Welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast #134. It is my pleasure to introduce Nipun Sharma from Appetronix to this edition of the podcast

We have met before, you and I, on the Canadian Food Innovation project. We made a movie together Robotics in Action, Seeing is Believing.

Nipun Sharma is a visionary entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of Appetronix, an innovative company revolutionizing the food service industry with fully autonomous robotic quick-service restaurants. By integrating advanced machine learning and data science, Appetronix creates delicious, made-to-order meals without the need for on-site staff, offering a glimpse into the future of dining.

With more than 17 years of leadership experience in the restaurant and food manufacturing sectors, Nipun has successfully managed more than ten restaurant brands across multiple cuisines, including both quick-service and full-service concepts. His expertise extends to operating food production facilities, enabling a seamless connection between supply chains and consumer dining experiences.

His professional journey began on Wall Street, where he honed his skills in investment banking and private equity. A graduate of McGill University, he transitioned to the food and beverage industry, taking on executive roles and serving as Chief Operating Officer for global public restaurant chains. His strategic vision and operational acumen have driven growth and innovation, solidifying his reputation as a leader in transforming traditional business models through technology.

Nipun is passionate about redefining the dining landscape and advancing the integration of robotics in the restaurant industry, making him a pioneer at the intersection of technology, hospitality, and culinary excellence.

Nipun, How did you get into the industry? 

Is it food or is it robotics & automation?

Tell me and our listeners how you transitioned from pasta to pizza and SJW to Appetronix.

Why Pizza? How big is pizza and automated pizza market?

Who are your partners… Donato’s, Agape, AlleyCorp, Abuma Manufacturing and Grote?

Your first location is an airport in Columbus OHIO, correct?

What were some of the big challenges for machine or system #1?

What kind of robots are you using?

How many pizzas can you make an hour?

Lets talk about DATA?

What does the future look like for Appetronix? Are there other foods, other form factors?

Did we miss anything?

If someone wants to find out more about how they can put one of your units into their facility, how do they get a hold of you?

When you are not creating value and inventing new ways to eat food things, what do you like to do?

Some notes:

Appetronix has entered into an exclusive partnership with Donatos Pizza and its sister companies Agápe Automation and the Grote Company to launch a fully-autonomous pizza vending machine (from press release). I know that www.abuma.com is also a manufacturing partner.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/appetronix

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nipun-sharma-to

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/appetronix-formerly-sjw-robotics-partners-with-iconic-donatos-pizza-to-pioneer-fully-autonomous-restaurant-experience-301876809.html

Our sponsor for this episode is Ehrhardt Automation Systems. Ehrhardt builds and commissions turnkey solutions for their worldwide clients. With over 80 years of precision manufacturing they understand the complex world of robotics, automated manufacturing, and project management, delivering world-class custom automation on-time and on-budget. Contact one of their sales engineers to see what Ehrhardt can build for you [email protected] eh rh ar dt automation dot com

If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me jim beretta on LinkedIn.

Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing produced today’s podcast and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet and our sponsor, Ehrhardt Automation.

Best Regards!

Jim

Jim Beretta

Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast

London, ON

info@customerattraction