Food Tech

Scope Of Work

Associated Food Stores determined that their cold storage warehouse needed to be expanded to meet increased demand. The company originally had plans for a conventional 120,000 square-foot cooler expansion with a 32-foot clearance height and brought them to the team at Food Tech for review.

Food Tech performed a feasibility study which determined that a hi-rise automated facility would better serve the needs of Associated Food Stores than a conventional warehouse. Using value engineering and material handling design, Food Tech developed an innovative automated storage retrieval system (ASRS). Food Tech’s construction estimate also revealed that the automated facility would result in considerable cost savings for their client. 

Food Tech provided every aspect of the design process, which included four automated cranes for full pallet put-away, as well as a mini-load system designed for slow movers and special orders. At 60,000 square feet with a 60-foot clearance height, the finished project was half the square footage of the original plan. 

The reduced construction costs justified the price of the automated cranes, and Associated Food Stores also receives a yearly return due to reduced labor costs created by the advanced ASRS technology. 

Associated Food Stores is a cooperatively-owned grocery wholesaler founded in 1940. They supply nearly 500 independently owned retail supermarkets across eight states in the Intermountain West.

During this project, Food Tech delivered:

Four ASRS cranes

Mezzanine selection

Rotating fork cranes (no “slave pallets” required)

High volume, mixed commodity selection – 22% of total facility volume

ASRS moves completed selected pallets – no elevator

Special order mini-load system