Extreme cold, high demands, and yet complete process reliability: Westfalia Technologies has built up a high level of expertise in cold storage and frozen food storage through decades of automation in the food industry. In this interview, Sales Manager Moritz Lange explains what factors determine the selection of the right storage technology—and how automated systems increase occupational safety, save energy, and boost efficiency with intelligent software.
Mr. Lange, temperatures of minus 25 degrees Celsius or colder are typical conditions in deep-freeze warehouses. What opportunities does the use of fully automated storage systems open up, for example in terms of occupational safety?
Working continuously in extreme conditions, lifting and carrying is physically demanding. Therefore, strict break times are mandatory, shift work and regular medical examinations are essential. Manual deep-freeze warehouses experience high staff turnover, high staffing requirements, and often a shortage of skilled workers. One of the most important advantages of automated storage systems down to minus 35 degrees Celsius is therefore the reduction in exposure to the cold: staff only need to enter the actual deep-freeze warehouse for maintenance work. Service lifts on the storage and retrieval machines and good accessibility to all components help to carry out maintenance quickly. Troubleshooting can often be carried out remotely.
... and in terms of process stability?
Automated conveyor and storage technology delivers consistently high speed and precision, reliably preventing damage to pallets and goods as well as disruptions in the storage system. This enables faster handling of warehouse processes and reduces the time products spend outside the optimal temperature zone. Warehouse management and material flow control monitor batch safety. This is crucial for an uninterrupted cold chain, for product quality and food safety – and, of course, for on-time deliveries.
How does Westfalia address these challenges with its storage systems?
One of our key solutions is the patented Satellite® Storage System, which was launched in 1983. Today, the Satellite® load handling device is one of the most versatile technological modules for ultra-compact, multi-deep storage, even at low temperatures. Thanks to wired Satellites, our storage technology is independent of batteries, which suffer significant performance losses in the deep-freeze sector. With our highly available systems, it is only necessary to enter the cold storage facility in absolutely exceptional cases.
What other advantages does it offer?
Goods can be stored at high density in storage channels of almost any depth, maximizing storage capacity and space utilization and enabling high transport speeds without damaging the goods. Additional storage profiles enable long service lives for disposable pallets, for example. Satellite® Warehouses can be customized as required and therefore implemented very close to production lines. Production and storage merge, and raw materials, packaging, or batches produced for stock can be kept right next to production and transferred just-in-sequence. Our systems thus significantly reduce expensive setup times and material transport distances.
With telescopic storage systems and Satellite® Storage Systems, you offer two different types of storage. What criteria play a role in the selection process in the deep-freeze sector?
The selection of the right storage technology depends on several factors. In addition to the obvious parameters such as number of storage spaces and throughput, storage density, batch sizes, and article structures also play a role. In the food industry in particular, these parameters favor the use of a Satellite® Warehouse. Storage density is a compelling argument, as cooling the warehouse requires a great deal of energy and every cubic meter of storage space saved reduces costs.
When is it advisable to use which type of warehouse?
In principle, Satellite® Warehouses can achieve high throughputs with higher storage density. Telescopic fork storage systems are primarily suitable for a very small-scale range with small batch sizes, as they allow direct access to each pallet. Compared to shuttle systems, which are particularly popular for high-frequency trading, our storage systems are a real alternative due to their robust technology and high cost-effectiveness in terms of purchase and system cycle.
Read the full interview in Anuga FoodTec Magazine
Advantages of our storage systems for food
