Cold Storage Conditions Redefine Palletizing Priorities

Today's cold storage challenges require more advanced solutions to stay relevant in a competitive environment.

The current trend is moving to high-mix, low-volume and fast turnovers in cold environments, particularly in food and beverage distribution. Yet, this can't be accomplished with the solutions of yesterday. Today, more agile and intelligent palletizing solutions are required, and Daifuku Intralogistics America is standing by and ready to deliver them to your operations.

Read on to learn more about the current challenges of cold storage operations and how Daifuku, a global leader in advanced automation solutions, is helping redefine palletizing in such environments.

Challenges of Cold Storage Palletization

Cold storage logistics are changing essentially because they have to. Warehouse managers and operators must manage several challenges in cold storage. From temperature control to energy consumption to space optimization and efficiency, these factors all play a role in organizational efficiency and the safe, effective storage and movement of cold goods and products.

Here's a closer look at some of these key challenges:

Temperature control

Cold storage facilities must maintain precise temperatures to prevent product spoilage. To do so, they utilize refrigeration systems and implement advanced monitoring and control systems to ensure that temperatures are consistently accurate.

Equipment limitations

Cold storage facilities require more advanced equipment to operate successfully in these environments. Think about how your vehicle performs in cold weather compared to warmer weather. It takes longer to warm up, the engine is likely to operate less efficiently, fuel economy is impacted and you're also likely to experience reduced battery performance.

Other types of heavy equipment experience similar issues in cold environments. From material performance and ensuring equipment is outfitted with the right lubricants, sensors and other features to outfitting your environment with the conveyors and systems that are designed to work in cold environments, there are various equipment considerations that your facility must follow for best results.

Safety

Worker safety is another challenge in cold environments. Some threats to safety include:

• An increased risk of slips and falls.

• Reduced movement in cold environments. Wearing the correct PPE can help protect workers from the cold and help maintain productivity levels.

• Exposure: Warehouse managers should ensure that staff work only in cold environments for limited timeframes to prevent health risks.

Space optimization

Finally, there's the challenge of space optimization. Cold storage facilities often face space limitations, making proper organization and implementing the right storage solutions critical, while also ensuring that goods are still easily accessible. This challenge has helped facilities adopt next-generation, high-density storage solutions to optimize space utilization.

Automation is Key

So how can today's cold storage facilities overcome these challenges mentioned above and redefine palletizing? It's all about automation.

Automation is revolutionizing most of today's industries and practices, and cold storage is no exception. By implementing the right solutions, managers and operators can turn their facilities into efficient, safe and cost-effective places. Before we get into some of the key solutions that support cold storage palletization, it's worth reviewing some of the key benefits of automation. These include:

• Increased efficiency and throughput: Automated solutions can handle goods at high speeds, which can reduce cycle times and improve operational efficiency. What's more, these solutions can work around the clock in cold environments without the need for breaks.

• Consistency: Automated solutions minimize human interaction with cold goods and products, thereby reducing the risk of contamination. Automated systems can also help monitor cold storage environments to ensure consistent temperature and humidity levels.

• Improved safety: Automating various tasks eliminates the need for humans to work in cold storage environments, which can help improve safety and reduce any risks related to cold work. On a related note, automation can also help offset the current labor shortage that warehouses are experiencing by replacing humans in physically demanding or repetitive tasks. This helps free up the current workforce to focus on more valuable activities throughout a facility.

• Assist with space utilization: Automated solutions can also help facilities store vertically, freeing up valuable floor space in cold storage facilities. This helps reduce the need for aisles and can limit crowding on the floor.

Automated Solutions Supporting Cold Storage Palletizing

Various solutions help support cold storage palletizing, but two of the most significant are Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) and Sorting Transfer Vehicles (STVs). Here's a closer look at each of these automated solutions and the impact they can have in your facility:

AS/RS

AS/RS systems help maximize storage capacity by fully utilizing the vertical space in a facility, allowing for high-density storage without expanding the footprint of the current facility. These solutions can also help automate the storage and retrieval of goods thanks to their ability to handle and store pallets of all different shapes and sizes. Furthermore, they help minimize human interaction with cold products, which helps facilitate better temperature control and reduces the risk of contamination in these environments.

AS/RS systems come in various models, including unit-load, mini-load, shuttle systems, carousel systems and vertical lift modules. Contact Daifuku today to learn more about the benefits of each type of AS/RS system and which one is right for your cold storage facility.

STVs

Sorting transfer vehicles are automated vehicles used in material handling operations to transport and sort pallets in a warehouse. They're often rail-guided and work in tandem with AS/RS solutions to deliver a fast, reliable alternative to traditional conveyor systems. Known for their high speed and efficiency, STVs are outfitted with sensors and advanced software to navigate complex environments. Operators can program them to perform different tasks based on specific needs.

STVs can help resolve many of the pain points of cold storage. They can help improve efficiency and streamline operations, help enhance storage density, improve safety through reduced worker exposure, assist with scaling and flexibility, and help improve inventory management and inventory accuracy. STVs and AS/RS systems both help represent a strategic move toward automating cold storage facilities, both of which can help take operations to new heights.

Contact Daifuku Today

As a world leader in developing automated solutions, Daifuku has more than 45 years' experience in cold chain and has worked to optimize facilities around the globe with our suite of industry-leading products. Contact us today for more information on AS/RS solutions, STVs and our other products that can help take your cold storage environment to new heights.

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