LANE AUTOMATED STORAGE/
RETRIEVAL SYSTEM
With an ever-changing marketplace,
taking advantage of opportunities
and emerging technologies is essential.
Apollo Projects Ltd has a
reputation for innovation and thinking
outside the box, qualities that have
been beneficial in the design and
build of Talley’s Group Ltd’s new
automated coldstore. The project,
located in Ashburton’s north side, will
house New Zealand’s first Deep Lane
Automated Storage and Retrieval
System (ASRS).
The ASRS system takes out risks
of leaks by removing the need for
hydraulics and its automation eliminates
risk of damage to products,
racks, and trucks. Most importantly,
it reduces possible injuries, as no
operators or forklifts are required to
work in the freezer.
“There’s so much we like about the
ASRS system, including how environmentally
friendly and energy
efficient it is,” says Craig Waghorn,
executive director of Apollo Projects.
Specialists in the design and build of dairy
processing and storage facilities.
FT669
“It really is the best deep lane system
for freezers.”
This project is part of a wider expansion
project, which includes improving
the efficiency and reliability of
their distribution area. The expansion
provides a protected environment
for loading containers, making it an
all-weather facility. This takes food
chain integrity to an even higher
level by ensuring that the container
is within the hygiene environment
before the doors are opened and
after the doors are closed.
The coldstore will be fully automated
and operate as a lights-out, or unmanned,
freezer for pallets of frozen
goods over six levels. The freezer is
clad with Kingspan insulated panels
and, to maintain the operating
temperature of -24°C, there will be
a force draft refrigeration system operating
through an exterior ambient
defrost pod.
This technology, which removes
unnecessary plant from within the
freezer space and eliminates the defrost
heat load from the coldstore,
makes the facility even more energy
efficient.
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