Food & Beverage
Food & Beverage Solutions
Food and beverage fulfillment can present special challenges to a typical fulfillment operation. In food processing facilities, regulations may require equipment graded for stringent sanitation standards to prevent cross-contamination. Refrigeration and freezer applications may be necessary to preserve product quality, prevent spoilage or product loss due to higher facility temperatures in the summer months in facilities not temperature controlled. Advanced sortation equipment may be required to control the release of product to support the route stop sequencing of loads into a shipping trailer. The level of automation in food and beverage operations can range between very manual processes utilizing powered industrial trucks all the way to complex conveyor, sortation, and automated storage and retrieval systems.
Manual Process for Food & Beverage
A manual process is recommended with businesses just entering the marketplace, daily activity levels are low, acquiring capital dollars is difficult, picking is mainly at the bulk level, or there is uncertainty regarding future activity levels.
TECH CONSIDERED
- Rack
- Shelving
- Carts
- Workstations
- Conveyors
- Carton Flow Rack
- Autonomous Mobile Robots
Semi-Automated Process for Food & Beverage
A semi-automated process is the next step in the progression from a manual process. As daily activity levels increase, more efficient methods are required to handle the increased throughput and service level requirements. The transition from manual to semi-automated involves the introduction of conveyors, packaging equipment, and a more advanced warehouse control system.
TECH CONSIDERED
- Conveyors
- Sorters
- Robots/Autonomous Mobile Robots
- Pick/Put to Light
- Loaders/Unloaders
- Pick Modules
Automated Process for Food & Beverage
Automated processes are employed in fulfillment centers that have high daily volume demands consistently. They utilize many of the components of a semi-automated system but replace labor-intensive operations (such as picking) with highly efficient machines. Using goods-to-person technologies such as shuttles and autonomous robots; reduces order cycle times even further than a semi-automated solution but at a higher capital cost.
TECH CONSIDERED
Food & Beverage Components
View Our PartnersDepending on the need(s), one or more of these technologies may be used in a Food & Beverage solution.
Learn more about the technologies utilized and our partners involved during the entire process from conception to completion.
Automated Storage Retrieval
An Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) is a combination of equipment and controls that handle, store and retrieve materials as needed with precision, accuracy, and speed.
Tilt Tray Sorter
Also known as a loop sorter, a Tilt Tray is a continuous loop sortation conveyor that consists of individual trays traveling in the same direction to speed up order fulfillment.
Pick Module
It is designed to optimize the flow of multiple orders. They utilize numerous rack components integrated with an array of other material handling solutions to maneuver product efficiently through a warehouse or distribution center and expedite the order fulfillment process.
Loaders and Unloaders
Trailer loading and unloading can be simplified using extendable / retractable conveyors. These conveyors can range from inexpensive gravity conveyor up to traversable powered conveyors. The use of conveyors improves the speed and ergonomics of the trailer load / unload process.
Shelving
Shelving is a common method for storing cartons, totes, or individual pieces of product.
Racking
Racking is generally regarded as wider, deeper, and higher than shelving, and is the preferred method for storing large quantities of stock.