Shifting Gears: Why F&B Warehouses Are Automating for Efficiency in a Challenging Landscape
The food and beverage (F&B) industry is facing more pressure than ever before to meet consumer demands, maintain product quality, and comply with increasingly stringent safety regulations. Warehousing plays a crucial role in ensuring that perishable goods are stored, processed, and delivered efficiently. Traditional warehousing methods are proving insufficient in addressing the unique challenges of the F&B sector: managing perishable goods, handling complex supply chains, maintaining operational efficiency, and adhering to tight delivery windows.
The solution? Automation. As businesses shift towards more efficient and accurate operations, warehouse automation has become essential to staying competitive. We explore why F&B warehouses are rapidly adopting Daifuku automation solutions and how it’s helping them not only meet but exceed operational expectations.
Managing complex supply chains with ease
The F&B industry’s supply chain is inherently complex, involving time-sensitive and temperature-controlled products. With such a delicate balance to maintain, efficiency and accuracy are crucial. Our automation solution simplifies this complexity by integrating advanced Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS)—Unit Load and Mini Load—that ensure optimal storage and retrieval of goods. These systems not only improve storage density but also enhance the speed and accuracy of inventory management, reducing the likelihood of human error and waste.
Meeting consumer demands
Automation enables F&B warehouses to process orders faster and with greater accuracy. The Sorting Transfer Vehicle (STV) moves products through the warehouse quickly, while the Automated Storage and Retrieval System ensures items are directed to the right storage bay without human intervention.
Our AS/RS system enables partial picking offering greater flexibility in fulfilling varied order sizes. This is especially beneficial in the F&B sector where demand fluctuates, and orders often consist of mixed quantities. Daifuku automation solutions reduce the need for overstocking or understocking, optimize inventory levels, and reduces waste by enabling precise retrieval of specific quantities.
Unit Load AS/RS with STV loop
Sorting Transfer Vehicle (STV)
Enhancing product safety and regulatory compliance
Food safety is a top priority for F&B companies, and managing temperature, humidity, and sanitation within a warehouse environment is critical to preventing contamination and spoilage.
A cold storage AS/RS helps maintain precise environmental conditions for temperature-sensitive products. More specifically, it helps maintain a cold temperature in cold storage environments by minimizing human interaction, reducing door openings, and speeding up storage and retrieval processes, which limits temperature fluctuations. The system also enables higher-density storage thanks to its vertical nature, reducing the air volume that needs cooling. Additionally, an AS/RS improves energy efficiency by reducing the need for refrigeration, as less cold air escapes, and enhances inventory management through precise tracking, ensuring proper temperature control and reducing spoilage. Furthermore, our cold-resistant STVs, which often accompany an AS/RS, are designed for operations in environments as cold as -30°C, ideal for efficient conveying and sorting in cold warehouses.
The future of F&B warehousing: a fully automated landscape
The adoption of automation in F&B warehouses is no longer just a trend—it’s a necessity. The warehouse automation market is expected to reach a value of $30 billion by 2026 (*1). As the global demand for automation increases, the F&B industry will be at the forefront of this transformation. Daifuku warehouse automation systems can anticipate and overcome any efficiency, accuracy, and compliance challenges.
By 2028, the warehouse robotics market is expected to reach $10.5 billion, with the Asia-Pacific region experiencing the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7%—Daifuku is positioned as one of the key players in this rapidly expanding market (*2). F&B companies that invest in automation today are not only enhancing their current operations but also positioning themselves for long-term success. Automation allows businesses to scale, innovate, and adapt to future challenges, all while delivering better products and services to their customers.
As F&B warehouses continue to navigate an increasingly complex landscape, the shift toward automation is set to drive efficiency, improve accuracy, and ultimately help businesses thrive in a competitive market.
Summing it up
In F&B warehouses, where speed, safety, and accuracy are paramount, automation is revolutionizing operations. By implementing Daifuku warehouse automation solutions, companies are meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving market while ensuring high levels of safety, accuracy, and operational efficiency. From optimizing supply chains to improving productivity, Daifuku automation solutions provide the solution necessary to drive success in the competitive F&B sector.
With the global market for automation on the rise, the future belongs to those who embrace these technologies and integrate them into their core operations.
Reference:
- *1Markets and Markets: Robots in Warehousing - 2023 Top Players, Products, and Advancements
- *2Markets and Markets: Warehouse Robotics Market Size, Share, and Analysis
Spice up your material handling operations
Read one of our success stories in the F&B sector from India—Everest Spices. As one of India’s leading superbrands, Everest implemented two Unit Load AS/RSs and STVs, significantly enhancing storage capacity for both raw materials and finished goods, while also improving sanitary control and traceability.
Faraz Peepawala
Manager of Engineering, Daifuku Intralogistics India
Faraz joined the Daifuku Group in 2017 and is the Manager of Engineering and Solution Designing at Daifuku Intralogistics India. A mechanical engineering graduate, Faraz has been an integral part of the Daifuku family for eight years, contributing to its growth and success.
About Daifuku Intralogistics India
Daifuku Intralogistics India Pvt. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Daifuku Co., Ltd. (est. 1937)—one of the world's leading Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) providers. For over a decade, Daifuku Intralogistics India has partnered with Indian industries, delivering automation solutions that are efficient, reliable, and accurate—combining Japanese expertise with the strength of Indian manufacturing.