How does a 3 story steel building cold store works?

Introduction of 3 story steel building

The automatic refrigerated 3 story steel building is an increasingly common solution for logistics. Using cold to store products in the long term is not a recent technique. This technique was common in Middle Ages. Thanks to the controlled temperature, the merchandise maintains its quality and properties. Moreover, it prolongs the life cycle of the products in the warehouse.

The new pace of life has further strengthened the refrigeration logistics industry. According to a report by the consultant Markets & Markets the industrial sector of frozen food will have an annual growth of 5.14% over the next three years, reaching a global turnover of more than 283 billion dollars in 2023.

How a 3 story steel building works?

Through this article we explain how a 3 story steel building cold store works? Similarly, we shall explain its layout and how it had to adapt to new logistical challenges. It is not for nothing that many companies have decided to implement automatic solutions.

Refrigerated 3 story steel building is easy to classify according to their storage systems. However, the most common classification depends on the temperature regulation existing in the installation, which distinguishes between:

What is a 3-story steel building?

A cold store is an installation intended for the storage, supply, preparation and shipment of products at low temperature. It is a type of installation comes by storage systems, handling equipment, as well as other elements. These are part of its operation, such as:

• Conveyors
• clean rooms
• SAS doors (Security Airlock System), etc.

Refrigerated: 3 story steel building with a controlled temperature between 0 and 10°C. They are common in the food sector (dairy, sausages, among others). Similarly, they are popular in the pharmaceutical industry or in the health sector.

Freezing: cold rooms that maintain a controlled temperature can go from -30°C to 0°C. They are especially common in the frozen food industry.

Necessary to consider that this constant temperature control

It is necessary to consider that this constant temperature control, both during storage and during receipt, preparation and dispatch of orders, represents a significant increase in the energy consumption of the installation, which makes the logistical process of each product more expensive.

Added to this is the complexity of manual operations: at -30°C the safety of operators can be affected if they are exposed to the cold for long periods of time.

In addition, when storing perishable, pharmaceutical or food products, it is very common for the facility to have a system. This system guarantees the real-time traceability of the merchandise.

How is a cold store designed?

The main feature of a cold store is the use of controlled temperature to prolong the useful life of the merchandise. That is why the supply chain must include mechanisms for the conservation of cold in all operations. For example, it is useless to have a cold store with the latest technology if the loading docks are not guaranteed to preserve the temperature.

The design of a cold store must be based on the specifics of the business. Among which stand out:

• Type of goods stored
• Ability to receive and ship goods
• Loading docks and temporary buffers
• Global 3 story steel buildinglayout
• Number of daily orders to be shipped
• Storage systems common
• Load Unit Types

Degree of 3 story steel building automation

Any refrigeration installation must include storage systems – manual or automatic – that are adapted to low temperature conditions. In addition to the shelves, the warehouse structure itself must also be prepared to keep the cold inside the chambers themselves.

This is the main reason why many companies are betting on self-supporting warehouses, where the shelves form the structure of the warehouse, allowing to optimize the storage capacity.

3 story steel building must have refrigerated doors

These warehouses must also have refrigerated doors adapted to the working temperature of the installation. Often, these ports are part of a SAS (Security Airlock System), a system that has a pre-chamber with two fast doors that are never open at the same time, which avoids sudden changes in temperature inside.

Temperature-regulated 3 story steel building also require a plenum or chamber on top of them, as well as air circulation tubes, evaporators, and an insulated elevated aisle for maintaining these structures.

Automatic 3 story steel building

The purpose of an automatic cold store is to streamline processes and increase safety, both for operators and for merchandise. To automate a warehouse, automated handling equipment must install, such as stacker cranes for pallets or for boxes (mini loads).

These storage systems often come by conveyors, which speed up the flow of goods and prevent operators from moving stock in unfavorable environmental conditions.

Recommended to use Pallet Shuttle

It is also possible to implement a Pallet Shuttle car along with a stacker crane to further compact the goods. Moreover, it is important to use Pallet Shuttle with forklifts in chambers with lower order volume. Automating refrigerated warehouses with systems like Pallet Shuttle is the best solution to conserve productivity in these contexts

Automating refrigerated 3 story steel building with systems like Pallet Shuttle is the best solution to conserve productivity in these contexts.

Described solutions for storing merchandise

So far, we’ve described solutions for storing merchandise, but is it possible to automate order preparation? Tools such as robotic arms are perfect for not exposing operators to the cold and, at the same time, ensuring maximum productivity in order preparation.

All these automated elements that we have specified could not operate safely and effectively without a Pallet Inspection Post that ensures that every volume entering the warehouse meets the required requirements. Its function is to check the weight of the load, the bending and the condition of the pallet, among other things.

Integration with other departments (ERP)

The 3-story steel building manager must coordinate with the other departments of the company to achieve the goal of all logistics: the order must arrive on time and in the manner established with the customer.

For this purpose, the different logistics software integrates within the ERP (Enterprise Resourcing Planning), a computer program. These groups together all or most of the divisions of a company, such as accounting, marketing, commercial department, etc.

Conclusion

Inadequate coordination between the warehouse and the sales division can lead to errors in orders. Or incomplete orders, which has serious economic consequences for the company.  Automation of both the operation and management of a warehouse through a WMS. The best strategy for an error-free and much more efficient is 3 story steel building.