In the desert nation of Dubai, logistics service provider Integrated National Logistics (INL) stores food for the entire Middle East. Because of increasing demand for deep-freeze capacity, the company has now decided to change its warehouse concept and bring the temperature down to -28°C – equivalent to doubling the space previously available. German company Unitechnik is responsible for the technical changeover.
The changeover will affect the former dry goods section of the warehouse and is primarily related to the control technology of the automatic stacker cranes and conveyor systems. In particular, the sensor systems, power and load-handling units are to be adapted to withstand constant cold. New air locks will also be added to minimize the exchange of heat between warehouse and order picking zones. Work on the extended deep-freeze storage area will be concluded during summer 2014.
“INL’s decision to bring storage temperatures down in seven aisles is unusual, but it can be implemented in the short term with our flexible comprehensive solution. After all, we fall back on our experience from the first phase of the project,” explained Michael Huhn, Sales Director Logistics Systems at Unitechnik.