When Florida Polytechnic University student Eli Wolfe started an internship at Coke Florida, he didn’t just learn more about the company’s operations; he improved them.
Wolfe developed specialized computer programs that helped the company’s new, high-tech warehouse automation system work faster, handle more product, and save employees valuable time.
“One of the tools the system was supposed to use had a glitch in it, and Eli was able to create a new one,” said Tori Cole, Coke Florida’s manager of corporate HR and talent acquisition operations. “His solution increased the amount of work being produced and the number of cases per hour that can go out.”
The computer engineering senior began his internship at the company’s newly opened Tampa Sales and Distribution Center, where the warehouse automation system had already transformed the process of picking and palletizing beverage cases for distribution at its 800,000-square-foot warehouse.
“I created supporting programs to help optimize the system and make it run faster,” said Wolfe, who first connected with the company at Florida Poly’s biannual career and internship fair. “With the programs I wrote, I helped the machine run more efficiently and helped people save time in their work.”
Wolfe’s solution quickly proved its value, and his internship was extended so he could implement the upgrades at Coke Florida’s Orlando warehouse. The tool will now be integrated into the company’s remaining locations across the state.
Based in Tampa, Coke Florida is the sixth-largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the country, serving more than 21 million customers across 47 Florida counties and distributing nearly 120 million cases of its products each year.
“Eli presented his solutions to all of our executive leaders, and they were impressed, including our CEO, who personally thanked him,” Cole said.
Coke Florida believes in the quality of Florida Poly students who intern at the company, she added.
“You can see the drive beyond the degree they are pursuing. Eli, for example, has already been coding for 10 years because it’s something he loves to do,” Cole said. “We often see that Florida Poly students align their passion with their career goals, so we know they’re going to be committed and also enjoy what they’re doing.”
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
