Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

inbound

No stones needed! Meet beer keg curling

Yes, it's a thing. And a new video shows how it's done in a busy DC.

No stones needed! Meet beer keg curling

Sports fans across the country showed up bleary-eyed to work last month after staying up to watch the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. The games' aftereffects weren't limited to sleep deprivation, however; they apparently unleashed some creative impulses as well. For example, one warehouse crew was so inspired by the improbable gold medal run by the U.S. men's curling team that they set up a virtual Olympic ice arena right on the concrete floor of their busy DC.

The results of their "match" can be seen in a lighthearted video from Chico, Calif.-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The video stars three steely-eyed employees clad in Lycra cycling jerseys and padded gloves in the company's trademark pale green, wearing winter hats promoting the brewery's "Celebration" India pale ale (IPA).


In the opening scenes, two bearded, burly men twirl push brooms and perform bicep curls using beer kegs for barbells, while lift trucks cruise through the aisles behind them. Suddenly, their partner calls out "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" as she crouches in the familiar curling position and launches a keg of beer mounted on a wooden dolly across the floor.

While her partners furiously scrub the cement in front of it to melt the imaginary ice, the keg smashes into another wheeled keg, pushing it out of the camera frame. One of the men quickly snaps a tap onto the keg, and the beer begins to flow. The 26-second video ends with footage of the players clinking their glasses in a rowdy victory toast, while the phrase "Please drink responsibly. And no doping." scrolls across the screen.

The Latest

More Stories

AI sensors on manufacturing machine

AI firm Augury banks $75 million in fresh VC

The New York-based industrial artificial intelligence (AI) provider Augury has raised $75 million for its process optimization tools for manufacturers, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion, the firm said today.

According to Augury, its goal is deliver a new generation of AI solutions that provide the accuracy and reliability manufacturers need to make AI a trusted partner in every phase of the manufacturing process.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

AMR robots in a warehouse

Indian AMR firm Anscer expands to U.S. with new VC funding

The Indian warehouse robotics provider Anscer has landed new funding and is expanding into the U.S. with a new regional headquarters in Austin, Texas.

Bangalore-based Anscer had recently announced new financial backing from early-stage focused venture capital firm InfoEdge Ventures.

Keep ReadingShow less
Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Report: 65% of consumers made holiday returns this year

Supply chains continue to deal with a growing volume of returns following the holiday peak season, and 2024 was no exception. Recent survey data from product information management technology company Akeneo showed that 65% of shoppers made holiday returns this year, with most reporting that their experience played a large role in their reason for doing so.

The survey—which included information from more than 1,000 U.S. consumers gathered in January—provides insight into the main reasons consumers return products, generational differences in return and online shopping behaviors, and the steadily growing influence that sustainability has on consumers.

Keep ReadingShow less

Automation delivers results for high-end designer

When you get the chance to automate your distribution center, take it.

That's exactly what leaders at interior design house Thibaut Design did when they relocated operations from two New Jersey distribution centers (DCs) into a single facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2019. Moving to an "empty shell of a building," as Thibaut's Michael Fechter describes it, was the perfect time to switch from a manual picking system to an automated one—in this case, one that would be driven by voice-directed technology.

Keep ReadingShow less

In search of the right WMS

IT projects can be daunting, especially when the project involves upgrading a warehouse management system (WMS) to support an expansive network of warehousing and logistics facilities. Global third-party logistics service provider (3PL) CJ Logistics experienced this first-hand recently, embarking on a WMS selection process that would both upgrade performance and enhance security for its U.S. business network.

The company was operating on three different platforms across more than 35 warehouse facilities and wanted to pare that down to help standardize operations, optimize costs, and make it easier to scale the business, according to CIO Sean Moore.

Keep ReadingShow less