform brand. Headquartered in the Tampa Bay region of Florida and operating 19 manufacturing facilities throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, we sell through a global network of over 5,000 distributors, dealers, buying groups and manufacturers’ representatives in over 100 countries. We have approximately 4,400 employees and generated sales of $1.6 billion in 2019. For more information, visit www.welbilt.com.
About Apex Supply Chain Technologies
Apex is the world’s leading provider of self-serve automated pickup solutions for use in foodservice and retail industries. The Apex Heated Pickup Station was a recipient of the 2019 Kitchen Innovations Award from the National Restaurant Association. Apex contactless order pickup solutions are in use in over 4,000 restaurant and foodservice locations globally. Apex is headquartered in Mason, Ohio. To learn more, visit www.apexsupplychain.com.
