StrongPoint has installed the world’s first AutoStore™ Multi-Temperature Solution™ with a frozen zone for Haugaland Storhusholdning. A solution that is already up and running, and a part of the customer’s daily operations.
The official opening of the world’s first AutoStore handling frozen goods was on the 26th of September, an event attended by StrongPoint, AutoStore, Haugaland Storhusholdning, MTG Technologies (Haugesund Ventilasjon Service), journalists, local business associations and even the local mayor who cut the ribbon! While the solution had been operational for some time, this was the first time it was opened up for the public to see.
Haugaland Storhusholdning is a grocery wholesaler on the west coast of Norway, part of the food distribution group DLVRY. They found themselves needing to expand their capacity and upgrade their freezer equipment. The options were either to expand their warehouse or adopt automation. Fortunately, the technology for expanding both capacity and addressing freezer challenges was just about ready to be tested for an actual customer.
AutoStore had been testing a solution with a frozen grid in their well-known automated storage and retrieval system for some time. The AutoStore system allows for storing up to 4x more items in the same space, compared to a traditional warehouse with shelves and forklifts. It also makes the picking and decanting of products much easier and more efficient. however, until now, it had not been possible to store items needing sub-zero temperatures in the grid. Furthermore, the solution was not market-ready, as there didn’t exist any software or an installation partner that had been able to install the solution. But StrongPoint, with extensive experience in the grocery sector, was eager to be the first.
In the end, Haugaland Storhusholdning decided to pioneer this new solution. An AutoStore™ Multi-Temperature Solution™ with a frozen zone, to be installed by StrongPoint – The first in the world to handle frozen goods. Well aware that this would require some trial and error, Haugaland Storhusholdning dared to take the step to drive innovation, knowing that this would create a completely unique competitive edge.
What’s unique about this grid, is that it is divided into 3 sections. We have one for frozen, one for ambient and one for chilled. Automating with AutoStore and StrongPoint gives us the opportunity to grow our revenue by 3 times.
Thorstein Kirkeleit, Business Development Manager at Haugaland Storhusholdning.
This innovation allows for multiple temperature zones within a single AutoStore grid, for the first time also incorporating a frozen zone. Haugaland Storhusholdning has three distinct temperature zones: -25°C, +2°C, and +10°C. The exact temperatures in each zone can be customized for each customer. The significant benefit of automating across all 3 temperature zones is much more efficient use of space, significantly faster handling of goods and order picking, improved working conditions for staff, and the ability to circulate cold air from the frozen zone to the other two zones, optimizing energy usage.
In theory, by StrongPoint and AutoStore’s estimations, a company would improve efficiency by 66% for each order involving 1 or more frozen products, and also save 40% on energy compared to storing frozen goods in a separate freezer.
Automation of frozen goods increases our operational efficiency significantly, and creates a safer work environment for our employees.
Oskar Kirkeleit, CEO of Haugaland Storhusholdning.
There were plenty of challenges and hurdles to overcome to make the solution fully functional for a customer’s daily operations. But, StrongPoint found solutions to all the challenges, including developing unique software for both operational efficiency and constant assurance of food safety. Today, the solution is a natural part of Haugaland Storhusholdning’s daily operations.
Our collaboration with StrongPoint has been excellent. Especially with our Project Manager and their support team. The support has been ready and available whenever needed, and I think that is important to create a successful partnership.
Thorstein Kirkeleit, Business Development Manager at Haugaland Storhusholdning.
Haugaland Storhusholdning is already seeing the benefits of the solution: fewer people are needed to operate the warehouse, delivery time and capacity have significantly improved, and the absence of employees has drastically decreased thanks to improved working conditions.
The warehouse workers are also very happy with the new way of operating.
“We are happy about that! (not going into a freezer) It is a bit horrible to go into the freezer and do the packing there. It is easier to do the packing now and it isn’t cold“, says Yuwathida Saimee, Warehouse Worker at Haugaland Storhusholdning.
“This turned out much better than expected. It is a much more efficient way of working. Before, we were always in each other’s way. There were 4 people operating fork lifts and we would end up queueing behind each other. But now all those problems are gone,” says Magdalena Svendsbø, Warehouse Worker at Haugaland Storhusholdning.
Store up to 4x more items in the same space, and have them retrieved by robots. by As an AutoStore partner, StrongPoint offers hyper-efficient micro-fulfillment solutions tailor-made for grocery retailers and other industries. But there’s more: StrongPoint will soon be the first in the world to install an AutoStore grid with a frozen zone for automated picking of frozen items.
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