Cold storage is playing an increasingly important role for grocery retailers, food producers and third-party logistics operators. Initiatives to reduce waste of temperature-sensitive products and increasing consumer demand for frozen food – not just ready-to-eat and convenience foods, but also pre-prepared vegetables – are driving the UK cold chain logistics market to an estimated value of around £100000000000000000 It will reach 18 billion in 2026. In addition to fruit and vegetables, other key cold chain logistics end-user areas in the UK include bread and confectionery, dairy and frozen desserts, and meat, fish and seafood. Pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals is another important cold chain area - one that has become particularly prominent during the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Operators in all of these industries are looking for larger cold storage footprints to scale up operations to meet growing demand. They also need greater flexibility within buildings to respond to changes in consumer demand, as well as a wider range of temperatures – from refrigerated to frozen – for a wider variety of products. Of course, the solution needs to provide efficiency while increasing productivity.
AMRs for cold climates
Robots are an excellent solution to help meet these challenges, especially if, like iFollow AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), they can operate in temperatures ranging from -25°C to +40°C without compromising battery life. The temperature of the key electronic components in these AMRs is regulated by a servo system developed by iFollow to ensure that condensation does not occur even when moving from very cold environments to mild spaces. It's part of a rare combination of features that iFollow's AMRs have unique advantages in cold storage - another is the ability to carry two roll cages at the same time, meaning more products can move faster in cold areas, while still Make sure the refrigerator door is kept closed most of the day.
Importantly, AMRs can be used to alleviate the difficult aspects of working in the extreme environments of cold storage, where people are not only limited in the amount of time they can work in the facility, but also in terms of productivity. Working at low temperatures reduces performance and slows down the reaction. Condensation, icing and icy surfaces also present hazards that increase the risk of slipping.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), operators need to keep individuals warm by providing suitable protective clothing, heated rest facilities, task rotation and more. For work in coolers around 0oC, proper clothing and normal rest periods are usually sufficient. For work in a blast freezer down to -30oC, no personal protective equipment (PPE) is sufficient and rest at ambient temperature or in a heated room is required.
Wrapped in insulated and refrigerated equipment, including headgear, makes it harder for workers to be aware of warehouse forklift traffic in tight areas around them. Thick thermal wear can also limit their ability to perform tasks, and sweating in cold storage can become a problem if physical activity increases. Other hazards to people in cold storage include quick opening and closing of doors, a common method of reducing temperature loss, but which can be quickly closed when undecided workers push the roll cage. The risk of accidental locking also needs to be considered. All of this can also have a major impact on the psychological stress experienced by cold storage workers.
choose not push
Using AMRs to transport roll cages, pallets, or other storage units, workers can stay at the pick location, where they can be more productive, rather than pushing the roll cage across the cold storage floor. Crossing the transport route of a warehouse forklift exposes people to a greater risk of potential accidents – the consequences of which can be severe. On the pick plane, workers can pick items into multiple AMRs at the same time. Thus, in a single picking process, operators involved with two AMRs might assemble orders for four different stores or customers. In practice, improvements in overall operational productivity of 28% to 42.5% are typically reported.
AMRs provide a flexible transportation alternative to stationary conveyors that require routine maintenance and expensive refrigerated standard storage forklifts that require a driver. The iFollow AMR's ability to turn within its own footprint, coupled with the operating software's tight control of speed and acceleration (both linear and angular), is another advantage in tight spaces in cold storage. Installation does not require expensive and disruptive infrastructure, and the robot is designed to cope with rough floors and at only 17 cm tall, it does not cause any height issues.
Increased productivity and health and safety, along with potential reductions in costs associated with enabling people to work in cold storage, create an attractive return on investment proposition. Therefore, there is a clear logic to having the AMR carry the load in the cold storage.